Max Bruch – Cosmic Reflections

Classical Music Timeline: 1860s

This is one of a series of postings of important classical music dates, from the 17th century to the present. Included are the date and location of the birth and death of composers, and the premiere date and location of the first public performance of works. When the premiere date and location is unknown, the date or year of completion of the work is given. Though reasonably comprehensive, this is a subjective list, so the choice of composers and works is mine. If you find any errors, or if you can offer a premiere date and location for a work where only the completion date or year is listed, please post a comment here.

1860
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) and Franz Doppler (1821-1883) completed the orchestral version of Hungarian Rhapsody No. 3 in D♭ major (S. 359, No. 3)

February 10 – Serenade No. 2 in A major, op. 16 (original version), by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Hamburg, Germany

March 3 – Serenade No. 1 in D major, op. 11, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Hanover, Germany

May 4 – Emil von Reznicek (1860-1945) was born in Vienna, Austria

May 29 – Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) was born in Camprodon, Catelonia, Spain

July 7 – Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was born in Kaliště, Czech Republic

October 20 – String Sextet No. 1 in B♭ major, op. 18, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Hanover, Germany

December 18 – Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) was born in New York, New York

1861
January 15 – The Harp Rings Out, in C major, op. 17, no. 1 (SSA women’s chorus, horn, and harp), by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Hamburg, Germany

The Death of Trenar, in C minor, op. 17, no. 4 (SSA women’s chorus, two horns, and harp), by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Hamburg, Germany

Love Song, in E major, op. 44, no. 1 (SSAA women’s chorus & piano), by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Hamburg, Germany

November 16 – Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, op. 25, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Hamburg, Germany

1862
January 29 – Frederick Delius (1862-1934) was born in Bradford, England

February 17 – Edward German (1862-1936) was born in Whitchurch, Shropshire, England

August 22 – Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

September 25 – Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897) was born in Ensisheim, France

1863
December 24 – Enrique Fernández Arbós (1863-1939) was born in Madrid, Spain

1864
March 15 – Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935) was born in Drammen, Norway

June 11 – Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was born in Munich, Germany

1865
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) completed In Autumn, concert overture for orchestra, op. 11

June 9 – Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) was born in Sortelung, Denmark

June 10 – Tristan and Isolde, opera by Richard Wagner (1813-1883), was first performed in Munich, Germany

August 10 – Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936) was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia

October 1 – Paul Dukas (1865-1935) was born in Paris, France

October 13 – Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, op. 38, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Gdańsk, Poland

November 28 – Horn Trio in E♭ major, op. 40, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Zürich, Switzerland

December 8 – Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was born in Hämeenlinna, Finland

December 17 – Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759 “Unfinished” by Franz Schubert (1797-1828) was first performed in Vienna, Austria

1866
April 1 – Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) was born in Empoli, Italy

June 22 – Piano Quintet in F minor, op. 34, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Leipzig, Germany

October 11 – String Sextet No. 2 in G major, op. 36, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts

1867
February 15 – The Blue Danube, op. 314, by Johann Strauss II (1825-1899) was first performed in Vienna, Austria

September 5 – Amy Beach (1867-1944) was born in Henniker, New Hampshire

1868
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) completed Péchés de vieillesse (“Sins of Old Age”)

January 5 – Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, op. 26, by Max Bruch (1838-1920) was first performed (in its present form) in Bremen, Germany

August 7 – Granville Bantock (1868-1946) was born in London, England

November 13 – Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) died in Passy, France

November 15 – Waltz in A♭ major, op. 39, no. 15, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Hamburg, Germany

1869
January 16 – Symphony No. 1 in E♭ major by Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia

February 18 – A German Requiem, op. 45, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Leipzig, Germany

March – Symphony No. 2, Antar (1st version) by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia

March 8 – Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) died in Paris, France

April 3 – Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16, by Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was first performed in Copenhagen, Denmark

←1850s

1870s→

Classical Music Timeline: 1830s

1831
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) completed Étude in C minor, op. 10, no. 12, “Revolutionary”

1832
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) completed Three Nocturnes, op. 9

