Jacques Blumenthal (4 October 1829 – 17 May 1908) was a German pianist and composer. Born "Jakob" in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, he began his musical studies at an early age, receiving instruction from Friedrich Wilhelm Grund,

Carl Maria von Bocklet Carl Maria von Bocklet (30 November 1801 – 15 July 1881) was a composer, pianist and teacher of music. Bocklet was born in Prague. He studied with Bedřich Diviš Weber and in 1821 he moved to Vienna, where he "created a great stir...throu ...

, and

Simon Sechter Simon Sechter (11 October 1788 – 10 September 1867) was an Austrian music theorist, composer, conductor, and organist. He is best known as a strict music teacher, whose many students included Anton Bruckner, Sigismond Thalberg, and Henri ...

. In 1846 he entered the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

, where he studied the piano under the tutelage of

Henri Herz Henri Herz (6 January 1803 – 5 January 1888) was a virtuoso pianist, composer and piano manufacturer, Austrian by birth and French by nationality and domicile. He was a professor in the Paris Conservatoire for more than thirty years. Among his ...

and

Fromental Halévy Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera ''La Juive''. Early career Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...

.Frederick Corder, rev. by David J. Golby: "Blumenthal, Jacques (Jacob), in ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison, eds. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), vol. 6, p. 331. In 1848 Blumenthal settled in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he became the pianist to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. The position contributed to his demand as a teacher in London society, and he prospered greatly. His students included composer

Jane Roeckel Jane Jackson Roeckel (19 October 1833 – 26 August 1907) was a British composer, inventor, pianist, and philanthropist. She composed songs and works for piano and piano rolls, including piano transcriptions of symphonies by composers such as Beeth ...

. Blumenthal also composed a number of works; his short piano pieces and songs achieved considerable popularity, though his efforts at larger pieces did not meet with similar success. He died at his home in

Cheyne Walk Cheyne Walk is a historic road in Chelsea, London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It runs parallel with the River Thames. Before the construction of Chelsea Embankment reduced the width of the Thames here, it fronted t ...

, Chelsea in May 1908; his widow, Léonie Souvoroff Blumenthal, ''née'' Gore, assigned the copyrights of his music to the

Royal Society of Musicians The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain is a Charitable organization, charity in the United Kingdom that supports musicians. It is the oldest music-related charity in Great Britain, founded in 1738 as the ''Fund for Decay'd Musicians'' by a ...

Selected compositions

Piano music * ''La Source''. Caprice, Op. 1 (Paris: Brandus & Cie., 1849) * ''Trois Mazurkas'', Op. 20 (Paris: Brandus & Cie., 1851) * ''Fleurs emblématiques'', Op. 21 * ''Le Gondolier du Lido''. Barcarolle, Op. 40 (London: Cramer, Beale & Chappel) * ''Chant du cigne''. Mélodie plaintive, Op. 51 (London: Chappell) * ''L'Étoile du soir''. 3e Valse, Op. 52 (Paris: G. Brandus et S. Dufour, 1859) * ''La Petite Russie''. Mélodie des Bohémiens Russes, Op. 61 (London, 1862) * ''La Stella de L'Aranella''. Chanson napolitaine, Op. 70 (London: Augener & Co.) Songs * ''The Message'' (A. Procter) (London, 1864) * ''The Requital'' (A. Procter) (London, 1864) * ''The Days are Past'' (

Barry Cornwall Bryan Waller Procter (pseud. Barry Cornwall) (21 November 17875 October 1874) was an English poet who served as a Commissioner in Lunacy. Life and career Born at Leeds, Yorkshire, he was educated at Harrow School, where he had for contemporari ...

) (London: Ashdown & Parry, c.1877) * ''We Two'' (Rea) (London, 1879) * ''My Queen'' (Stella) (1867) * ''Looking Beyond'' (Henry Ffrench) (London: J. & J. Hopkinson, c.1887)

References

1829 births 1908 deaths 19th-century German classical composers 19th-century German male musicians Conservatoire de Paris alumni Emigrants from the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg Immigrants to the United Kingdom German male classical composers German Romantic composers Musicians from Hamburg {{Germany-composer-stub