Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann
Encyclopedia
Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann (14 May 1805, Copenhagen
– 10 March 1900, Copenhagen) was a Danish
composer
.
descent. Although he received his music lessons initially from his father, he taught himself
as much as possible. He complied with his father's wishes for him to study jurisprudence
and consequently worked as a civil servant from 1829 to 1870, but also pursued an extensive musical career. By 1824, he was already the organist
at the Garnisons Kirke in Copenhagen, and in 1832, he made his debut as a composer with the opera
Ravnen (The Raven).
In 1836, he made his first study tour to Germany
and France
, where he made the acquaintance of such significant musical figures as Frédéric Chopin
, Gioachino Rossini, Luigi Cherubini
, and Louis Spohr
. Spohr and the Danish composer Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse were Hartmann's most important mentors. Further journeys to Germany followed in the next few years, during which he also founded the Danish Musical Association in 1836, remaining its chairman until the end of his life. In 1843, he transferred from the Garnisons Kirke to play the organ
for the Vor Frue Kirke
, and became the director of the Student Choral Association. He also held both these posts until his death.
In 1867, after having taught at the Conservatory of Giuseppe Siboni
since 1827, Hartmann helped co-establish and direct the Copenhagen Conservatory with Niels Gade and Holger Simon Paulli
. During his lifetime, Hartmann occupied a central place in Danish musical life and was considered by many to be an absolute authority on musical matters. His son, Emil Hartmann
, also became a composer; Niels W. Gade married J. P. E. Hartmann's daughter. Lars von Trier
, the film director, is the biological son of Fritz Michael Hartmann, the grandson of Emil Hartmann.
, and the tendency towards rather dark sounds, emerged strongly after the 1830s. Hartmann united these Romantic
influences with a strong control over both form
and theme
, acquired through his Classical
training and often reminiscent of Felix Mendelssohn
.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
– 10 March 1900, Copenhagen) was a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Biography
Hartmann came from a musical family of GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
descent. Although he received his music lessons initially from his father, he taught himself
Autodidacticism
Autodidacticism is self-education or self-directed learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a person who teaches him or herself something. The term has its roots in the Ancient Greek words αὐτός and διδακτικός...
as much as possible. He complied with his father's wishes for him to study jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
and consequently worked as a civil servant from 1829 to 1870, but also pursued an extensive musical career. By 1824, he was already the organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
at the Garnisons Kirke in Copenhagen, and in 1832, he made his debut as a composer with the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Ravnen (The Raven).
In 1836, he made his first study tour to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he made the acquaintance of such significant musical figures as Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, Gioachino Rossini, Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who spent most of his working life in France. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries....
, and Louis Spohr
Louis Spohr
Louis Spohr was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Born Ludewig Spohr, he is usually known by the French form of his name. Described by Dorothy Mayer as "The Forgotten Master", Spohr was once as famous as Beethoven. As a violinist, his virtuoso playing was admired by Queen Victoria...
. Spohr and the Danish composer Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse were Hartmann's most important mentors. Further journeys to Germany followed in the next few years, during which he also founded the Danish Musical Association in 1836, remaining its chairman until the end of his life. In 1843, he transferred from the Garnisons Kirke to play the organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
for the Vor Frue Kirke
Church of Our Lady (Copenhagen)
The Church of Our Lady is the cathedral of Copenhagen and the National Cathedral of Denmark. It is situated on Vor Frue Plads and next to the main building of the University of Copenhagen....
, and became the director of the Student Choral Association. He also held both these posts until his death.
In 1867, after having taught at the Conservatory of Giuseppe Siboni
Giuseppe Siboni
Giuseppe Siboni was an Italian operatic tenor, opera director, choir conductor, and voice teacher. He began his career in his native country in 1797 and actively performed in major Italian opera houses up through 1818...
since 1827, Hartmann helped co-establish and direct the Copenhagen Conservatory with Niels Gade and Holger Simon Paulli
Holger Simon Paulli
Holger Simon Paulli was a Danish conductor and composer.Paulli was a violin student of Claus Schall. He joined the Royal Danish Orchestra, and became its conductor in 1864. At the same time, he also conducted the Orchestra of the Cecilia Foreningen, and assumed the directorship of the Copenhagen...
. During his lifetime, Hartmann occupied a central place in Danish musical life and was considered by many to be an absolute authority on musical matters. His son, Emil Hartmann
Emil Hartmann
Emil Hartmann was a Danish composer, the eldest son of Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann and brother-in-law to Niels Gade. His son Oluf Hartmann was a painter....
, also became a composer; Niels W. Gade married J. P. E. Hartmann's daughter. Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
, the film director, is the biological son of Fritz Michael Hartmann, the grandson of Emil Hartmann.
