Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Music for Flute and Piano Vol. 1

Description

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) was born in Pressburg (now Bratislava, Slovakia), one of the most beautiful cities in the Habsburg Empire, a “jewel in the crown” of Empress Maria Theresa [1]. The city could boast of numerous theaters, the greathouses of many important noble families, and a vibrant artistic life. Hummel’s father Johannes was a leading violinist in the city and employed to play in the Hauskapelle of Count Antal Grassalkovich II, where he would come in contact with Haydn during his frequent visits there.
Nevertheless, after Johannes discovered that his son was a prodigy on both piano and violin, he decided to move to Vienna to pursue better educational opportunities for him, and perhaps for his own career as well. One of his goals was to ask Mozart if he would teach Johann Nepomuk, and not only did Mozart accept him as his student but insisted that he live with him and Constanza for the two years of instruction. After Hummel completed his studies with Mozart he embarked on a five-year concert debut tour with this father that would take the pair throughout Europe, Scandinavia and the British Isles (where Johann Nepmuk met and collaborated with Haydn, who would later teach him and promote his career). With his reputation as a leading pianist established, Hummel returned to Vienna in 1793 and became Beethoven’s major competitor at the keyboard. The two artists would have a volatile relationship during the next three decades, but they parted at Beethoven’s death bed in 1827 as friends and colleagues.
Hummel’s first position was as Haydn’s successor at the Esterházy court, where he would serve from 1804-1811. He then returned to Vienna to reestablish himself as one of the city’s leading pianists and piano teachers, but with a growing family to support he accepted the position of Kapellmeister at the Stuttgart Court in 1816. He only stayed in Stuttgart for two years of great unhappiness and dissatisfaction (one member of his orchestra wrote that “we have real misery here”), and in 1819 therefore eagerly accepted an invitation to serve as Kapellmeister for the enlightened court of Weimar. Hummel would remain at that court, busy, happy and productive, and with an active touring schedule, until his death in 1837.
During his lifetime, Hummel was considered by most of his contemporaries to be the greatest piano virtuoso of Europe, and one of the most popular composers and teachers of the era. Trained in the classical style of Haydn and Mozart, he became an influence on and a mentor to the next generation of composer-pianists. Schubert, for example, was such an admirer of Hummel that he modelled his “Trout” Quintet on Hummel’s quintet version of his Septet in D minor, op. 74. The young Schumann fervently wanted to study with Hummel, but although this dream was never realized, he remained enthusiastic in his praise of the pianist and his compositions. These included Hummel’s Sonata for Piano in F-sharp minor, op. 81, a work that Schumann claimed would “alone immortalize his name.” Chopin became a lifelong fan when he first heard Hummel perform in Warsaw in 1828, and was reported to claim that “Mozart, Beethoven and Hummel are the masters we all recognize.” It is also not surprising that the opening measures and overall structure of Chopin’s Piano Concerto in E minor, op. 11 are strikingly similar to those of Hummel’s Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 85. Notably, almost every aspiring professional pianist of that era chose either Hummel’s A-minor concerto, op. 85 or his Piano Concerto in B minor, op. 89 as the work with which to make their professional debut. These future virtuosos included Liszt, Clara Schumann, Grieg, Chopin and César Franck, as well as Hummel’s most distinguished students, such as Ferdinand Hiller and Adolf von Henselt. Liszt, moreover, would succeed Hummel as Kapellmeister in Weimar, and although the two artists could not have been more different in terms of the way they played the piano and in their personalities and lifestyles, Liszt maintained a sincere respect and admiration for Hummel and his compositions. He performed Hummel’s concertos, sonatas and especially the Septet in D minor, op. 74, which he arranged for piano four-hands, and also wrote to the Duke of Weimar that he would “be proud to create works that resemble his.”

Hummel’s Chamber Music:
The Works for Flute and Piano
Hummel was a prolific composer. His catalogue includes more than 300 works in almost every genre: solo piano, piano four-hands, organ, chamber music, concertos, orchestra, opera, sacred and secular choral music, and songs. Although Hummel’s music for chamber ensemble represents only a bit more than 10% of his total output, his works in this genre are of high quality and feature a wide variety of instruments, such as the pieces for flute and piano on this recording.

Sonata in D major for Flute and Piano, op. 50
This sonata was published between 1810–1814 in the series “Repertoire de Musique pour les Dames Ouvrage périodique et progressif,” and with Hummel’s address in Vienna, Brandstadt No. 671, printed on top of the first page of music, indicating that Hummel probably sold copies from his own house. We have now left the world of the “accompanied” sonata, and entered the nineteenth-century in which both instrument and piano are equal partners. There are three movements; an Allegro con brio that shows the influence of Beethoven; an Andante with an unusual opening figure in the bass of the piano and written in a sturm und drang style; and a closing Rondo Pastoral in a charming rustic mood, with some adventurous harmonies and modulations.

