It’s often said that history is written by the victorious. In a cultural context, this is no different, especially the further one travels back in musical time. We are probably all familiar with the names of those composers who made it into the limelight and became household names, but there are many, many more composers who, for all sorts of reasons, didn’t.
I’m going to take the time to bring a few of these shadow-dwellers into the light for a few sentences and apologise for the many missed ones.
The Lesser-known Composers And Their Music
Antonio Salieri
Let’s begin on relatively firm ground: Antonio Salieri (1750-1825). This Italian Classical composer, in his day, was on par with WA Mozart, Joseph Haydn and later, Ludwig van Beethoven.
Salieri was friends with Haydn and taught Beethoven counterpoint. The fictionalised account of his relationship with WA Mozart in Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus is exactly that.
Salieri was best known for his operas, of which there were at least sixteen, that were extremely popular. Of the works that have been handed down to us through the ages, there are Six Little Pieces for Piano and two piano concertos. Both were composed in 1773, the first in C major, the second in B flat major.
The B flat concerto falls into three movements as follows; Allegro moderato, Adagio and Tempo di Menuetto.
The C major concerto also is formed in three movements; Allegro maestoso, Larghetto and Andantino (Rondo).
Both concertos represent a significant contribution to the Classical concerto. They show all the operatic narrative, emotion, melody and sparkle that you might expect from Salieri. Each is consummately crafted presenting any pianist with equal challenge to any works by WA Mozart.
Salieri is a master of moods and each movement gives its drama. Interaction between soloist and orchestra is a key part of the works setting the tone for future concertos such as Beethoven’s.
Marianne Martines
The next composer is Marianne Martines (1744-1812). This composer was one of Austria’s finest with over two hundred compositions to her name as well as a formidable reputation as a singer, keyboard player and teacher. Martines was Viennese and mixed in the highest of courtly circles.
The Esterhazy family were close to her and Haydn is thought to have taught her harpsichord as a young girl.
Martines struggled against the typically oppressive establishment of the day. Almost any creative venture by a woman was deemed inferior. Following the inauguration of Emperor Joseph, the Second, Martines’s church music was all but banned. Despite the social restrictions, Martines remained a key figure in the cultural life of Vienna.
Many of her works are sadly lost, but some keyboard works remain available in print. There are three keyboard Sonatas and three keyboard concertos. Little information exists regarding these works.
There are some performances on both harpsichords and pianos and given Martine’s dates, some of the works were likely composed for piano. Here is the delightful, playful opening movement of her Piano Concerto in A Major. I think there’s more than a hint of Joseph Haydn in this work but I’ll leave you to decide.
Mélaine Hélene Bonis
Stepping forward we discover the work of the late-Romantic French composer Mélaine Hélene Bonis (1858-1937). Bonis’s pedigree is impressive. She studied, against the wishes of her parents, music at the Paris Conservatoire with composers such as Cesar Frank, Pierné and Claude Debussy.
She received a first prize in harmony and a second in piano accompaniment. Her output of compositions numbered over three hundred and included many wonderful pieces for solo piano and four hands.
Bonis lived a life that was far from ideal for her. She received little or no support from her family and was forced into a loveless marriage with Albert Domange who whilst a pleasant and ambitious character, had no interest in her musical aspirations. Against the odds, Bonis delivered the role of a bourgeoise wife so beautifully.
It wasn’t until she, against her moral judgement, rejuvenated a relationship with Amédée Landély Hettich, a poet, journalist and music critic. With his immense support and encouragement, Bonis began to compose again winning many prestigious awards.
Her music was performed by some of the greatest performers of the time. Her music is tender, electric in its vitality, and superbly crafted. This short piece titled Au Crepuscule (Op.111/1923), is a glittering example of her later piano works.
George Martin Adolf von Henselt
George Martin Adolf von Henselt (1814-1889) was a German composer whose musical life ended abruptly around the age of thirty. Stage fright took hold of the thirty-year-old composer who subsequently ceased his musical activities.
Henslet was an outstanding pianist who received adulation from reputable composers such as Franz Liszt. Much of his life was as an immigrant, living in St Petersburg and teaching and performing for the Russian Royal family.
In that brief time, Henslet composed a substantial amount of work. His catalogue includes vocal, orchestral and chamber music as well as a long list of piano works. The extensive amount of piano music is impressive and opens a window into the phenomenal technical facility that Henslet possessed on the piano.
Few recordings of his works exist, however, this one of his Op.16 Piano Concerto in F minor is quite an introduction to his work.
This concerto has the rightful reputation as an exceedingly difficult work to perform competently. Its demands both technically and expressively, are steep and it is not hard to see why Liszt would have been impressed by Henselt’s mastery of the instrument and his compositional strength.
Friedrich Robert Volkmann
Remaining in Germany, composer Friedrich Robert Volkmann (1815-1883) was brought into the musical life of his family early. His Father, a Director of Music at the local church tutored the young composer on the organ, piano.
He also learned violin and cello. It was during Volkmann’s musical studies in Leipzig that Robert Schumann’s guidance and encouragement drove the young composer to write.
It was many years later that Volkmann’s work finally found interested ears. In 1852, Hans von Bülow and Franz Liszt heard Volkmann’s Piano Trio in B flat major and assisted Volkmann’s career forward.
Johannes Brahms also befriended Volkmann and supported his work. His later life was working at the Budapest National Academy of Music, directed by none other than Franz Liszt.
Volkmann’s compositions for piano are numerous, from his Op. 1 Six Fantasy Pictures to his Op. 57, Sonatina for Two Pianos. Like so many of the composers listed here, Volkmann was a well-respected composer in his time, falling into obscurity as the 20th century strode forward.
His gift for melody and mastery of musical form shines through in his work. Even in this early Op. 3 Piano Trio in F major, we hear a distinctive and commanding voice.