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) completed Étude in E major, op. 10, no. 3, “Tristesse”

May 14 – Overture to The Hebrides, in B minor, op. 26, by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was first performed in London, England

1833
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) completed Four Mazurkas, op. 17

May 7 – Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was born in Hamburg, Germany

November 12 – Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia

1834
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) completed Fantasie Impromptu in C♯ minor, op. 66

November 23 – Harold in Italy, op. 16, H. 68, by Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) was first performed in Paris, France

1835
October 9 – Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was born in Paris, France

November 9 – Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 7, by Clara Schumann (1819-1896) was first performed in Leipzig, Germany

1836
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) completed Fantasie in C major, op. 17

January 30 – Octet for Strings in E♭ major, op. 20, by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was first performed in Leipzig, Germany

December 9 – A Life for the Tsar, opera, by Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia

1837
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) completed Étude in C minor, op. 25, no. 12, “Ocean”

January 2 – Mily Balakirev (1837-1910) was born in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

June 23 – Ernest Guiraud (1837-1892) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana

1838
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) completed Prelude in A minor, op. 28, no. 2

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) completed Prelude in E minor, op. 28, no. 4

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) completed Scenes from Childhood, op. 15

January 6 – Max Bruch (1838-1920) was born in Cologne, Germany

October 25 – Georges Bizet (1838-1875) was born in Paris, France

1839
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) completed Prelude in D♭ major, op. 28, no. 15, “Raindrop”

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) completed Prelude in C minor, op. 28, no. 20

March 21 – Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 “The Great” by Franz Schubert (1797-1828) was first performed in Leipzig, Germany

March 21 – Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) was born in Karevo, Russia

←1820s

1840s→

Sibelius Violin Concerto

The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) aspired to be a virtuoso violinist, but abandoned that career because he felt that he had begun his “training for the exacting career of a virtuoso too late.” But it must have been some consolation that his violin concerto of 1904/1905—his only concerto—is one of the most inspired works of that genre in the repertoire.

There are many fine recordings of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, but one I am especially fond of is a 1951 recording with Isaac Stern and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.

Here’s the conclusion of the work, nicely illustrating the passion and energy of this performance by Stern and Beecham’s Royal Philharmonic despite the primitive recording technology available at the time. Just goes to show that there were some remarkable recordings made more than 70 years ago!

Conclusion of the 1951 recording of Isaac Stern playing the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham, conducting

While we’re on the topic of violin concertos, here are the best I’ve heard, in chronological order of their composition. Seek them out and enjoy!

Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor, BWV 1043 – Johann Sebastian Bach (c. 1730)

Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61 – Ludwig van Beethoven (1806)

Violin Concerto in E minor, op. 64 – Felix Mendelssohn (1844)

Violin Concerto No. 8 in D major, op. 99 – Charles-Auguste de Bériot (c. 1845)

Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, op. 26 – Max Bruch (1867)

Violin Concerto in D major, op. 77 – Johannes Brahms (1878)

Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35 – Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1878)

Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 53 – Antonín Dvořák (1879)

Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47 – Jean Sibelius (1905)

Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, op. 19 – Sergei Prokofiev (1917)

Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, op. 63 – Sergei Prokofiev (1935)

Violin Concerto, op. 14 – Samuel Barber (1939)

Violin Concerto in D minor – Aram Khachaturian (1940)

Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1945)

Violin Concerto in C major, op. 48 – Dmitry Kabalevsky (1948)

And, outstanding violin concerto movements:

Intermezzo (Poco adagio) [2nd & final movement] from Violin Concerto, op. 33 – Carl Nielsen (1911)

Sicilienne (Andantino) [2nd movement] from Concierto de estío, for violin and orchestra – Joaquín Rodrigo (1943)

Curious as to why so many violin concertos are written in the key of D major? I was.

“D major is well-suited to violin music because of the structure of the instrument, which is tuned G D A E. The open strings resonate sympathetically with the D string, producing a sound that is especially brilliant. This is also the case with all other orchestral strings.” – Wikipedia entry for D major