Andreas Jakob Romberg (27 April 1767 – 10 November 1821) was a German violinist and composer.
Romberg was born in
Vechta, in the
Duchy of Oldenburg. He learned the violin from his musician father Gerhard Heinrich Romberg and first performed in public at the age of six. In addition to touring Europe, Romberg also joined the
Münster Court Orchestra. The cellist and composer
Bernhard Romberg was his cousin.
He joined the court orchestra of the
Prince Elector
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
From the 13th century onwards, the prince ...
in Bonn (conducted by the
Kapellmeister
(, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...
Andrea Luchesi) in 1790, where he met the young
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
. He moved to
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
in 1793 due to wartime upheavals and joined the
Hamburg Opera Orchestra
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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, postal ...
. Romberg's first opera, 'Der Rabe', premiered there in 1794. He also composed his own setting of Messiah (Der Messias).
After a time in Paris, Andreas settled in Hamburg where he became a central figure in the city's musical life. In 1815 he succeeded
Louis Spohr
Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig, was a German composer, violinist and conducting, conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten Sy ...
as music director at the court of the Duke, in Gotha,
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
. He died there on 10 November 1821.
Selected works
Among his compositions are:
* String Quartets, Op. 1
* Violin Concerto No. 1 in E op. 3
* 3 Concertant Duos for 2 Violins, Op.4
* Symphony No. 1 in E flat op. 6
* Violin Concerto No. 2 in C op. 8
* Symphony No. 2 in D op. 22
* String Quintet, Op.23
* 3 String Quartets, Op.30
* Symphony No. 3 in C op. 33
* 3 Flute Quintets, Op. 41
* Was bleibet und was schwindet, Op.42
* Violin Concerto No. 3 in d minor op. 46
* Violin Concerto No. 4 in G op. 50
* Sinfonia alla turca
o. 4in C op. 51
* Te Deum Laudamus, Op.55
* 3 Concertant Duos for 2 Violins, Op.56
* Psalmodie, Op.65
* Dixit Dominus
* 3 Violin Sonatas
Further reading
*, 1821. There is a substantial obituary in the 19 December 1821 issue (no.51), pp. 849–856 by Rochlitz.
External links
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3EzhcJTGCI
Andreas Romberg YouTube Playlist*
*
Keith Anderson. Liner notes to 'Romberg:Flute Quintets', Naxos CD 8.554765
1767 births
1821 deaths
People from Vechta
People from the Duchy of Oldenburg
German composers
German violinists
German male violinists
String quartet composers
{{Germany-musician-stub