Felix August Bernhard Draeseke (7 October 1835 – 26 February 1913) was a
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
of the "
New German School" admiring
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...
and
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
. He wrote compositions in most forms including eight operas and stage works, four symphonies, and much vocal and chamber music.
[Obituary, ''The Musical Times'', Vol. 54, No. 842 (April 1913), p. 248]
/ref>
Life
Felix Draeseke was born in the Franconian ducal town of Coburg
Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...
, Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. He was attracted to music early in life and wrote his first composition at age 8. He encountered no opposition from his family when, in his mid-teens, he declared his intention of becoming a professional musician. A few years at the Leipzig Conservatory
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig () is a public university in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatorium der Musik (Conservatory of Music), it is the oldest music ...
did not seem to benefit his development, but after one of the early performances of Wagner's ''Lohengrin
Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wo ...
'' he was won to the camp of the New German School centered on Franz Liszt at Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
, where he stayed from 1856 (arriving just after Joachim Raff
Joseph Joachim Raff (27 May 182224 or 25 June 1882) was a German-Swiss composer, pedagogue and pianist.James Deaville'Raff, (Joseph) Joachim' in ''Grove Music Online'' (2001)
Biography
Raff was born in Lachen, Switzerland, Lachen in Switzerland. ...
's departure) to 1861. In 1862 Draeseke left Germany and made his way to Switzerland, teaching in the Suisse Romande in the area around Lausanne
Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
.[Alan H. Krueck. 'Draeseke, Felix (August Bernhard)' in ''Grove Music Online'' (2001)]
Upon his return to Germany in 1876, Draeseke chose Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
as his place of residence. Though he continued having success in composition, it was only in 1884 that he received an official appointment to the Dresden Conservatory and, with it, some financial security. In 1894, two years after his promotion to a professorship at the Royal Saxon Conservatory, at the age of 58, he married his former pupil Frida Neuhaus. In 1912 he completed his final orchestral work, the Fourth Symphony. On 26 February 1913 Draeseke suffered a stroke and died; he is buried in the Tolkewitz cemetery in Dresden.[
]
Music and styles
During his career Draeseke divided his efforts almost equally among compositional genres and composed in most of them, including symphonies, concerto
A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...
s, opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
, chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...
, and works for solo piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
. With his early Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor ''Sonata quasi Fantasia'' of 1862–1867 he aroused major interest, winning Liszt's unreserved admiration of it as one of the most important piano sonatas after Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
. His operas ''Herrat'' (1879, originally ''Dietrich von Bern'') and ''Gudrun'' (1884, after the medieval epic of the same name) met with some success, but were subsequently neglected.[Fifield, Christopher]
Review of 'Felix Draeseke: Chronik seines Lebens' by Martella Gutiérrez-Denhoff (1989)
in ''Music & Letters'' Vol. 73, No. 2 (May, 1992), pp. 307-308
Draeseke keenly followed new developments in all facets of music. His chamber music compositions make use of newly developed instruments, among them the violotta, an instrument developed by Alfred Stelzner as an intermediary between viola and cello, which Draeseke used in his A major String Quintet, and also the viola alta, an instrument developed during the 1870s by Hermann Ritter and the prototype of viola expressly endorsed by Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
for his Bayreuth
Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...
Orchestra.[
A heavily ]contrapuntal
In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous Part (music), musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and Pitch contour, melodic contour. The term ...
composer, Draeseke reveled in writing choral music, achieving major success with his B minor ''Requiem'' of 1877–1880. His most contrapuntal work is called '' Christus. Mysterium in a Prelude and Three Oratorios'', which requires three days for a complete performance, a work which occupied him between the years 1894–1899 but whose conception reaches back to the 1860s. According to some , Draeseke's ''Symphonia Tragica'' (Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 40) deserves a place alongside the symphonies of Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...
and Bruckner. Other orchestral works by Draeseke include the Serenade in D major (1888) and its companion of the same year, the symphonic prelude after Kleist's ''Penthesilea
Penthesilea () was an Amazonian queen in Greek mythology, the daughter of Ares and Otrera and the sister of Hippolyta, Antiope, and Melanippe. She assisted Troy in the Trojan War, during which she was killed by Achilles or Neoptolemus. The ...
''. Draeseke also composed a quantity of chamber music.[
]
Estimation
During his life, and the period shortly following his death, the music of Draeseke was held in high regard, even among his musical opponents. His compositions were performed frequently in Germany by the leading artists of the day, including Hans von Bülow
Freiherr Hans Guido von Bülow (; 8 January 1830 – 12 February 1894) was a German conductor, pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. As one of the most distinguished conductors of the 19th century, his activity was critical for establishi ...
, Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch (12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungary, Hungarian conducting, conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London, Leipzig and—most importantly—Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter ...
, Fritz Reiner
Frederick Martin Reiner (; December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was an American conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to promine ...
, and Karl Böhm
Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss.
Life and career
Education
Karl Böhm was born in Graz, St ...
. However, as von Bülow once remarked to him, he was a "harte Nuß" ("a hard nut to crack") and despite the quality of his works, he would "never be popular among the ordinary". Draeseke could be sharply critical and this sometimes led to strained relations, the most notorious instance being with Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
, when Draeseke attacked Strauss’s ''Salome
Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...
'' in his 1905 pamphlet ''Die Konfusion in der Musik'' — rather surprising, as Draeseke was a clear influence on the young Strauss.[
Draeseke's music was promoted during the ]Third Reich
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
. After the Second World War, changes in fashion and political climates allowed his name and music to slip into obscurity. But as the 20th century ended, new recordings spurred a renewed interest in his music.[
]
Notable works
Orchestral
*Symphony No. 1 in G major, Op. 12 (1872)
*Symphony No. 2 in F major, Op. 25 (1876)
*Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 40 "Symphonia Tragica" (1885–6)
*Symphony No. 4 in E minor, WoO 38 "Symphonia Comica" (1912)
*''Julius Caesar'', symphonic poem (1860, revised 1865)
*Serenade in D major for small orchestra, Op. 49 (1888)
*''Penthesilea'', symphonic prelude (after Kleist), Op. 50 (1888)
*''Jubel-ouvertüre'', Op. 65 (1898)
*Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in E-flat, Op. 36 (1885–6)
*Symphonic Andante for Cello and Orchestra in E minor, WoO 11 (1876)
An early symphony in C major, completed in 1856 and premiered that year, was still lost as of 1966.
Operas
*''König Sigurd'' - opera in 3 acts after Emanuel Geibel's ''Sigurd'' (1853–7)
*''Dietrich von Bern'' - opera in 3 acts (1877; revised by Otto zur Nedden, 1925)
*''Gudrun'' - opera in 3 acts (1879–84)
*''Bertram de Born'' - opera in 3 acts (1892–4)
Choral and vocal (religious and secular)
* Christus. Mysterium in a Prelude and Three Oratorios, Opp. 70–73 (1895–9):
** Prelude: ''Die Geburt des Herrn'' (''The Birth of the Lord''), Op. 70
** First Oratorio: ''Christi Weihe'' (''Christ's Consecration''), Op. 71
** Second Oratorio: ''Christus der Prophet'' (''Christ the Prophet''), Op. 72
** Third Oratorio: '' Tod und Sieg des Herrn'' (''Death and Victory of the Lord''), Op. 73
*Grand Mass in A minor, Op. 85 (1908–9)
*Requiem in E minor (1909–10)
*''Columbus'', Cantata for soprano, baritone, male chorus, and orchestra, Op. 52 (1890)
*Der Mönch von Bonifazio Op. 74, a melodrama (1901)
Chamber music
*String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 27 (1880)
*String Quartet No. 2 in E minor, Op. 35 (1886)
*String Quartet No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 (1895)
*Quintet in A major 'Stelzner-Quintett' for 2 violins, viola, violotta, and cello (1897)
*Quintet in F major for 2 violins, viola, and 2 cellos, Op. 77 (1901)
* Quintet in B-flat major for piano, string trio and horn, Op. 48 (1888)
*Viola Sonata No. 1 in C minor (1892)
*Viola Sonata No. 2 in F major (1902)
*Clarinet Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 38 (1887)
*Cello Sonata in D major, Op. 51 (1890)
''Portions of this page are reprinted by permission of the Internationale Draeseke Gesellschaft and International Draeseke Society/North America.''
References
;Notes
;Sources
*
*M. Guiérrez-Denhoff and H. Loos, Eds. ''Felix Draeseke: Chronik seines Lebens''. Gudrun Schröder Verlag, Bonn, 1989.
*S. Döhring, H. John, and H. Loos, Eds. ''Deutsche Oper zwischen Wagner und Strauss''. Gudrun Schröder Verlag, Bonn, 1998.
*A. H. Krueck. ''The Symphonies of Felix Draeseke. A Study in Consideration of Developments in Symphonic Form in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century'', Zürich Diss. phil 1967.
External links
Website of the International Draeseke Society
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Draeseke, Felix
1835 births
1913 deaths
19th-century German classical composers
19th-century German male musicians
20th-century German classical composers
20th-century German male musicians
German opera composers
German Romantic composers
Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber
German male opera composers
Oratorio composers
People from Coburg
University of Music and Theatre Leipzig alumni
Artists from Coburg
German string quartet composers