Adolph Breuer (1810–1882)

[tpaloj]

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

[Reverie]

Well done for all that hard work!

This is very interesting - I am currently working (from time to time) on a symphony by Ernst Reiter (also dated 1849).

I will give the Adolph Breuer a listen and report back soon.

[Alan Howe]

I'm not too sure about the Breuer - yet. More later...

[Reverie]

Yes, I think the 1st mov is the most appealing. I enjoyed the scherzo too but felt it needed to move a tad quicker - kind of dotted crotchet=70   ??