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[Johann Adolph Breuer (1810–1882)]

Johann Adolph Breuer (1810–1882) was a contrabassist and composer from Cologne. He was the brother of composer Bernhard Breuer. He was married until 1857 to Anna Catharine Breuer (née Hilgers) who died 10.2. of that year, leaving Adolph with four underage children. He died in Cologne in 1882.

Very little info on him can be found online. The Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln has digitized the full scores of his symphonies no.1 & no.3 which are both dated 1849. No other compositions of his are known to me. (But let's presume he did at least write a symphony no.2!)

https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?method=simpleSearch&cqlMode=true&query=nid%3D1254032444

The following book is listed as a source, I haven't had to chance to look into it. Perhaps it has some more info on the composer:

• Wulf, Arlt (1962): Breuer, Johann Adolf, in: Fellerer, Karl Gustav (Hrsg.): Rheinische Musiker, 2. Folge, Heft 53, S. 12-13, in: Beiträge zur Rheinischen Musikgeschichte, Köln: Arno Volk-Verlag.

SYMPHONY NO.3

Adolph Breuer's third symphony (D major) is dated 1849 on the manuscript's first page. It was premiered in a philharmonic concert at Cologne on 5.1.1850 and a second performance took place on 6.3.1850 at Cologne's grand Casino-Saale, conducted by Hiller. (The composer also played the bass part in a Hummel Piano Quintet at that same concert.) I was able to find announcements for both of these concerts in the issues of Kölnische Zeitung, but I couldn't find any reviews of them.

On the first page of the score, a motto for the symphony is given:

Wenn sich der menschliche Geist vom Irdischen hebet zum Himmel,
Dann ist Wonne sein Theil, und laut aufschallet sein Jubel.

("When the human spirit rises from earthly things to heaven,
Then joy will be his portion, and his rejoicing will ring loudly.")

By the way, if you're following the score in the video, please note that the instruments are ordered from top to bottom like so: timpani, brass (trumpet above, horns below), winds and strings. The finale also includes 3 trombones on a single stave at the very bottom, and near the end the two flutes are meant to be doubled by an additional piccolo. In the 1. and 4. movements, the timpani is tuned to A/D although written in the score as G/C. Unusually for a romantic period symphony, there are even some figured bass instructions written in the bass stave. At a glance, you might think you're following late classical or an early romantic score by the looks of it. These technicalities of course have nothing to do with the music itself, which for the most part I find perfectly charming, especially in the wonderful opening movement and the upbeat finale.

YOUTUBE LINK (DORICO/NOTEPERFORMER): https://youtu.be/-JdSb7K21vI?si=a60cf4Eq-LdEZ05N
SOURCE: https://noah.nrw/hfmtkmusikhs/content/titleinfo/5910574

Thank you friends! One reason I enjoy transcribing Hiller's music is because of the ease of means in his orchestration. Just so many or just so few instruments are employed as the music calls for (often enough). Perhaps sometimes less inspired than many of his peers were, he was still an outstanding musician with a large amount of good music still waiting to be given new chances.

Incidentally, Tuomas, do you have any more news on the possible recording of Hiller's VC?

No unfortunately not. I hope it's proceeding, but I haven't heard or asked of it lately.

Fantastic news!

Thank you Alan.
In a hilarious turn of events, Youtube actually just took the video down. Their reason... according to the mail I received:

We wanted to let you know our team reviewed your content, and we think it violates our sex and nudity policy.

I always knew Hiller could write some rowdy music, but wow!

(Yes, the video's thumbnail painting by Doré: The Naiads of the Sea was the actual reason. I just had to change the thumbnail and the video is now back up.)

I'm very happy to present a Dorico/Noteperformer audio of the whole Ansorge concerto!

Tuomas, can you upload it to an online storage site?

Now that the Triendl recording has been announced, do you think there is any need to hear my noteperformer rendition at all? I have no objection to uploading it, but I'm just curious.

I haven't listened to the recording yet, but just based on my recollections on working with the score some years ago... I thought that the work had something in common with the style of Pfitzner and Busoni concertos: perhaps, just in concept. Despite the chromaticism which I did not a detriment here, Ansorge has composed a beautiful, poetic work which, while maybe (as Alan has pointed out) leaves the listener wanting a little more of it, contains powerful and enchanting passages and writing for the piano and orchestra alike. A very worthwhile work in my view, worth hearing and studying.

