František Kryštof Neubauer (c.1760-1795)
- Sinfonie 'La Bataille' à grand Orchestre (1794)
Performers: Angelicum Orchestra of Milan; Newel Jenkins (1915-1996, conductor)
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Bohemian violinist and composer. He was born of peasant parentage in the
Czech-speaking part of central Bohemia. He received his early musical
training from a local schoolmaster and was already a skilled violinist
and composer when, still very young, he went to Prague to continue his
studies. Like many of his bohemian contemporaries he left his native
country, and his early travels took him to various monasteries in
Bavaria, performing and composing in return for food and lodging.
Documentary records indicate that in autumn 1780 he visited the
Augustinian monasteries Au am Inn and Gars am Inn as well as the
Benedictine monastery Attel am Inn. In 1781 he stayed in the Upper
Bavarian cloisters of Diessen, Andechs, Schäftlarn and Fürstenfeld.
Further journeys took him to Munich and Vienna, where, according to
Schlichtegroll, he made the acquaintance of Haydn, Mozart, and his
compatriots Kozeluch and Wranitzky. Important among other monasteries
visited were Ottobeuren, where he taught music intermittently from 1783
to 1787, St Blasien (1786), and Schöntal, where Abbé Vogler expressed
great admiration for his talents; records also confirm sojourns in
Konstanz, Speyer, Heilbronn, Zürich and Koblenz. Neubauer obtained his
first permanent position at Weilburg in 1790, but was forced to flee by
the invasion of the French revolutionary armies. Following several
appearances as a performer in Hannover, he briefly held a position at
Minden before finally accepting an invitation from the Princess of
Schaumburg-Lippe to join the court at Bückeburg.
The resident Konzertmeister there was J.C.F. Bach, and Neubauer’s
arrival precipitated immediate rivalry between the two composers. After
Bach’s death Neubauer succeeded him, but within a year he succumbed to
an illness that was attributed to excessive drinking. Neubauer was a
prolific and remarkably facile composer, as is shown by the number and
variety of works he wrote during his short life. Predictably, as with
most minor composers of the late 18th century, the influence of Haydn
and Mozart can be detected in his works, which, although somewhat
uneven, are considerably more than an eclectic fusion of traits from
both composers, and reveal a skilled craftsman and imaginative composer
with a marked individuality. His symphonies, quartets, concertos
(particularly that for piano) and a piano trio are among his best
instrumental works. For the most part they adhere to the three-movement
plan, but in other respects are typical of his age. The forms are clear
and well balanced, with the expected tonal organization of the Classical
period, but in the development sections far-ranging modulations
emphasize mediant relationships that are approached by shifts from major
to minor. The quartets are not in the customary violin-dominated style,
and go far towards achieving equal participation of all the
instruments. Although he was known among earlier chroniclers principally
as a ‘Sonatenkomponist’, recent research confirms that Neubauer’s
considerable body of church music occupied a significant position at the
time. His Missa Solemnis ex Dis is notable for containing a clarinet
part and his Stabat mater (1781) is of remarkable quality. Other vocal
music includes collections of solo songs, some of which achieve a
surprising equality between voice and piano.
