Unsung Austrian composers

[Balapoel]

I've been updating my composer files, and I noted a few that I don't believe we've discussed that appear interesting to me. The lists are not intended to be complete but to give a sense of their substantial chamber and orchestral works. If there is interest, I can post more by country of origin.

Bach, Otto (1833-1893)

Chamber
Piano Trio No. 1 in c# minor, Op. 7 (1865)
Piano Trio No. 2 in Eb, Op. 22 (1872)
String QUartet in g minor (1851)
String Quartet in d minor, Op. 6 (1863)
String Quintet in a minor (1864)

Orchestral
4 symphonies (any more info on these?)
Piano Concerto (1870)
Violin Concerto (1854)

Huttenbrenner, Anselm (1794-1868)

Chamber
String Quartet No. 1 in E, Op. 3 (1816)
String Quartet No. 2 in c minor (1847)
String Quintet in c minor

Orchestral
8 Symphonies (4 lost)
numerous overtures (some lost)
Violin Concertino (1846)


Kornauth, Egon (1891-1959)

Chamber
Cello Sonata, Op. 28
Clarinet Quintet in f# minor, Op. 33
Clarinet Sonata in f minor, Op. 5
Piano Quartet in c minor, Op. 18
Piano Quintet in f# minor, Op. 35a
Piano Trio in b minor
String Quartet in a minor, Op. 14
String Quartet in g minor, Op. 26
String Quintet in g minor, Op. 30
String Quintet No. 2 in c# minor, Op. 40
String Sextet in a minor, Op. 25
Viola Sonata in c# minor, Op. 3
Violin Sonata in e minor, Op. 9
Violin Sonata in D, Op. 15

Orchestral
5 Orchestral Suites
Konzertstuck for violin and chamber orchestra, Op. 19
Ballade for cello and orchestra, Op. 17

Muller-Hermann, Johanna (1868-1941)

Chamber
Cello Sonata, Op. 17
Piano Quintet in g minor, Op. 31
String Quartet in Eb, Op. 6
String Quintet, Op. 7
Violin Sonata in d minor, Op. 5

Orchestral
Heroische Overture, Op. 21
Brand, symphonic Phantasie, Op. 25
Symphony in d minor (1919), Op. 27

Stöhr, Richard (1874-1967)

Chamber
Cello Sonata in a minor, Op. 49
Piano Quartet in d minor, Op. 63
6 piano quintets (g minor, c minor, d minor, g minor, d minor, g minor)
5 piano trios (opp. 16, 77, 97, 100, 127)
5 string quartets (d minor, Eb, a minor, e minor, G)
15 violin sonatas (Opp. 27, 62, 73, 95, 103, 107, 115, 118, 122, 125, 130, 131, 134)

Orchestral
Symphony No. 1 in a minor, Op. 18
Symphony No. 2 in d minor, Op. 81
Symphony No. 3 in C, Op. 93
Symphony No. 4 'An Artist's Life', Op. 101
Symphony No. 5 in e minor, Op. 106
Symphony No. 6 in Bb, Op. 129
Symphony No. 7 in c minor, Op. 136
Konzertphantasie in d minor for violin and orchestra, Op. 50
Symphonie Phantasie in f minor for organ and orchestra, Op. 29

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Indeed - all very interesting composers. At least I've heard of each of them, if not actually heard their music!

In the case of Egon Kornauth I guess you know Toccata are just about to issue a disc of some of the piano music played by Jonathan Powell? I ordered my copy yesterday - it appears fascinating stuff and promises to be Volume 1 of a projected series. Hopefully the success of the disc might spark off interest in the substantial body of chamber music. Hurrah for Martin Anderson!

[Alan Howe]

There is a CD of music by Stöhr...
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Richard-St%F6hr-1874-1967-Streichquartett-d-moll-op-22/hnum/1620853
...which was mentioned in this (brief) thread on the composer:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,980.msg12835.html#msg12835

[mattbrown]

http://www.amazon.com/Heroic-Overture-Silhouettes-Irish-Symphony/dp/B00000459M/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1361970511&sr=8-9&keywords=johanna+muller-hermann

This disc contains the Heroic Overture and the Epilogue from Brand by Johanna Muller-Hermann, as well as music of three other interesting Austrian woman composers. It is probably out of print, but this Amazon entry has all the details for those of you who have the time (and money!) to go seeking it.

[eschiss1]

Thank you - I know a little about some of these composers (and have seen a little by Stöhr- I knew he wrote one symphony, but not seven! ) ...

[MusFerd]

Hüttenbrenner is well worth of mention, a close friend of Schubert and the leading figure of the musical life in Graz and Styria in the first half of the 19th century. I know a fine Lieder CD (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kylpd3_ivhk) and I'm preparing an article on his sacred music... part of a book on him which is supposed to be printed next year.  And a few years ago I found the autograph of a piano "Fantaisie tragique" by him (1829), dedicated to the (once very famous) Tyrolian pianist Caroline Perthaler. A Tyrolian pianist of our times, Marlies Nussbaumer, has written a book on Perthaler and included a CD, which also contains this virtuoso "Fantasie tragique".  Try http://www.nussbaumermusic.at/index.html#cd.
 

[Balapoel]

Thanks for the responses. Does anyone have any info on the symphonies of Huttenbrenner and Otto Bach?

[eschiss1]

Not sure re the symphonies. I recall a recording of a Requiem and a shorter choral work (and perhaps also a symphony no.4 in D minor with organ- maybe that was someone else entirely... - no, not Rangstrom!) by a friend of Schubert's, that was reviewed middling-well in Fanfare years back, but it seems not to have been Huttenbrenner- that, or it disappeared without a suspicion of a trace?

[eschiss1]

Speaking of Huttenbrenner--

A rare chance to hear quintets by Spohr and Hüttenbrenner in Cardiff in April.

[MusFerd]

Hüttenbrenner wrote two symphonies. His musical estate is preserved in the library of the Kunstuniversität Graz, the manuscripts and prints are available as electronic resources - see: https://phaidra.kug.ac.at/detail_object/o:832?SID=&actPage=&type=thumbnails. I don't know any recordings of the symphonies.

[Balapoel]

Hmm. According to Grove Music, Huttenbrenner wrote 8 symphonies, 4 of which are lost. I would imagine that the manuscripts of the four unlost ones would be available somewhere for perusal.  There's nothing in worldcat, and Hofmeister only lists lieder op. 212, 2 caprices for cello and piano, op. 6, and another song. I've hit a brick wall with Huttenbrenner and with Otto Bach.

[FBerwald]

Any bio on Otto Bach... the name alone is intriguing.

[eschiss1]

Wikipedia (Deutsch)? (and another bio in German, and a brief one in English.)

[Balapoel]

And all three very brief...

[eschiss1]

alas so. don't know if there's more out there yet. (Maybe the sources contain more. Two of them (for the Salzburg-wiki article) are
*Haslinger, Adolf, Mittermayr, Peter (editors), Salzburger Kulturlexikon, Residenz Verlag, Salzburg-Wien-Frankfurt/Main 2001, ISBN 3-7017-1129-1
*Constantin Schneider: Geschichte der Musik in Salzburg von der ältesten Zeit bis zur Gegenwart, 1935.

Hrm. His obituary in the Musical Times (August 1 1893, page 474) claims he was married to the widow of Heinrich Marschner. Didn't see that info/bit of trivia/etc. in the other bios, though I may just have missed that in my sleepy hurry...

(I forget if Heinrich Molbe, pseudonym for a Bach or at least a Freiherr von Bach, was Austrian, but there's way too little information about his biography. I vaguely recall we have a thread for him already somewhere, though...)