Jakob Zeugheer

Jakob Zeugheer (known also as J. Z. Herrmann), (born Zürich 20 July 1803; died Liverpool 15 June 1865) was a Swiss violinist, conductor and composer. [http://opera.stanford.edu/composers/Z.html]

Childhood

Born at Zürich in 1803, Zeugheer learnedthe violin first from Wassermann in his nativetown, and in 1818 was placed at Munich underFerdinand Franzel, for the violin, and Gratzfor composition and musical science. A visitto Vienna in 1823 confirmed his enthusiasm forchamber-music and Beethoven, who remainedthrough life the object of his highest veneration.

Career as a quartet player

The example of Schuppanzigh, and of the fourbrothers Moralt, suggested to Zeugheer theidea of attempting the same with his friendsin Munich, as "das Quartett Gebrüder Herrmann".Zeugheer was leader; Joseph Wexof Immenstadt, second violin; Carl Baader,viola; and Joseph Lidel (grandson of AndreasLidl, the eminent performer on the baryton), violoncello. They started Aug.34, 1824, for the south, and gave performancesat the towns of south Germany andSwitzerland, and along the Rhine to Hollandand Belgium. In the spring of 1826 theyplayed in Paris, before Cherubini and Baillot,and gave a public performance assisted by Mile.Sontag and M. Boucher. They first performed in Paris Spohr's double quartet in D minor, thesecond quartet being played by Boucher andhis three sons.

In Britain

From Boulogne the quartet crossedthe Channel; in England they seem to havebeen successful, at Dover, Ramsgate, and especiallyat Brighton, where they resided forfive months. They gave concerts throughoutthe South and West of England, and in Irelandfrom Cork to Dublin, where they arrived inNovember 1827. Early in 1828 they proceededby Belfast to Glasgow, Edinburgh and London.In London they had only a few engagementsin private houses; Wex retired ill, and thequartet was broken up till a new violinistwas found in Anton Popp of Wurtzburg. Theconcerts begun again with a series of six atLiverpool in the summer of 1829, and were continuedthrough the northern counties. But inthe spring of 1830 the "brothers" had hadenough of a roving life. Zeugheer and Baadersettled at Liverpool, Lidel and Popp at Dublin.Zeugheer resided in Liverpool till his death,Baader till his retirement in 1869.

Zeugheer's quartet was only the second ever to perform in England, and were the first to play inEngland any but the first six of Beethoven'squartets. In many towns they found that noone knew what a quartet was.

Career as a conductor

In 1831 Zeugheer took the conductorship of theGentlemen's Concerts at Manchester, whichhe retained till 1838. The Liverpool Philharmonic Society, originally a private society, began in January 1840 to give public concerts with an orchestra, and in 1843 appointed Zeugheer director. He conducted their concerts from that date until March 28, 1865, shortly before his death, which took place suddenly June 15, 1865.

Career as a teacher

Zeugheer was highly praised for his work as a teacher in Liverpool. Although not a pianist, he fully understood the art of training the hand. Mr. Chorley, the musical critic of the "Athenaeum", never had any musical teacher but Zeugheer, whose genius he estimated highly and proclaimed in print. According to "Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians", Zeugheer's playing was very pure in tone and refined in expression, though his position was not favourable to original composition.

Compositions

He wrote two Symphonies, two Overtures, a Cantata, two sets of Entr'actes, a Violin Concerto op. 28, a Potpourri for violin and orchestra op. 6, an instrumental Quartet, an Andante and Rondo for piano and violin op. 21, and a Polacca fur four voices, few of them published. In Liverpool he wrote an opera "Angela of Venice" to Chorley's words, but it was neither produced nor published, owing to the badness of the libretto. He published two sets of waltzes, a vocal duet "Come, lovely May", and other songs and glees.

References

ources

* cite book
title=A Dictionary of Music and Musicians, volume iv
first=George
last=Grove
coauthors=J A Fuller-Maitland (ed.)
location=London
publisher=Macmillan
year=1889
oclc= 19025639
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=2FAoAAAAMAAJ Article "Zeugheer, Jakob".
*