Nicolas Charles Bochsa (1789-1856)
- Concerto (en ré mineur) pour la harpe principale (c.1813)
Performers: Lily Laskine (1893-1988, harp); Orchestre de l'Association des Concerts Lamourex;
Jean-Baptiste Mari (conductor)
Further info: N.C. Bochsa, J.N. Hummel - Concertos
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French harpist and composer. His father, Charles Bochsa (?-1821), a
Czech oboist and composer, settled first in Lyons, and from about 1806
was established as a music seller in Paris. Nicholas studied music with
his father, and was remarkably precocious as a performer on many
instruments, and as a composer. At the age of 16 he composed an opera,
Trajan, in honour of Napoleon's visit to Lyons. When his family moved to
Bordeaux soon afterwards, he began to study composition formally with
Franz Beck, under whom he wrote a ballet and an oratorio, Le déluge
universel. In 1806 he entered the Paris Conservatoire to study harmony
under Catel. He studied the harp under Naderman and Marin, and finally
decided to make this his principal instrument, though throughout his
life he was a skilful player of almost every known instrument. His
reputation as a harpist owed much to his compositions for the harp,
which immensely expanded its technical and expressive range; he was
constantly discovering new effects, exploiting the full possibilities of
Erard's new double action. In 1813 Bochsa was appointed harpist to the
emperor, and in 1816 to Louis XVIII. During this period he composed
seven operas for the Opéra-Comique, one of which, La lettre de change
(1815), had a long run and became known outside France. In 1816 he was
commissioned to compose a requiem for Louis XVI, to be used at the
ceremony of reinterment of the beheaded king's remains. It was an
immense work in 15 movements, with accompaniments for wind band and
percussion (since the music was to be used in procession); Whitwell has
pointed out remarkable anticipations of Berlioz's Symphonie funèbre et
triomphale, even to the title of the last movement, ‘Récitative et
apothéose’. Meanwhile Bochsa had been developing a lucrative business in
forged documents of various kinds, and in 1817 he was compelled to
leave the country.
On 17 February 1818 the Paris Court of Assize condemned him, in his
absence, to 12 years' imprisonment with a fine of 4000 francs, and to be
branded with the letters ‘T.F.’ (‘travaux forcés’, or forced labour –
the standard penalty for forgers). He took refuge in London, where he
soon achieved a prominent position in the musical world as a harpist and
conductor. On the founding of the RAM he was appointed professor of
harp and general secretary. In the next few years he had to face
mounting attacks on his character; his forgeries became known, it was
rumoured that he had contracted a bigamous marriage with Amy Wilson
(having a wife still living in France) and on 4 May 1824 he was declared
bankrupt, his creditors receiving only 7d. in the pound. Accordingly on
26 April 1827 he was dismissed. In 1826, however, through the influence
of the king, he had been appointed musical director at the King's
Theatre, and he retained that post until 1830. There was serious trouble
in 1829 when he reduced the salaries of the orchestral players and
when, the principal players having resigned, he replaced them with
inferior musicians. During this time Bochsa composed three ballets for
the King's Theatre, and gave annual concerts which were exceedingly
popular, both for his own brilliance as a harpist and for the curious
novelties he introduced. In the 1830s he played in London and the
provinces with consistent success, often touring with Henry and Anna
Bishop. In August 1839 he eloped with Anna Bishop, following her around
Europe and the world on her various tours; at Naples he was appointed
musical director of the Teatro S Carlo for two years. He arrived at
Sydney from San Francisco late in 1855, became ill and died there. Many
accounts state that he wrote a requiem for himself while on his
deathbed, but a contemporary source states that he merely wrote down a
‘mournful refrain’ on a scrap of paper, which was used as the basis for a
requiem at his funeral. Bochsa was one of the most prolific of all
composers for the harp: his music is not profound, but it is often
adventurous and sometimes brilliant. His harp method was long regarded
as a classic.
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