Ludwig Schuncke
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Christian Ludwig Schuncke (21 December 18107 December 1834) was a German pianist and composer, and close friend of
Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...
. His early promise was eclipsed by his death from
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
at the age of 23. He was generally known as Ludwig, and that name also appears as Louis in some references. His surname appears as either Schuncke or Schunke.


Biography

Ludwig Schuncke was born in
Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...
in 1810. His father and first teacher Johann Gottfried Schuncke (1777–1840), and his uncle Johann Michael Schuncke (1778–1821), were both professional horn players.RuskinCooper.com
He demonstrated his talents very early, and they were encouraged. In March 1822, aged only 11, he performed
Johann Nepomuk Hummel Johann Nepomuk Hummel (14 November 177817 October 1837) was an Austrian composer and pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era. He was a pupil of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri, and ...
's Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 85, under the direction of
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 conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten symphonies, ...
. He then went on a concert tour of Germany.
Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...
expressed his approval of Schuncke’s early compositions. In 1828, he was one of the four pianists who played Henri Bertini's transcription of
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 ...
's Seventh Symphony for eight hands, the others being Bertini himself,
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 Wojciech Sowiński. He went to Paris for study, where his main teachers were
Friedrich Kalkbrenner Friedrich Wilhelm Michael Kalkbrenner (7 November 1785 – 10 June 1849), also known as ''Frédéric Kalkbrenner'', was a pianist, composer, piano teacher and piano manufacturer. German by birth, Kalkbrenner studied at the Conservatoire de Paris ...
,
Anton Reicha Anton (Antonín, Antoine) Joseph Reicha (Rejcha) (26 February 1770 – 28 May 1836) was a Czech-born, Bavarian-educated, later naturalization, naturalized French composer and music theorist. A contemporary and lifelong friend of Ludwig van Be ...
and
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 ...
,Naxos
/ref> and where he also had friendships with people such as
Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...
,
Sigismond Thalberg Sigismond Thalberg (8 January 1812 – 27 April 1871) was an Austrian composer and one of the most distinguished virtuoso pianists of the 19th century. Family Thalberg was born in Pâquis near Geneva on 8 January 1812. Thalberg asserted that he ...
and Johann Peter Pixis. In Paris, he made his living by demonstrating Duport pianos, and he also lived in Duport's household. After completing his studies, he returned to Germany. In
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
, he made the acquaintance of
Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...
after hearing him perform his Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor. Schuncke dedicated his Caprice in C minor, Op.10, to Chopin. He then moved to
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
,
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
and
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 ...
, appearing in concert, before finally settling in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
in December 1833. He lived in a boarding house and his room was next door to that of
Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...
, whose very close friend he became. Schuncke was one of the co-founders of the ''
Neue Zeitschrift für Musik The New Journal of Music (, and abbreviated to NZM) is a music magazine, co-founded in Leipzig by Robert Schumann, his teacher and future father-in law Friedrich Wieck, Julius Knorr and his close friend Ludwig Schuncke. Its first issue appe ...
'', and one of its early contributors, under the pseudonym "Jonathan". He was also a member of Schumann's '' Davidsbund''. He appeared as soloist at the Leipzig
Gewandhaus Gewandhaus () is a concert hall in Leipzig, the home of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. History The first Gewandhaus (''Altes Gewandhaus'') The ...
on 27 January 1834.Robert Ostermeyer Musikedition
/ref> In one article, Schumann favourably compared the playing of the emerging Franz Liszt to that of Ludwig Schuncke. Schuncke dedicated his ''Grande Sonate in G minor'', Op. 3, to Schumann, who greatly admired the work, and in turn dedicated his Toccata in C major, Op. 7, to Schuncke on its publication in 1834. In a letter dated 4 September 1834, Schumann wrote that his whole wealth could be summed up in three names:
Henriette Voigt Henriette Voigt (24 November 1808 - 15 October 1839) was a German pianist. Born Henriette Kunze in Leipzig, Voigt was a pupil of Ludwig Berger. She was the wife of merchant Karl Voigt, at whose house many of the most important musicians of the d ...
,
Ernestine von Fricken Christiane Ernestine Franziska von Fricken (7 September 1816 – 13 November 1844) was an Austrian pianist who, for a while, was the fiancée of Robert Schumann. Life Ernestine von Fricken was born on 7 September 1816 in Neuberg, Bo ...
and Ludwig Schuncke. Schumann's ''Carnaval'', Op. 9, had its origin in a set of variations on a ''Sehnsuchtswalzer'' by
Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
. The catalyst for the variations may have been a work for piano and orchestra on the same theme by Schuncke (his Op. 14). Schumann felt that Schuncke's heroic treatment was an inappropriate reflection of the tender nature of the Schubert piece, so he set out to approach his variations in a more intimate way, for piano solo. He worked on the piece in 1833 and 1834. The work was never completed, however, but he did re-use the opening 24 measures for the opening of ''Carnaval''. Schuncke helped Schumann through his crisis of 1833–34, in which he had a serious depressive illness leading to a suicide attempt, and his brother and sister-in-law both died. Schumann in turn nursed Schuncke through his own final illness. Ludwig Schuncke died on 7 December 1834, at age 23, of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. He is buried in the
Alter Johannisfriedhof The Alter Johannisfriedhof ("Old St. John's Cemetery") is the oldest burial ground in the city of Leipzig, Germany. It began in 1278, as part of the ''Johannishospital'' (St. John's Hospital) in Leipzig, a leper hospital. It was later attache ...
in Leipzig. Schumann forever after kept Schuncke's death bed portrait in his own study, in a gallery of pictures hung above his piano.Alessandra Comini, The Changing Image of Beethoven
/ref>


