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Carl Loewe

October 21, 2023

"Johann Löwe" redirects here. For the German painter, see Johann Michael Siegfried Löwe.

Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe (German: [ˈløːvə]; 30 November 1796 – 20 April 1869), usually called Carl Loewe (sometimes seen as Karl Loewe), was a German composer, tenor singer and conductor. In his lifetime, his songs ("Balladen") were well enough known for some to call him the "Schubert of North Germany",[1] and Hugo Wolf came to admire his work. He is less known today, but his ballads and songs, which number over 400, are occasionally performed.

Carl Loewe
Carl Loewe
Born
Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe

30 November 1796
Löbejün, Margraviate of Brandenburg (now Germany)
Died20 April 1869(1869-04-20) (aged 72)
Kiel, Prussia
NationalityGerman
Occupation(s)Composer, tenor singer and conductor

Life and career Edit

Loewe was born in Löbejün and received his first music lessons from his father. He was a choir-boy, first at Köthen, and later at Halle, where he went to grammar school. The beauty of Loewe's voice brought him under the notice of Madame de Staël, who procured him a pension from Jérôme Bonaparte, then king of Westphalia, which enabled him to further his education in music, and to study theology at Halle University. In 1810, he began lessons in Halle with Daniel Gottlob Türk.[2] This ended in 1813, on the flight of the king.

In 1820, he moved to Stettin in Prussia (now Szczecin in Poland), where he worked as organist and music director of the school. It was while there that he did most of his work as a composer, publishing a version of Goethe's "Erlkönig" in 1824 (written 1817/18) which some say at least equals Schubert's better known version.[3][4] He went on to set many other poets' works, including Friedrich Rückert, and translations of William Shakespeare and Lord Byron.

In 1821 he married Julie von Jacob, who died in 1823. His second wife, Auguste Lange, was an accomplished singer, and they appeared together in his oratorio performances with great success.

On 20 February 1827,[5] he conducted the first performance of the 18-year-old Felix Mendelssohn's Overture A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 21. He and Mendelssohn were also soloists in Mendelssohn's Concerto in A-flat major for 2 pianos and orchestra.[6]

Later in life, Loewe became very popular both as a composer and as a singer. As a youth, he had a high soprano voice (he could sing the music of the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute as a boy), and his voice developed into a fine tenor. He made several tours as a singer in the 1840s and 1850s, visiting England, France, Sweden and Norway amongst other countries. He eventually moved back to Germany, and, after quitting his posts in Stettin after 46 years, moved to Kiel, where he would die from a stroke on 20 April 1869.

Loewe was also active as a music teacher. His most famous student, whom he taught composition from 1841 to 1847, was Emilie Mayer, of whom he said that "such a God-given talent as hers had not been bestowed upon any other person he knew".[7] Mayer would later go on enjoying a successful career in Berlin as a freelance composer, ultimately earning her the nickname "weibliche Beethoven" (eng. female Beethoven).[8]

Works Edit

Main article: List of compositions by Carl Loewe

Loewe wrote five operas, of which only one, Die drei Wünsche, was performed at Berlin in 1834, without much success; seventeen oratorios, many of them for male voices unaccompanied, or with short instrumental interludes only; choral ballads, cantatas, three string quartets (his opus 24,[9]) and a pianoforte trio;[10] a work for clarinet and piano, published posthumously; and some piano solos.

But the branch of his art by which he is remembered is the solo ballad with pianoforte accompaniment. His treatment of long narrative poems, in a clever mixture of the dramatic and lyrical styles, was undoubtedly modelled on the ballads of Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg, and has been copied by many composers since his day. His settings of the "Erlkönig" (a very early example), "Archibald Douglas" on a text by Theodor Fontane, "Heinrich der Vogler", "Edward" on a translation by Johann Gottfried Herder of a British ballad, and "Die verfallene Mühle", are particularly fine.

