- Robert Kahn (composer)
Robert Kahn (b.
Mannheim ,July 21 ,1865 ; d.Biddenden ,Kent ,May 29 ,1951 ) was a Germancomposer ,pianist , and music teacher.Life
Kahn was 2nd. son of
Bernhard Kahn andEmma Eberstadt , and had seven siblings. The parents belonged to distinguished families of bankers and merchants. In 1882, Kahn entered the Königlichen Hochschule für Musik inBerlin , where he studied for the next three years. Between 1885 and 1886, he continued his musical education under the tutelage ofJosef Rheinberger inMunich . On a visit toVienna the following year, Kahn met and befriended the composerJohannes Brahms , who reputedly offered to make Kahn his pupil. Although Kahn declined the invitation out of diffidence, Brahms' music would exert a profound influence on his compositional style throughout his career.After finishing military service, Kahn worked as a freelance composer in Berlin until 1890. For the next three years, he was employed as a Korrepetitor (rehearsal pianist) at the Stadttheater in
Leipzig . Appointed lecturer in composition at his alma mater in 1894, Kahn was responsible for the training of some of the leading luminaries of 20th century classical music. His famous students included the pianistWilhelm Kempff , the conductorFerdinand Leitner , the composerGünter Raphael , and theviolinist Karl Klinger .In 1916, Kahn was elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts, a membership he held until 1934 when the Nazi regime ordered him to resign because he was a Jew. The government also prohibited the publication and performance of his music. This drove him in 1936 to leave Germany for
England , where he spent the last fifteen years of his life in relative obscurity. Kahn and his music have been almost entirely forgotten sinceWorld War II , but are slowly being rediscovered by musicians and audiences, like the case of many other composers of "degenerate music " persecuted by the Nazis.Works
Kahn composed prolifically for the chamber repertoire, writing in an intimate, lyrical style that is reminiscent of
Felix Mendelssohn ,Robert Schumann , andJohannes Brahms . Like his hero Brahms, Kahn eschewed the emotional extravagance of the late Romantics. His output included 2string quartet s, 3piano quartet s, 5piano trio s, 2violin sonata s, 2cello sonata s, several choral pieces, and numerouslieder . His onlyorchestra l works were aserenade "Aus der Jugendzeit" ("From Youth") (1890) and a Konzertstück forpiano and orchestra in E-flat minor, Op. 74 (1920).Kahn was often engaged to create works for some of the finest musicians who flourished during the early decades of the 20th century. His Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 26 (1897) was dedicated to the violinist
Joseph Joachim , while the String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 60 (1914) was first performed by the Joachim Quartet.Hans von Bülow conducted theBerlin Philharmonic Orchestra in the world premiere of Kahn's orchestral serenade.References
Erwin, Charlotte, and Levi, Eric "Robert Kahn", The New "
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ", ed. S. Sadie and J. Tyrrell (London: Macmillan, 2001)External links
* [http://ur.rutgers.edu/medrel/viewArticle.html?ArticleID=3646 Biography of Kahn and notes on the premiere recording of Kahn's lieder performed] by Martin Dillon
* [http://ur.rutgers.edu/medrel/viewArticle.html?ArticleID=4320 Notes on a second series of songs recorded] by Martin Dillon
* [http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/k/rokahn_opcat.html Lyrics of selected songs]
* [http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/music-books-h-to-m.htm Robert Kahn's Chamber Music Soundbites and discussion of several works]
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