Forgotten Masterpiece Friday: Hélène Liebmann, Grand Trio in A (Piano Trio No. 1)
It's Forgotten Masterpiece Friday!
Not much is known about the life of Hélène Liebmann (1795-1869), and only a handful of her compositions are known to survive. She first appears in the historical record as a child prodigy pianist who performed in her hometown of Berlin at age 10 and had her first piece, a piano sonata, published when she was 15. She is believed to have studied with Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries for some time. She married in 1814 and moved with her husband to Vienna, then was living in London by 1816. Virtually nothing about her life or musical activities after 1819 is known, except that Clara Wieck (later Clara Schumann) wrote in her diary about meeting Liebmann at a concert in Hamburg in 1835. It was not until recently that the date of her death was discovered in a Dresden church's archives.
For a time, at least, she was somewhat well known in Europe. Her Opus 1 sonata received effusive praise in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, the leading music periodical of the day: the same author who opened the review by declaring his dread in anticipation of hearing "ladies' music" immediately lauded the sonata as comparable to the early works of the great masters. The AMZ continued to champion her music for some years afterward, which is likely the reason a number of her pieces were published between 1810 and 1819 despite all having been composed for private performances by family and friends. Even so, her catalogue is unclear, with some of her pieces being listed with two or more composition dates and opus numbers.
Liebmann's somewhat ostentatiously titled Grand Trio in A major was the first of two piano trios she is known to have composed. It was published in 1817, having probably been completed the previous year, and is dedicated to her teacher Ries, and shows the distinct influence of Mozart and Beethoven as might be expected from her background. The most notable personal touch of her own is the "Polonoise" (sic) that serves as the final movement; Liebmann used polonaises as finales in several other pieces and is clearly in her element building the movement around the characteristic rhythm.
Movements:
I. Allegro
II. Andante (10:16)
III. Polonoise (sic) (13:18)
Not much is known about the life of Hélène Liebmann (1795-1869), and only a handful of her compositions are known to survive. She first appears in the historical record as a child prodigy pianist who performed in her hometown of Berlin at age 10 and had her first piece, a piano sonata, published when she was 15. She is believed to have studied with Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries for some time. She married in 1814 and moved with her husband to Vienna, then was living in London by 1816. Virtually nothing about her life or musical activities after 1819 is known, except that Clara Wieck (later Clara Schumann) wrote in her diary about meeting Liebmann at a concert in Hamburg in 1835. It was not until recently that the date of her death was discovered in a Dresden church's archives.
For a time, at least, she was somewhat well known in Europe. Her Opus 1 sonata received effusive praise in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, the leading music periodical of the day: the same author who opened the review by declaring his dread in anticipation of hearing "ladies' music" immediately lauded the sonata as comparable to the early works of the great masters. The AMZ continued to champion her music for some years afterward, which is likely the reason a number of her pieces were published between 1810 and 1819 despite all having been composed for private performances by family and friends. Even so, her catalogue is unclear, with some of her pieces being listed with two or more composition dates and opus numbers.
Liebmann's somewhat ostentatiously titled Grand Trio in A major was the first of two piano trios she is known to have composed. It was published in 1817, having probably been completed the previous year, and is dedicated to her teacher Ries, and shows the distinct influence of Mozart and Beethoven as might be expected from her background. The most notable personal touch of her own is the "Polonoise" (sic) that serves as the final movement; Liebmann used polonaises as finales in several other pieces and is clearly in her element building the movement around the characteristic rhythm.
Movements:
I. Allegro
II. Andante (10:16)
III. Polonoise (sic) (13:18)
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