Un portal on escoltar i gaudir de l'art musical dels segles XVI, XVII, XVIII i XIX. Compartir la bellesa de la música és l'objectiu d'aquest espai i fer-ho donant a conèixer obres de compositors molt o poc coneguts és el mètode.
Benedek Istvánffy (1733-1778)
- Messa (C-Dur) dedicata al patriarcha Santo Benedetto a 4tro vocal
2 vl., 2 ob., trombe, tympani, vlne. con organo conc[er]to.
Performers: Szilvia Hamvasi & Noémi Kiss (sopranos); Judit Németh
(mezzo-soprano); Péter Drucker (tenor); István Kovács & Pál Benkõ
(basses); Purcell Choir; Orfeo Orchestra; György Vashegyi (conductor)
Hungarian composer. Son of József Istvánffy (1703-1771), organist and
teacher of figural music at the Benedictine monastery of Szentmárton, he
received the first instruction in music from his father. He soon
obtaining the post of organist in the castle of Count Antal Széchényi,
in a post he held at least until 1761. It was during that period when he
got married to Katalin Kőmíves and later born his only daugther
Franziska Istvánffy (1756-1816). In 1766 he became succentor at the
cathedral in Győr and from 1773 to 1775 he was also responsible for
leading the choir of the Jesuit church there, in a posts he held until
his death. As a composer, he mainly wrote sacred works, among them, the
'Missa sanctificabis annum quinquagesimum vel Sanctae Dorotheae' (1774)
and the 'Messa dedicata al patriarcha Santo Benedetto'. His music style
was close to the composers which he was in touch during his lifespan,
among them, Gregor Joseph Werner, Franz Josef Aumann, Joseph
Krottendorfer and Christoph Sonnleithner.
Bohemian keyboardist and composer. He studied piano at age five and
organ at age nine, and then became a chorister at the Iglau Minorite
church and a pupil at the Jesuit Gymnasium. After further studies at the
Kuttenberg Jesuit Gymnasium, he continued his studies at Prague's New
City Gymnasium (1776-77) and at the University of Prague (1778). He
found a patron in Count Manner, with whose assistance he was able to go
to Malines in 1779, where he became active as a piano teacher. He made
his public debut there as a pianist on 16 December 1779, and then set
out on a highly successful tour, visiting Bergen op Zoom, Amsterdam, and
The Hague. He then went to Hamburg, where he gave a concert on 12 July
1782, and also met C.P.E. Bach, with whom he may have studied. In 1783
he played at the St. Petersburg court. After spending about a year in
the service of Prince Karl Radziwill as Kapellmeister in Lithuania, he
made a major tour of Germany in 1784, winning notable acclaim in Berlin,
Mainz, Kassel, and Frankfurt am Main as a piano and glass harmonica
virtuoso. In 1786 he went to Paris, where he performed at the court for
Marie Antoinette; except for a brief trip to Milan and Bohemia, he
remained in Paris until the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789
compelled him to flee to London. On 1 June 1789, he made his London
debut at the Hanover Square Rooms. He soon became successful as a
pianist and teacher in the British capital, appearing regularly at
Salomon's concerts and being an active participant in these concerts
during Joseph Haydn's two visits. In 1792 he married the singer,
pianist, and harpist Sophia Corri (1775-1847).
With his father-in-law, Domenico Corri, he became active as a music
publisher. Both men were ill suited for such a venture, however, and
Dussek's love for the good life further contributed to the failure of
the business. Dussek fled to Hamburg in 1799, leaving his father-in-law
to serve a jail sentence for debt. He apparently never saw his wife or
daughter again. He seems to have spent about two years in Hamburg, where
he was active as a performer and teacher. In 1802 he played in his
birthplace, and then in Prague. From 1804 to 1806 he served as
Kapellmeister to Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia. After the latter's
death at the battle of Saalfeld (10 October 1806), he composed a piano
sonata in his memory, the 'Elegie harmonique sur la mort du Prince Louis
Ferdinand de Prusse', Op.61. He then was briefly in the service of
Prince Isenburg. In 1807 he settled in Paris, where he served Prince
Talleyrand, gave concerts, and taught. His health began to fail due to
excessive drinking, and he was compelled to abandon his career. Jan
Ladislav Dussek was a remarkable composer for the piano, proving himself
a master craftsman capable of producing the most brilliant works for
the instrument. In his later works he presaged the development of the
Romantic school, anticipating such composers as Chopin, Mendelssohn,
Schumann, and even Brahms. As a celebrated virtuoso of the keyboard, he
shares with Muzio Clementi the honor of having introduced the 'singing
touch'. As a composer, his works include, among others, 15 concertos, 34
sonatas for the fortepiano, 68 violin sonatas, six harp sonatas
(possibly a legacy of an alleged affair with Anne-Marie Krumpholtz), six
canzonetts, three string quartets, a Mass (1807), and three harp
concertos.
English composer and organist. Nothing is known of his origins. The
earliest evidence was as a chorister at the Chapel Royal when James II
was crowned in 1685. By 1692, he had been appointed organist at
Winchester College, and on 6 June 1699, he was appointed vicar-choral at
St. Paul’s Cathedral. He moved up to organist in January 1704. On 15
May 1704, Francis Pigott, organist at the Chapel Royal, died, and
together with William Croft were sworn in as joint organists to replace
him. It appears that he ended his own life, perhaps owing to an unhappy
love affair, by shooting himself on 1 December 1707. As a composer, he
wrote 22 anthems, 10 odes, 2 settings of the Te Deum, 2 suites for wind
band, 2 suites for harpsichord, over 40 other short works for
harpsichord, and the incidental music for 8 plays. He was a leading
composer of the generation immediately junior to Purcell. He wrote the
so-called Trumpet Voluntary, his best-known piece.
French bassoonist and composer. He was a pupil of his brother Michel
Joseph Gebauer (1763-1812) and of François Devienne. In 1788 he became a
member of the band of the Swiss Guard in his native city. In 1790 he
settled in Paris as a musician in the National Guard. After playing in
theater orchestras, he joined the orchestra of the Opera about 1799,
remaining in it until 1826. He also played in the Imperial chapel
orchestra until 1830, and was a professor at the Conservatoire
(1795-1802; 1824-1838). According to some sources, he was made an
honorary professor in 1816. As a composer, his output include 13 bassoon
concertos, eight symphonies concertantes and several chamber music. He
also published a bassoon method (c.1820). His younger brothers, Pierre
Paul Gebauer (1775-?) and Etienne Jean François Gebauer (1776-1823) were
also musicians.
Spanish composer. Although his early biography remains obscure, archival
evidence from 1690 suggests he held a musical post in Lugo before being
appointed maestro de capilla at Mondoñedo Cathedral later that year. In
February 1694, following a competitive examination process
(oposiciones), he relocated to Tuy Cathedral to succeed Tomás Portillo, a
position he held until his death. His tenure in Tuy was marked by his
dual role as a priest and educator of the 'infantes del coro', though
his health began to decline significantly after 1730. Academically, he
is noted for his conservative liturgical style; his surviving output,
primarily preserved in Tuy and Mondoñedo, consists of approximately 50
works characterized by traditional 'facistol' (choirbook) polyphony and
the occasional use of cantus firmus. While his stylistic identity is
occasionally obscured by issues of attribution within the cathedral
archives, he remains a representative figure of the ecclesiastical
musical tradition in Spain during the early 18th century.
