Robert Volkmann - Grandmother's Songs Op. 27, No. 1
Robert Volkmann (Apr. 6, 1815 - Oct. 30, 1883) was a German composer. Volkmann's father, a church music director, taught him organ and piano. He also studied violin and cello. In 1836 he moved to Leipzig to pursue music fully. There, he met Robert Schumann who encouraged him in his studies. Following a brief stint in Prague, Volkmann moved to Budapest. His Piano Trio in B flat minor caught the attention of Franz Liszt, and Hans von Bülow. They would go on to perform the Volkmann's piece during their tours across Europe. Volkmann also became close friends with Johannes Brahms while visiting Vienna in 1964. He seemed to be acquainted with the many of the big time names of the era. From 1875 until his death, he was professor of harmony and counterpoint at Budapest's National Academy of Music, where Liszt was the directory. This Op. 27 work, titled Grandmother's Songs, contains 13 short pieces the first of which I play in this video. It's short, sweet, and not particularly substantial, but substance isn't all that important to me at this point. The dichotomy between the opening section, and the middle section offers a nice change of pace. I might revisit it to bring out different lines in the middle section. I think there could be some interesting alternatives where one of the middle voices is the focus, but that'll be for another day. Sheet music: https://imslp.org/wiki/Lieder_der_Gro%C3%9Fmutter%2C_Op.27_(Volkmann%2C_Robert)
Robert Volkmann (Apr. 6, 1815 - Oct. 30, 1883) was a German composer. Volkmann's father, a church music director, taught him organ and piano. He also studied violin and cello. In 1836 he moved to Leipzig to pursue music fully. There, he met Robert Schumann who encouraged him in his studies. Following a brief stint in Prague, Volkmann moved to Budapest. His Piano Trio in B flat minor caught the attention of Franz Liszt, and Hans von Bülow. They would go on to perform the Volkmann's piece during their tours across Europe. Volkmann also became close friends with Johannes Brahms while visiting Vienna in 1964. He seemed to be acquainted with the many of the big time names of the era. From 1875 until his death, he was professor of harmony and counterpoint at Budapest's National Academy of Music, where Liszt was the directory. This Op. 27 work, titled Grandmother's Songs, contains 13 short pieces the first of which I play in this video. It's short, sweet, and not particularly substantial, but substance isn't all that important to me at this point. The dichotomy between the opening section, and the middle section offers a nice change of pace. I might revisit it to bring out different lines in the middle section. I think there could be some interesting alternatives where one of the middle voices is the focus, but that'll be for another day. Sheet music: https://imslp.org/wiki/Lieder_der_Gro%C3%9Fmutter%2C_Op.27_(Volkmann%2C_Robert)