About Joseph Küffner 1776-1856

[eschiss1]

I don't have the time right this moment to write up a full biography and worklist (though something like those are available elsewhere) and am mostly opening up this new thread to start considering the question whether he's Romantic enough for here anyway.
Part of the problem is, not enough of his serious music's been recorded; if you look at his recorded output, his 7-odd symphonies (published 1818-1826) and, I think, 2 viola concertos (published ca.1819 and 1828) are both missing, and mostly you'll find recordings of potpourris, chamber music with clarinet --

(mixing potpourris and possibly more serious quintets, from earlier and later periods of his life- I do see that his later works tend on the whole, his symphonies and a few other works that cover at least his early and middle periods aside, to be much more potpourri-oriented. So on the clarinet disc, " Introduktion, Thema und Variationen op. 190 über eine Schweizer Lied für Klarinette und Klavier"; the earlier wind quintet is Op.40 No.3; Op.198 is again a potpourri; etc.

Going by the worklist at IMSLP, the known published works after his Op.178 string quartet (published ca.1828 by Schott) are all dances, opera potpourris, nocturnes, waltzes, etc. And that's the known works Opp.179-334, though the table has some gaps needing filling in. So his works from Beethoven's death on seem to be mostly of lighter character (I assume; I realize I am judging all these works by their cover, which I should long since have learned not to do). ...

I'm curious about that string quartet, and about the symphonies, concertos and overtures and other works of "prima facie" interest  which were published during Beethoven's lifetime or so, but I haven't necessarily given a good reason to look into him or even to stream the existing recordings of his music, let alone put energy into converting the possibly more serious available works from parts into score (which I may still do, to give people a better idea whether to have a look at them, perhaps.)

Edit: whoever's been uploading these works to IMSLP has not been updating the worklist; a few pages unaccounted for is one thing, _200_ is another. I have work to do (aside from the work at my new paid job) apparently.

[Alan Howe]

Try this - JK's Introduction and Variations, Op.32 for Clarinet and Strings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPJKxHRQyWA

There appear to be seven symphonies:

First Symphony op. 75 (pub. Schott, 1818)
Second Symphony op. 76 (Schott)
Third Symphony op. 83 (pub. André, ca 1820)
Fourth Symphony op. 141 (Schott)
Fifth Symphony op. 142 (pub. by 1824) (Schott)
Sixth Symphony op. 150 (Schott)
Seventh Symphony op. 164 (pub. 1826) (Schott)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_K%C3%BCffner#Compositions

[eschiss1]

We @ IMSLP do not yet have material for no.5, but we do for the other 6 symphonies. Thanks!

[Alan Howe]

Have you any idea of the idiom of the symphonies, Eric?

[eschiss1]

Not offhand, unfortunately- I mean, I'm skimming the parts, but I feel like I want to convert a section into score or short-score first before making a judgment. It probably is more late-Classical even for 1825 (the publication date of symphony no.7, whose 2nd movement sounds from the title like it's going to be another of those alla Turca/alla Espagniola/ ... ... not uncommon at the time...), though. (Some nice tunes so far, that said.)

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks for looking further into Joseph Küffner, Eric.

[Alan Howe]

Yes - thanks, Eric. Intriguing.