- Salomon Jadassohn
Salomon Jadassohn (
August 13 1831 –February 1 1902 ) was a Germancomposer andpedagogue .Life
Jadassohn was born to a
Jew ish family living in Breslau, the capital of the Prussianprovince of Silesia . This was a generation after the emancipation of the Jews in Central European German-speaking lands and during a time of relative tolerance. First educated locally, Jadassohn enrolled at the Leipzig Conservatory in 1848, just a few years after it had been founded byFelix Mendelssohn . There he studied composition withMoritz Hauptmann ,Ernst Richter andJulius Rietz as well aspiano withIgnaz Moscheles . At the same time, he studied privately withFranz Liszt inWeimar .Being Jewish, