Norbert Burgmüller

Its life

His/her father, Johann August Franz, equipped with a talent considerably lower than his, had made music his profession and had managed to take down the honourable function of director of music in Düsseldorf in 1821. Under his supervision, Norbert started the practice of the Piano and the Violon. But this same father, of rather irresponsible nature, was well too absent to transmit his knowledge in a systematic way to his three children; thus, with its death, in 1824, lost felt Norbert, in obvious lack of cultural luggage and solids musical bases. This sad situation was of short duration, because the generous count Franz von Nesselrode-Ehreshoven decided to undertake the education of the young boy as a patron, and sent it to continue its studies with Kassel.

In this city, Burgmüller followed, apart from its general instruction, of the intensive courses of composition in two famous professors: Moritz Hauptmann and Louis Spohr. Of 1826 with 1831, it made astonishing progress in theory, also continued the exercise of its instruments, attended the artistic medium and took part regularly in concerts as a Soliste or Leader/chorus. At the time of one of these evenings, in January 1830, it carried out its remarkable Concerto for piano COp 1.

The failure of its engagement to the diva Sophie Roland for unknown reasons, engaged a violent depression at his place lasting which the abuse alcohol and the attacks of epilepsy was presented in the form of Leitmotiv S. the reputation of drunkard that it had built hardly rained in Spohr, which gave up its pupil at once. Inconsolable Burgmüller went back to Düsseldorf to teach there in its turn, and undertook the direction of a small instrumental unit made up amateurs, with the hope to perhaps draw the attention to obtain an important and permanent position in its birthplace.

In 1834, Burgmüller met the type-setter Felix Mendelssohn and all its admiration expressed to him. This meeting was certainly a moment of happiness in its short existence. Without much claim, it presented to Mendelssohn its first opus. This last was astonished by the extraordinary talent of its junior and tested as of this moment a deep respect for this one. A feeling which it confirmed by playing its concerto in May.

After the departure of Mendelssohn, in 1835, the writer Christian Dietrich Grabbe, with whom Burgmüller maintained the friendly relations, formed part of the daily life of the type-setter. They often spent their times together in the tavern Zum Drachenfels , where the idea of a collaboration for the realization of an opera parodying conventions of the kind was born. Burgmüller buried this project rather quickly, because it was enough lucid to understand that no establishment would accept the production of a similar composition.

This same year, it became acquainted with Joséphine Collin, controlling it of the children of the count Nesselrode-Ehreshoven; it was the love at first sight. Burgmüller projected to settle in Paris with its beloved. Not only, Paris would give him the possibility of practicing the language actively but in more it would find there his brother Friedrich, pedagog appreciated in the French capital, which would help it to be introduced into the high society. This wish will not be carried out. In May 1836, it drowned following an epileptic fit by taking the baths in Aachen.

In its Neue Zeitschrift für Musik , Robert Schumann returned honor in Burgmüller while speaking about “the greatest loss in the musical world since the death of Schubert”. With its memory, Mendelssohn wrote its funeral March COp 103.

Its work

The musical heritage that Burgmüller left us surprises the listener and the analyst by his great quality and its curious development.

The Concerto for piano COp 1 anticipates that of Brahms from a technical point of view. The expansion of the orchestral introduction and the motivic handling of material announce the significant revival of the direction of the form and work set of themes after Beethoven. With this originality the eccentric choice of the tonality of minor F sharp is added, expressive tonality seldom used for this instrumental kind.

In its string quartets COp 4 and COp 7, it pushes the chromatism with a degree hitherto unexplored which it combines with a rather traditional form to reach a perfect symbiosis. While the long melody sentences point out the lyric style of Spohr and the refined invention of Mendelssohn, these compositions are characterized by a common direction, deeply melancholic person and personnel.

Its second symphony, composition unfinished (two orchestrated movements, the draft of the scherzo completed and that of final stopping with measurement 59) which had caused the enthusiasm of Robert Schumann, testifies to a great control of the symphonic apparatus which draws aside any doubt that Burgmüller, in spite of its untimely death, cannot be counted among the Masters of the romantic movement. The orchestration of the scherzo was finished by Schumann (starting from measurement 169). At the request of the family of Burgmüller, it tried to compose final (of which there remain 121 measurements of drafts), but gave up the project.

List compositions

Music for orchestra

Symphony n° 1, in C minor, COp 2 (1831-33)
Symphony n° 2, in major D, COp 11 (1834-35, unfinished)
Opening, in minor F, COp 5 (1825)
4 Between acts, COp 17 (1827-28)
Concerto for piano, in minor F sharp, COp 1 (1828-29)

vocal Music

Dionys', opera according to the ballade Die Bürgschaft of Schiller (1832-34, fragment)

23 Lieder

Musique of room

String quartet n° 1, in minor D, COp 4 (1825)

String quartet n° 2, in minor D COp 7 (1825-26)

String quartet n° 3, in major A flat, COp 9 (1826)

String quartet n° 4, in the minor, COp 14 (1835)

Duo, for clarinet and piano, in major E flat, op.15 (1834)

Piano music

Sonate, in minor F, COp 8 (1826)

Valse, in major E flat (1827)

Polonaise, in major F, COp 16 (1832)

Rhapsody, in so minor, COp 13 (1834)

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