[Die Klage der Oceaniden]

Hiller's Die Klage der Oceaniden from 1869 is the second of a set of three unpublished orchestral Fantasiestücke, which at one point had been intended as Op.143*. This designation, written on the front cover of the autograph, is crossed over. The other pieces in this set are No.1 Meeresruhe and No.3 Corsarer. Autographs of these works can be viewed online at the website of Goethe Universität Frankfurt-am-Main.

The piece opens with some tremolo string patterns that continue to brew in the background, generating rhythmic motion throughout the work. The woodwinds, with their wailing melodies contrast the passion of the crashing waves underneath. The atmosphere of the piece is at times tender and foreboding, at times stormy and passionate. I hope you all will enjoy this short tone poem by Mr. Hiller!

YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/lW3-efMvAGs


* A set of 8 Gesänge were instead published as Hiller's Op.143.

[Deutsche Tonhalle.]

In the video, the bpm for the 2nd movement is already as low as q=52 but because of how the movement is scored regarding the note values, I suppose it does play out faster than that might indicate. How does this sound for example (see link below), with q=44 bpm? Let me know if you still find it too fast.

DROPBOX: mp3 download


I'm in full agreement that, unlike many symphonies which falter when it comes to their finales, the case is not so with Markull here! It really is excellent and perhaps the best part of the work indeed (I love the 2nd movement as well). Though, I find the very end of the finale somewhat perfunctory, but that may only be me.

By the way, here is the text of the article about the symphony contest I mentioned in my opening post. This brief appeared in several newspapers in 1856. There's a few worthwhile names to look into here, perhaps!

Deutsche Tonhalle.

Die um den, im August v. J., für eine Symphonie ausgesetzten Preis in der festgesetzten Zeit eingekommenen 39 Bewerbungen sind durch die als Preisrichter erwählten Herren Dr. L[ouis] Spohr, V[incenz] Lachner und F[erdinand] Hiller beurtheilt worden.

Das Ergebniß dieser Beurtheilung ist folgendes:

Den Preis erhielt zuerkannt: Das Werk des Hrn. H. Neumann in Heiligenstadt; besonders belobt sind: die Werke der Herren F[riedrich] W[ilhelm] Markull in Danzig, Richard Wuerst in Berlin, K. J. Bischoff in Frankfurt am Main, Wilh. Hansen in Hannover, Emil Büchner in Leipzig, Anonym in Wien und Ernst Pauer in London; belobt wurden die Werke der Herren Johann Herbeck und Pius Richter in Wien, des Hrn. Eduard Kunz in Worms und der Herren Karl Aug[ust] Zwicker und Friedrich Lux in Mainz.

Wegen Rücksendung der sämmtlichen Bewerbungen sind die Vereinssatzungen maaßgebend.

Mannheim, den 10. Dezember 1855.
- Der Vorstand der deutschen Tonhalle.

It's one of the most difficult parts to get right, in unsung works where there is no performance tradition, figuring out the tempos... no problem, Alan. I see what you mean!  Yes, it's possible, I'll get back to it shortly. I did go back and forth with different tempos for that movement but, perhaps a slower tempo would suit it better in the end.

[Friedrich Wilhelm Markull]

Friedrich Wilhelm Markull (b. 11 February 1816 Elbing, d. 30 April 1887) was a principal organist at Danzig and conductor of the city's Gesangverein. He was also well renowned as a pianist. He composed operas, oratorios and two symphonies, and many works for the organ, while also contributing musical articles to the local Danzig journals.

Symphony no. 2 (in C minor)

F. W. Markull's first symphony, in D major, was composed in the 1840s. Christopher Fifield has a short entry on that work in his book The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms. The second symphony however was only mentioned in the book in passing.

Markull is not well know these days and no music of his remains in the current day repertoire, but he appears to have been a respected and industrious composer in his time. According to Fifield, this symphony was performed in 1854 in Danzig. There was also a contest for symphonies in 1856* to which Markull sent an entry for: I wonder if it was this work? Markull did not win that contest, but received particular praise for his entry.

YOUTUBE (NOTEPERFORMER): https://youtu.be/ICzkB3xkcfw?si=GwrK2EhoNclT_9iH

* The judges of this contest were Louis Spohr, Vincenz Lachner and Ferdinand Hiller. 39 symphonies were submitted to the contest. The results were posted in many newspapers; see for example Urania: Musik-Zeitschrift für Orgelbau, Orgel- und Harmoniumspiel 1856, no 6 s. 93.

'Im Freien' means 'In the Open Air' or simply 'Outdoors'. 'Pastoral' is close , but rather more general.