Sonata in A Major, op. 64
The original title for this work was “Sonata. Con Accomp: di Flauto o Violino,” indicating that either a flute or violin could play the substantial solo instrumental part. It was published between 1814-1815 by the same organization as for opus 50, and Hummel’s address in Vienna is once again indicated on top of the first page of music.
The tempo indication for the first of the three movements is somewhat unfamiliar: Allegro con Garbo (the Spanish word for “gracefully”). This is followed by a Menuetto-Moderato with an unusual opening in which the flute assumes the melodic lead with leaps from d1 to f3 (preceded by appoggiatura), accompanied by arpeggios in the piano, and ending in a curious short and gentle seven-bar coda. The final Rondo Vivace in 2/4 time again evokes Haydn’s works in this style, although using the harmonic language of the romantic era.

Sonata in G major, op. 2a, No. 2
Most of the works written in the eighteenth century for solo instrument and piano fall into the category of the “accompanied” sonata, in which the piano assumed the predominant role, and the instrumentalist a secondary, almost accompaniment one.
Although this sonata is written somewhat in this style, the solo flute part here is quite substantial, almost an equal to the piano. It is also remarkable that Hummel was only twelve or thirteen years old when he wrote such a fine and fully developed piece of music. There are three movements: an opening Allegro with a harmonic language and structure that shows the strong influence of Hummel’s teacher Mozart; followed by a Romance/Poco Andante that features some of the virtuoso piano figurations for which Hummel became famous; and a delightful Rondo-Allegro in 2/4 time that reminds one of Haydn. The sonata was published on 14 April 1792, but was probably written in England during Hummel’s visit there as part of the grand debut tour. The original title was “SONATE pour le CLAVECIN ou FORTE PIANO composed by JOHN HUMMEL.”

Grand Rondeau Brillant, op. 126
This work in Hummel’s mature and grand style fully exploits the technical and expressive resources of each instrument, and sits comfortably in the early romantic era.
The first movement Allegro e mesto features some of Hummel’s trademark virtuoso piano writing that evokes the bel canto style, and which also indicates how much he influenced Chopin. This leads directly to an Allegretto con moto and a somber Adagio e mesto, concluding with a Rondo, Allegretto con moto, grazioso e picante that is more evocative of Beethoven’s scherzos than Haydn’s rustic rondos. Originally written with the violin in mind, but equally playable on the flute, the Grand Rondeau Brillant was composed in September 1834 but published posthumously in 1839. It received excellent reviews, the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung of 24 June 1835 writing: “A truly brilliant musical conversation, written for two accomplished players, and in which the master’s style should not be underestimated.”

Two excerpts from the opera Mathilde von Guise, arranged for Two Flutes
by William Forde: Romanza and Terzetto
As active as Hummel was as a pianist, teacher and composer, he also devoted a significant amount of his energy to conducting opera, particularly in Weimar, where Kapellmeister Hummel always had a full weekly schedule of operas to attend, lead or conduct at the Hoftheater. In fact, his first assignment as Kapellmeister was to conduct the fiftieth Weimar performance of Mozart’s’ Don Giovanni on 3 April 1819.
Hummel also produced his own dramatic vocal music, the most significant being the opera Mathilde von Guise, op. 100. It was composed in 1810 but revised in Weimar in 1821, and published in 1826. Dedicated to Hummel’s patron the Weimar Archduchess Maria Paulowna, the full title is: “MATHILDE von Guise HEROISCH—KOMISCHE OPER mit teutschen und italienischen Texte.” Unfortunately, although it contains many beautiful arias and ensembles, revealing Hummel’s melodic gift, the full opera did not receive a positive critical or popular reception, and had only a few performances during Hummel’s lifetime. The review from the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung of 2 May 1810 is indicative: “…the piece is incredibly boring…Mr. Hummel has no actual theater style…he overloads the instrumentation…his choruses are frequently poorly developed, his modulations are without originality and old-fashioned, and his rhythmic practice is in the old Italian style.”
Excerpts from Mathilde von Guise would be performed in Pressburg on 16 October 1887, in conjunction with the establishment of the Hummel monument in that city, but the opera soon disappeared from the repertoire until its revival in the 1990s. That said, the two arrangements on this recording provide a taste of Hummel’s skill at vocal writing, and suggest that his grand opera deserves more performances and hearings.
Mark Kroll
Brookline, MA
July 11, 2023

1. For a detailed study of Hummel’s life and works, see Mark Kroll, Johann Nepomuk Hummel: A Musician and his World (Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2007, rev. Second edition Bratislava: Hudobné Centrum, 2022), and the article Joel Sachs and Mark Kroll,Hummel, Johann Nepomuk, Grove Music Online.