There are at least two symphonies by Loewe – one, in D minor, has been recorded on the Koch Schwann label together with the first of at least two CD recordings of Loewe's second piano concerto (in A major), and another, in E minor, was given its first performance in 170 years in November 2004.[11] (The cpo series of recordings of Loewe's complete ballads includes as well a recording of two piano sonatas and a "tone poem in sonata form", with one of the sonatas – the E major of 1829 – having a vocal part for soprano and baritone.[12])

In 1875, at Bayreuth, Richard Wagner remarked of Loewe, "Ha, das ist ein ernster, mit Bedeutung die schöne deutsche Sprache behandelnder, nicht hoch genug zu ehrender deutscher Meister, echt und wahr!" (Ha, that is a serious German Master, authentic and true, one who uses the beautiful German language with meaning, one who cannot be sufficiently revered!).[13]

Style Edit

Loewe's earliest songs, such as the Acht Jugenlieder and the Anakreontische Lieder, follow the musical pattern of the late 18th century tradition, using a single melodic line, basic accompaniment, and mostly strophic and varied strophic forms.

Under Zumsteeg's influence, Loewe began incorporating and cultivating the ballad form into his vocal songs. When compared to other Lieder composers, Loewe's rhapsodic composition style is said to have "a striking absence of organic musical development".[14] His settings of poetry separated poetic ideas and treated them episodically rather than using unifying motifs (like fellow Lieder composer, Franz Schubert).

One of Loewe's strengths as a composer were his "imaginative and, at times, daring" accompaniments, which were often atmospheric and exploited the piano's sonorous and tonal potential.[14]

His heart Edit

In 2012 an urn thought to contain the heart of Carl Loewe was found inside the Szczecin Cathedral's southern pillar during the renovation works carried out that year.[15] A special commission appointed by the Szczecińsko-Kamieńska Metropolitan Curia has deduced, on the basis of historical records and an inscription on the pillar, that the urn indeed contains the heart of Carl Loewe.[16]

Recordings Edit

References Edit

Notes

  1. ^ The Cambridge Companion to the Lied, ed. James Parsons, CUP 2004, p.147
  2. ^ Eberl, Kathrin: Daniel Gottlob Türk – an urban musician in the late 18th Century. Beeskow 2011
  3. ^ Daniel Albright, Panaesthetics, Yale University Press, 2014
  4. ^ 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die, ed. Matthew Rye, Chartwell Books 2017, p.224
  5. ^ Tuba Journal
  6. ^ . Archived from the original on 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  7. ^ Jugenderinnerungen einer Stettiner Kaufmannstochter, Greifswald 1921
  8. ^ Kammerkonzert mit Emilie Mayer-Trios www.ndr.de accessed 7 December 2021
  9. ^ . Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  10. ^ in G minor, his opus 12, broadcast – see here[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "2004 Loewe Festtage Program, with Premiere of E-minor Symphony" (in German). Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  12. ^ "Records International Description of cpo Loewe Sonatas CD". July 1997. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  13. ^ Hans Joachim Moser, Das Deutsche Lied seit Mozart (Berlin 1937), p. 135, note 2.
  14. ^ a b Ewan West, "Loewe, (Johann) Carl (Gottfried)", in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillan Publishers, 1980); also in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001).
  15. ^ "Unusual discovery in the cathedral". www.szczecin.eu. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  16. ^ [It's probably the heart of Carl Loewe! The Commission confirms] (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-03-24.

Sources

  • Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Löwe, Johann Karl Gottfried" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  • "The LiederNet Archive: Texts and translations to vocal music by Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe". Retrieved 2017-03-08.

Further reading Edit

  • Salmon, John (1996). The Piano Sonatas of Carl Loewe. New York: P. Lang. ISBN 0820418900. OCLC 26761454.

External links Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carl Loewe.

