Friedrich Wilhelm Michael Kalkbrenner (1785 – 1849)
was a pianist, composer, piano teacher and piano
manufacturer. German by birth, Kalkbrenner studied at
the Paris Conservatoire starting at a young age and
eventually settled in Paris, where he lived until his
death in 1849. For these reasons, many historians refer
to Kalkbrenner as being a French composer.
At his peak, Kalkbrenner was considered to be the
foremost pianist in Europe. The only serious rival he
had was Johann Nepomuk Hu...(+)
Friedrich Wilhelm Michael Kalkbrenner (1785 – 1849)
was a pianist, composer, piano teacher and piano
manufacturer. German by birth, Kalkbrenner studied at
the Paris Conservatoire starting at a young age and
eventually settled in Paris, where he lived until his
death in 1849. For these reasons, many historians refer
to Kalkbrenner as being a French composer.
At his peak, Kalkbrenner was considered to be the
foremost pianist in Europe. The only serious rival he
had was Johann Nepomuk Hummel. When Frédéric Chopin
came to Paris, Kalkbrenner suggested that Chopin could
benefit by studying in one of Kalkbrenner's schools. It
was not until the late 1830s that Kalkbrenner's
reputation was surpassed by the likes of Chopin,
Thalberg and Liszt.
Kalkbrenner was a prolific composer of a multitude of
piano works (altogether more than 200), piano
concertos, and operas.
Author of a famous method of piano playing (1831) which
was in print until the late 19th century, he ran in
Paris what is sometimes called a "factory for aspiring
virtuosos" and taught scores of pupils from as far away
as Cuba. His best piano pupils were Marie Pleyel and
Camille-Marie Stamaty. Through Stamaty, Kalkbrenner's
piano method was passed on to Louis Moreau Gottschalk
and Camille Saint-Saëns.
He was one of the few composers who through deft
business deals became enormously rich. Chopin dedicated
his first piano concerto to him. Kalkbrenner published
transcriptions of Beethoven's nine symphonies for solo
piano decades before Liszt did the same. He was the
first to introduce long and rapid octave passages in
both hands – today so familiar from 19th century
piano music – into his piano texture.
Today he is not so much remembered because of his
music, but because of his alleged vanity. Kalkbrenner
was convinced that, after the death of Mozart,
Beethoven and Haydn, he was the only classical composer
left, and he never hesitated to let the world know
this. Although of humble origins, he had a lifelong
aspiration to be an aristocrat and delighted in rubbing
shoulders with the nobility in London and Paris. He is
invariably described as a somewhat pompous, formal,
overly polite, yet intelligent and business-wise and
extremely shrewd man. He was the target of many
anecdotes during his own lifetime and bitingly
satirised by the German poet Heinrich Heine.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Kalkbrenner).
Although originally written for Piano, I created this
Interpretation of "La Femme du Marin" (Opus 139) for
Flute & Concert (Pedal) Harp.