Incidentally, there has obviously been an attempt to catalogue Hiller's works (or at least some of them), as the Ries & Erler listing reveals. I'm assuming that HW means 'Hillerwerkverzeichnis', but the remainder is guesswork:

Symphony in E minor, Op.67 HW 1.67  'Es muss doch Frühling werden'
Symphony in E minor, HW 2.4.3
Symphony in F minor, HW 2.4.4
Symphony in C major, HW 2.4.6

Maybe '1.67' indicates a known published work ('1'), followed by its opus number ('67')?
Maybe '2' indicates an unpublished work (WoO?), '4' the category 'Symphony', and the third digit the presumed order of composition dates?

Does anyone know for sure?

To clarify this, the Hiller Werkverzeichnis listing is taken from the book "Proportio artificiosa raro usita" by Michael Gehlmann. The book includes the most complete Hiller worklist so far researched. A very handy and important study, this! The op.67 symphony is categorized among works with opus numbers, and the other symphonies are listed under the category 2.4: "Sinfonien und Orchesterwerke".

See above, Eric. Howard Griffiths has recorded a Symphony in C , which he describes as 'early' (ca. 1829-34), so unless that waited forty-odd years to be published, there must be two in that key...

IMSLP has this entry:
Symphony No.5? in C (performed at the Gewandhaus in 1877 according to Geschichte der Gewandhausconcerte zu Leipzig vom 25. November 1781 bis 25. November 1881).

So: was this a new Symphony in C or his early one? Or - unlikely, I know - are they the same work?

The chronology of Hiller's symphonies is a REALLY confusing subject. Reproducing many of his orchestral works from different periods of his compositional career has, I think, helped me to understand the differences between his earlier and late works somewhat. Though I'm still no Hiller expert. Regardless, I would love if more research into his music was being carried out to clear out this confusion...

The prevailing assumption to place the present C-major symphony to Hiller's early period appears to be a strong one. The following are my own conclusions – so please take them as you will – because in this case I must insist going against this popular opinion...


There is no "early" C-major symphony to my knowledge, or if there was, it hasn't been found. Incidentally, does anyone know the source which states Hiller composed a symphony in C in his early period? My own guess is that a Fraktur transcription error from "E" to "C" happened somewhere down the line of research.

The C-major symphony to which a manuscript survives, the same one published by R&E, must be the 1870s one. The handwriting, style of orchestration (and manuscript paper) used in this working manuscript is from Hiller's late period and couldn't have been composed in the 1830s. I think Howard Griffiths is mistaken in calling the C-major symphony a ca. 1829–34 work...


Yes, Alan, the F-minor symphony is the same one I created with Noteperformer in my youtube channel, a great piece, well worth hearing it finally being performed by real musicians! 

I also recreated the C-major symphony with noteperformer.

A few of Hiller's symphonies appear to be lost: the "Im freien" (or "Pastoral") Symphony in G from the 1850s which was once performed in London, and there's an entry for another early symphony "Symphonie de victoire" in one of his composition notebooks, these are both missing...


...In any case, I'm really happy to hear Mr. Howard Griffiths has recorded these four! It's a very important undertaking for certain!

Thanks for the info, good to know! It's 50-50 whether the e minor means the 1830s symphony or the later, op. 67 one.

All of Hiller's (preserved) symphonies have been edited by Ries & Erler Verlag recently. They should be commended for this editing effort, however for two reasons I cannot support them: 1) the scores are outrageously expensive, and 2) even the sample pages in their website appear to contain some editorial oversights and mistakes. Thus if the samples are any indication, the editorial work has been sloppy.

I hope CPO will record the C major symphony too, a fine symphony, which was composed by Hiller sometime in the 1870s - and it was his last symphony.

The lack of printed scores and parts for symphonies 2, 4 and 7 is probably the main reason why no complete cycle has appeared yet. Only ms full scores for these works are available at the moment. As result of making the synthesized "recordings" myself I have no objection to supplying the musicxml files to a party/company dedicated enough to finish editing them.

Thanks, Eric. That's good to know.

Fatally overlong but with beautiful moments and good writing. I wonder what the full cantata is like. I wonder also where the composer's manuscripts are. According to one article on the composer's wife Pauline von Erdmannsdörfer-Fichtner, the couple's estate is not known:

Ein möglicher Nachlass des Ehepaares ist bislang nicht bekannt.

mugi.hfmt-hamburg.de

This overture, but not the rest of the cantata, was performed (premiered?) 16 November 1872 by the New York Philharmonic canducted by one Carl Bergmann.