October 21, 2023
carl, loewe, johann, löwe, redirects, here, german, painter, johann, michael, siegfried, löwe, johann, carl, gottfried, loewe, german, ˈløːvə, november, 1796, april, 1869, usually, called, sometimes, seen, karl, loewe, german, composer, tenor, singer, conducto. Johann Lowe redirects here For the German painter see Johann Michael Siegfried Lowe Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe German ˈloːve 30 November 1796 20 April 1869 usually called Carl Loewe sometimes seen as Karl Loewe was a German composer tenor singer and conductor In his lifetime his songs Balladen were well enough known for some to call him the Schubert of North Germany 1 and Hugo Wolf came to admire his work He is less known today but his ballads and songs which number over 400 are occasionally performed Carl LoeweCarl LoeweBornJohann Carl Gottfried Loewe30 November 1796Lobejun Margraviate of Brandenburg now Germany Died20 April 1869 1869 04 20 aged 72 Kiel PrussiaNationalityGermanOccupation s Composer tenor singer and conductor Contents 1 Life and career 2 Works 3 Style 4 His heart 5 Recordings 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksLife and career EditLoewe was born in Lobejun and received his first music lessons from his father He was a choir boy first at Kothen and later at Halle where he went to grammar school The beauty of Loewe s voice brought him under the notice of Madame de Stael who procured him a pension from Jerome Bonaparte then king of Westphalia which enabled him to further his education in music and to study theology at Halle University In 1810 he began lessons in Halle with Daniel Gottlob Turk 2 This ended in 1813 on the flight of the king In 1820 he moved to Stettin in Prussia now Szczecin in Poland where he worked as organist and music director of the school It was while there that he did most of his work as a composer publishing a version of Goethe s Erlkonig in 1824 written 1817 18 which some say at least equals Schubert s better known version 3 4 He went on to set many other poets works including Friedrich Ruckert and translations of William Shakespeare and Lord Byron In 1821 he married Julie von Jacob who died in 1823 His second wife Auguste Lange was an accomplished singer and they appeared together in his oratorio performances with great success On 20 February 1827 5 he conducted the first performance of the 18 year old Felix Mendelssohn s Overture A Midsummer Night s Dream Op 21 He and Mendelssohn were also soloists in Mendelssohn s Concerto in A flat major for 2 pianos and orchestra 6 Later in life Loewe became very popular both as a composer and as a singer As a youth he had a high soprano voice he could sing the music of the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute as a boy and his voice developed into a fine tenor He made several tours as a singer in the 1840s and 1850s visiting England France Sweden and Norway amongst other countries He eventually moved back to Germany and after quitting his posts in Stettin after 46 years moved to Kiel where he would die from a stroke on 20 April 1869 Loewe was also active as a music teacher His most famous student whom he taught composition from 1841 to 1847 was Emilie Mayer of whom he said that such a God given talent as hers had not been bestowed upon any other person he knew 7 Mayer would later go on enjoying a successful career in Berlin as a freelance composer ultimately earning her the nickname weibliche Beethoven eng female Beethoven 8 Works EditMain article List of compositions by Carl Loewe Loewe wrote five operas of which only one Die drei Wunsche was performed at Berlin in 1834 without much success seventeen oratorios many of them for male voices unaccompanied or with short instrumental interludes only choral ballads cantatas three string quartets his opus 24 9 and a pianoforte trio 10 a work for clarinet and piano published posthumously and some piano solos But the branch of his art by which he is remembered is the solo ballad with pianoforte accompaniment His treatment of long narrative poems in a clever mixture of the dramatic and lyrical styles was undoubtedly modelled on the ballads of Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg and has been copied by many composers since his day His settings of the Erlkonig a very early example Archibald Douglas on a text by Theodor Fontane Heinrich der Vogler Edward on a translation by Johann Gottfried Herder of a British ballad and Die verfallene Muhle are particularly fine There are at least two symphonies by Loewe one in D minor has been recorded on the Koch Schwann label together with the first of at least two CD recordings of Loewe s second piano concerto in A major and another in E minor was given its first performance in 170 years in November 2004 11 The cpo series of recordings of Loewe s complete ballads includes as well a recording of two piano sonatas and a tone poem in sonata form with one of the sonatas