Julius Reubke
Friedrich Julius Reubke(23 March 1834 – 3 June 1858) was a Germancomposer,pianistandorganist.In his short life, he composed theSonata on the 94th PsalminC minor,which is considered to be one of the greatestorganworks in the romantic repertoire.
Biography
[edit]Born inHausneindorf,a small village in the region of theHarz Mountains,Julius Reubke was the eldest son oforganandpianobuilderAdolf Reubke(1805-1875). Of Julius's five siblings, two brothers, Emil (1836–1884) and Karl (1840–1860), worked with their father; Emil became a partner in 1860 and owned the company from 1872. His brother Otto (1842–1913) was also a pianist, organist and composer; he prepared theSonata on the 94th Psalmfor its first publication in August 1871. Otto settled inHalle,where he was a professor at theUniversity of Halle,and became its director in 1892. There were also two sisters, Meta and Alma.
Reubke's first musical instruction was inQuedlinburgwithHermann Bönicke(1821–1879). He moved toBerlinin April or October 1851, where he continued his musical education at the conservatory there, which had been founded in November 1850 byTheodor Kullak,with whom he studied piano,Adolf Bernhard Marx,with whom he studied composition, andJulius Stern.In Berlin, he encountered theNeudeutsche Schulewith conductorHans von Bülowand organistAlexander Winterberger,both associated withFranz Liszt.
When Liszt visited Berlin in December 1855, he arranged, on the recommendation of Bülow, to teach Reubkepianoandcompositionfrom February 1856 inWeimar,and allowed him to live at the Altenburg house he kept. It was in this environment that Reubke composed his two major works, thePiano Sonata in B-flat minor,which he composed from December 1856 to March 1857, and theSonata on the 94th Psalmin C minor, fororgan,which he finished a month later; he also considered writing anopera.The organ sonata was dedicated to ProfessorCarl Riedel;its premiere was by Reubke on theLadegastorgan (1853-1855) ofMerseburg Cathedralon 17 June 1857. Since its composition, it has been considered one of the pinnacles of theRomanticrepertoire.
His health was already in decline at the time of his great compositions:
Playing us his sonata, seated in his characteristically bowed form at the piano, sunk in his creation, Reubke forgot everything about him; and we then looked at his pale appearance, at the unnatural shine of his gleaming eyes, heard his heavy breath, and were aware of how wordless fatigue overwhelmed him after such hours of excitement. We suspected then that he would not be with us long.
He moved toDresdenin December 1857. By this time, he was suffering from worseningtuberculosis,and did not have the energy to play or compose. He moved to the health resort atPillnitzin May 1858, where he died at theZum Goldenen Löweninna few days later, at the age of 24. He was buried near the church of Maria am Wasser inPillnitz-Hosterwitzon 7 June.
He was one of Liszt's favourite pupils; after his death, Liszt wrote a letter of sympathy to Reubke's father:
Truly no one could feel more deeply the loss whichArthas suffered in your Julius, than the one who has followed with admiring sympathy his noble, constant, and successful strivings in these latter years, and who will ever bear his friendship faithfully in mind.
Compositions
[edit]- Piano Sonata in B-flat minor(1857) - influenced by Liszt'sSonata in B minor
- Sonata on the 94th PsalminC minor(1857) fororgan- influenced by Liszt'sFantasy and Fugue on the chorale "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam"
- TrioinE-flat majorfor organ (1850)
- MazurkainE majorforpiano(1856)
- ScherzoinD minorfor piano (1856)
- AdagioinE minorfor organ
Lost
[edit]- Overture
- Songsformezzo-sopranoand piano
- Chorale-variation onO Haupt voll Blut und Wunden
Sources
[edit]- Michael Gailit:Julius Reubke (1834–1858),notes toKevin Bowyer's recording ofThe 94th Psalm,Nimbus Records,NI 5361 (1993)
- ^Quoted inAlan Walker:Franz Liszt: (Vol.2) The Weimar Years;Faber & Faber, London, 1989
External links
[edit]- Free scores by Julius Reubkeat theInternational Music Score Library Project(IMSLP)
- Reubke family photographs- at reubke-organ.de, the successors of the original Reubke organ building family
- 1834 births
- 1858 deaths
- 19th-century classical composers
- 19th-century classical pianists
- 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
- 19th-century German composers
- 19th-century German male musicians
- Composers for piano
- Composers for pipe organ
- German classical organists
- German classical pianists
- German male classical composers
- German pianists
- German male pianists
- German Romantic composers
- Tuberculosis deaths in Germany
- German male classical pianists
- People from Harz (district)
- Musicians from the Province of Saxony
- German male classical organists
- 19th-century organists