Benedict Randhartinger (1802-1893)

[Alan Howe]

Great name, eh?
Has anyone come across this Austrian singer-composer? Seems he wrote rather a lot:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Randhartinger (sorry it's in German)
There is also a Randhartinger Society:
http://www.randhartinger.at/

[eschiss1]

RISM locates 65 items by Randhartinger, all apparently sacred settings, in various libraries. (I keep wanting to ask about Franz Bühler who was also quite prolific, in that realm and also some others (and keeps making me want to make a bad popular-movie joke besides), but looking again now at his dates 1760-1823 I see why other fora and fana... I mean fora- might be better ;^) )

HMB notes up to op.124 by Randhartinger by 1864 (no higher op. nos. that I see at a quick glance, there anyway.)

[eschiss1]

Hrm, also, some recentish recordings containing his music (and one devoted to his lieder) in the last decade or so.. missed all of them. Thanks for pointing this out...

I see there are two recent(ish...) books about him, one from 1995 and one from 2004. I will admit that at first I once again thought "no no, that was four days ago, five days if one's in Australia or NZ."

[Mark Thomas]

Interesting. Clearly a major figure in the Viennese musical establishment in the mid-19th century, yet he is (or was) totally forgotten. One assumes that his compositions were dutifully conventional and so failed to survive in the repertoire, but there's always that nagging doubt, isn't there?

[eschiss1]

Has anyone here heard one of the recordings made in the last few years of some of his briefer works, including I think an album devoted to his music, some works recorded on CDs of Schubert and his circle, and some others? At least here's a case where _something's_ been recorded, whether or not it's sufficient or sufficiently characteristic to go by...

[Wheesht]

Reactivating this thread after seven years...

Randhartinger's Grand Trio für Klavier, Violine und Violoncello, op. 10 – Adagio-Allegretto | Menuetto. Vivace-Più lento | Adagio | Allegro – played by the Fritz-Kreisler-Trio can be heard on the website of the Musikvereinin Vienna in the forgotten treasures section – plus works by the likes of Leopoldine Blahetka or Eusebius Mandyczewski and others.

[Mark Thomas]

I assume from the low opus number and the fact that Randhartinger wrote a lot of music that this is an early piece, and it's idiom is certainly early-romantic. It's not earth-shattering, but it's a competent composition which makes for a pleasant listen. I was reminded of the many works of his Viennese contemporary Mayseder which have been released on CD recently. The Benedict Randhartinger Society has a page listing recordings of his music.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Yes. It is quite a pleasant piece with some attractive melodies - despite the fact that the opening few bars are very close melodically and harmonically to something I wrote when I was studying A-Level music (by which I mean it is naive, immature and not particularly good!)

[Mark Thomas]

So it was the teacher saying "Mmm, reminds me of the opening of Randhartinger's Piano Trio in  E minor" which sounded the death knell of your composing career, Gareth? 

[Gareth Vaughan]

Hmm. Nice idea... but nothing to do with my teacher, Mark, who was actually no slouch when it came to unsungs, but I'd be surprised if he knew of Randhartinger. I'm judging my early composition in light of mature musical experience.
And the opening of Randhartinger's trio reminded me, rather too precisely, of my somewhat pedestrian effort. I hasten to say that it was just the opening bars. Randhartinger's work as a whole is much more accomplished than anything I did at the age of 18. But, attractive though it may be, it is no masterpiece - as I think we agree.

[Mark Thomas]

Indeed we do.

[Alan Howe]

something I wrote when I was studying A-Level music (by which I mean it is naive, immature and not particularly good!)

...a bit like the Baudelaire-inspired 'poetry' I wrote when I was studying A-level French. Hmm...the bare-faced audacity of youth.

[Mark Thomas]

My, what cultural school days you both had! I studied sciences, so the most inspiring thing I ever saw was the wrong end of a bunsen burner! Still, better get back to Randhartiger, I suppose....

[eschiss1]

I concentrated on Math(s), but in a Liberal Arts school so I got lots of other stuff in too (how much I remember decades later, well. It was depressing, all the same, to learn that one of my math teachers and one of my music teachers (neither of whom felt I was a good student, but both of whom, especially the music teacher, left a great impression) died this year, one of COVID19 complications.)

[Gareth Vaughan]

Sad to say, almost all my teachers from grammar school years, most of whom were inspiring and whom I remember with great affection, have now gone to the Common Room in the sky.