the E major of 1829 having a vocal part for soprano and baritone 12 In 1875 at Bayreuth Richard Wagner remarked of Loewe Ha das ist ein ernster mit Bedeutung die schone deutsche Sprache behandelnder nicht hoch genug zu ehrender deutscher Meister echt und wahr Ha that is a serious German Master authentic and true one who uses the beautiful German language with meaning one who cannot be sufficiently revered 13 Style EditLoewe s earliest songs such as the Acht Jugenlieder and the Anakreontische Lieder follow the musical pattern of the late 18th century tradition using a single melodic line basic accompaniment and mostly strophic and varied strophic forms Under Zumsteeg s influence Loewe began incorporating and cultivating the ballad form into his vocal songs When compared to other Lieder composers Loewe s rhapsodic composition style is said to have a striking absence of organic musical development 14 His settings of poetry separated poetic ideas and treated them episodically rather than using unifying motifs like fellow Lieder composer Franz Schubert One of Loewe s strengths as a composer were his imaginative and at times daring accompaniments which were often atmospheric and exploited the piano s sonorous and tonal potential 14 His heart EditIn 2012 an urn thought to contain the heart of Carl Loewe was found inside the Szczecin Cathedral s southern pillar during the renovation works carried out that year 15 A special commission appointed by the Szczecinsko Kamienska Metropolitan Curia has deduced on the basis of historical records and an inscription on the pillar that the urn indeed contains the heart of Carl Loewe 16 Recordings EditCarl Loewe Ballads Thomas Quasthoff Norman Shetler EMI Masters 1989 Carl Loewe Balladen amp Lieder 2 discs Dietrich Fischer Dieskau Jorg Demus Musical Heritage Society 1996 Lieder amp Balladen Complete Edition 21 discs cpo 2007References EditNotes The Cambridge Companion to the Lied ed James Parsons CUP 2004 p 147 Eberl Kathrin Daniel Gottlob Turk an urban musician in the late 18th Century Beeskow 2011 Daniel Albright Panaesthetics Yale University Press 2014 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die ed Matthew Rye Chartwell Books 2017 p 224 Tuba Journal Portland Chamber Orchestra Archived from the original on 2008 08 07 Retrieved 2013 06 30 Jugenderinnerungen einer Stettiner Kaufmannstochter Greifswald 1921 Kammerkonzert mit Emilie Mayer Trios www ndr de accessed 7 December 2021 The Wurlitzer Collection Archived from the original on 2008 10 06 Retrieved 2008 07 16 in G minor his opus 12 broadcast see here permanent dead link 2004 Loewe Festtage Program with Premiere of E minor Symphony in German Retrieved 2008 07 16 Records International Description of cpo Loewe Sonatas CD July 1997 Retrieved 2008 07 16 Hans Joachim Moser Das Deutsche Lied seit Mozart Berlin 1937 p 135 note 2 a b Ewan West Loewe Johann Carl Gottfried in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians edited by Stanley Sadie London Macmillan Publishers 1980 also in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians second edition edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell London Macmillan Publishers 2001 Unusual discovery in the cathedral www szczecin eu Retrieved 2012 03 24 To najpewniej serce Carla Loewe Komisja potwierdza It s probably the heart of Carl Loewe The Commission confirms in Polish Archived from the original on 2012 03 08 Retrieved 2012 03 24 Sources Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Lowe Johann Karl Gottfried Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed Cambridge University Press The LiederNet Archive Texts and translations to vocal music by Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe Retrieved 2017 03 08 Further reading EditSalmon John 1996 The Piano Sonatas of Carl Loewe New York P Lang ISBN 0820418900 OCLC 26761454 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carl Loewe Lowe Karl New International Encyclopedia 1905 Texts and translations to vocal music by Loewe at The LiederNet Archive Free scores by Carl Gottfried Loewe at the International Music Score Library Project IMSLP Free scores by Carl Loewe in the Choral Public Domain Library ChoralWiki Carl Loewe Gesellschaft in German Retrieved 2008 07 16 Recordings Discogs Extensive list of works Prinz Eugen der edle Ritter video on YouTube Hermann Prey Michael Endres Erlkonig Op 1 Nr 3 audio on YouTube Thomas Quasthoff Der spate Gast Op 7 Nr 2 audio on YouTube Michael Raucheisen Herr Oluf audio on YouTube Josef Greindl Madchen sind wie der Wind audio on YouTube Josef Greindl Die Heinzelmannchen zu Koln audio on YouTube Josef Greindl Spirito Sancto audio on YouTube Josef Greindl Portals nbsp Classical music nbsp Biography nbsp Music Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Carl Loewe amp oldid 1152518270, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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