Schuncke's music

Although their approaches sometimes differed, Schuncke and Schumann influenced each other to a significant degree. This can be seen in the following example, where an excerpt from Schuncke's ''Grande Sonate'' in G minor could easily be played alongside an excerpt from Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor.


Recordings

Jozef De Beenhouwer Jozef De Beenhouwer (born 26 March 1948 in Brasschaat, Belgium) is a Belgian pianist, music teacher and musicologist. Biography His first teacher, with whom he started at the age of five, was his paternal grandfather. Even as a child and adolesce ...
was the first to perform Schuncke's ''Grande Sonate in G minor'', Op. 3, which has also been recorded by Mario Patuzzi, Gregor Weichert, Sylviane Deferne and Megumi Sano. (His name is shown on Patuzzi's, Weichert's, Deferne's and Sano's albums as "Christian L. Schunke", "Louis Schuncke" and "Ludwig Schunke" respectively.) His song ''Gretchen am Spinnrad'' is also recorded.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
/ref> Further recordings of Schuncke's piano works can be found on the following CDs: "Ludwig Schuncke- Piano Music", Tatiana Larionova
Brillant Classics 94807
2015 and "Early Piano Works", Ulrich Roman Murtfeld

2023


Works


Piano solo

* Scherzo Capriccioso, Op. 1 * Variations sur une thème quasi Fantaisie brilliant original, in E-flat major, Op. 2 * ''Grande Sonata'' in G minor, Op. 3 (1832, dedicated to
Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...
) * Fantasie brillante in E major, Op. 5 * Allegro Passionato in A minor, Op. 6 * Divertissement brilliant, Op. 7 * 1st Caprice in C major, Op. 9 (dedicated to
Clara Wieck Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she exerted her influence over the course o ...
) * 2nd Caprice in C minor, Op. 10 (dedicated to
Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...
) * Rondeau brilliant in E-flat major, Op.11 * Divertissement brilliant sur des aires allemenades, in B-flat major, Op. 12 * 2 Pièces caractéristiques in B-flat minor and C minor, Op. 13 * Rondeau in D major, Op.15 * Air suisse varié * Six Preludes * Rondino précédé d'une Introduction * Adagio and Rondo in G major * Capriccio * Due Divertimenti * Fantasy * Marcia funebre * Six Preludes * Rondino précédé d'une Introduction * Variations VII * Quick Waltz


Piano Duet

* Petit Rondeau in C major * Rondo brilliant in G major * Deux Pièces caractéristiques pour piano à quatre mains, Op.13 (published 1834): **No. 1 in B minor, Andante con moto ** No. 2 in C minor, Presto


Piano and orchestra

* Variations brillantes sur la Sehnsuchtswalzer of
Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
in A-flat major, Op. 14 * Piano Concerto (lost)


Chamber music

* Duo Concertante for piano and horn * Petites variations for piano and violin in C major


Vocal works

* ''Mother's love'' * ''With golden string full of sounds'', 3 voices and piano * ''The slumbering love'' * Four Songs # ''Spring song'' # ''The young man at the brook'' # ''The child's wish'' # ''Gretchen's song'' * Seven Songs # ''Lullaby'' # ''Song of the Shepherdess'' # ''Craving'' # ''The Bethe ends'' # ''First Loss'' # ''Erlkönig'' # ''Farewell'' * Five songs, Op. 8 # ''Gretchen's song'' # ''The expectation'' # ''The arbor'' # ''I want to tell you well'' # ''The young man at the stream''


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schuncke, Ludwig 1810 births 1834 deaths 19th-century German classical composers 19th-century German classical pianists 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis 19th-century German male musicians German male classical composers German pianists German male pianists German Romantic composers German male classical pianists Musicians from Kassel People from the Kingdom of Westphalia Pupils of Anton Reicha Pupils of Robert Schumann Tuberculosis deaths in Germany German magazine founders