Style
Hartmann's works were characterized by artistic seriousness, dramatic vitality, and in particular, by national coloring which appealed deeply to Danish audiences. The Nordic elements, which could be discerned in the themes based on folksongs, modulationsModulation (music)
In music, modulation is most commonly the act or process of changing from one key to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature. Modulations articulate or create the structure or form of many pieces, as well as add interest...
, and the tendency towards rather dark sounds, emerged strongly after the 1830s. Hartmann united these Romantic
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
influences with a strong control over both form
Musical form
The term musical form refers to the overall structure or plan of a piece of music, and it describes the layout of a composition as divided into sections...
and theme
Theme (music)
In music, a theme is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based.-Characteristics:A theme may be perceivable as a complete musical expression in itself, separate from the work in which it is found . In contrast to an idea or motif, a theme is...
, acquired through his Classical
Classical period (music)
The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...
training and often reminiscent of Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
.
Orchestral
- SymphonySymphonyA symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
No. 1 in G minor, Op. 17 (1835) - Symphony No. 2 in E, Op. 48 (1847–48)
- OvertureOvertureOverture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
s to TragediesTragedyTragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
by Adam OehlenschlägerAdam Gottlob OehlenschlägerAdam Gottlob Oehlenschläger was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature.-Biography:He was born in Vesterbro, then a suburb of Copenhagen, on 14 November 1779...
:- Axel og Valborg, Op. 57 (1856)
- Corregio, Op. 59 (1858)
- Yrsa, Op. 78 (1883)
- Incidental musicIncidental musicIncidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
for plays, including:- Undine, Op. 33 (Carl Borgaard) (1842)
- Hakon Jarl, Op. 40 (Oehlenschläger) (1844–57)
- Dante, Op. 85 (1888)
- BalletBalletBallet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
s- Valkyrien, (The ValkyrieValkyrieIn Norse mythology, a valkyrie is one of a host of female figures who decides who dies in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle , the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin...
s), Op. 62 (1860–61) - Thrymskviden, Op. 67 (1867–68)
- Arcona, Op. 72 (1873–75)
- Valkyrien, (The Valkyrie
Vocal
- OperaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s- Raven, Op. 12 (1830–32)
- Korsarerne, (The CorsairCorsairCorsairs were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds...
), Op. 16 (1832–35) - Liden Kirsten, (Little Kirsten), Op. 44 (1844–46)
- Other
- numerous cantataCantataA cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s - Guldhornene (The Gold Horns), Op. 11, melodramaMelodramaThe term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
after Oehlenschläger (1832) - choralChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
works - liedLiedis a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
er
- numerous cantata
Chamber
- Violin SonataViolin sonataA violin sonata is a musical composition for violin, which is nearly always accompanied by a piano or other keyboard instrument, or by figured bass in the Baroque period.-A:*Ella Adayevskaya**Sonata Greca for Violin or Clarinet and Piano...
No. 1 in G minor, Op. 8 (1826) - Violin Sonata No. 2 in C, Op. 39 (1844)
- Violin Sonata No. 3 in G minor, Op. 83 (1886)
- Flute SonataFlute sonataA flute sonata is a sonata usually for flute and piano, though occasionally other accompanying instruments may be used. Flute sonatas in the Baroque period were very often accompanied in the form of basso continuo.-List of Flute Sonatas:*George Antheil...
in B-flat, Op. 1 (1825)
Piano
- Piano SonataPiano sonataA piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement , two movements , five or even more movements...
No. 1 in D minor, Op. 34 (1841) - Piano Sonata No. 2 in F (1853)
- Piano Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 80 (1876–83)
- numerous smaller pieces
Organ
- FantasyFantasia (music)The fantasia is a musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation. Because of this, it seldom approximates the textbook rules of any strict musical form ....
in A major (1826) - Fantasy in F minor, Op. 20 (published 1837)
- Funeral MarchFuneral marchA funeral march is a march, usually in a minor key, in a slow "simple duple" metre, imitating the solemn pace of a funeral procession. Some such marches are often considered appropriate for use during funerals and other sombre occasions, the most well-known being that of Chopin...
for ThorvaldsenBertel ThorvaldsenBertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish-Icelandic sculptor of international fame, who spent most of his life in Italy . Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a Danish/Icelandic family of humble means, and was accepted to the Royal Academy of Arts when he was eleven years old...
(1844) with brassBrass instrumentA brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
ensemble, published in a solo organ version (1879) by Hartmann - Funeral March for OehlenschlägerAdam Gottlob OehlenschlägerAdam Gottlob Oehlenschläger was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature.-Biography:He was born in Vesterbro, then a suburb of Copenhagen, on 14 November 1779...
(1850), with brass ensemble - Organ Sonata in G minor, Op. 58 (1855)
- Funeral March for Nicolai Peter Nielsen (1860)
- Opening Music for a University Anniversary (1879), with brass ensemble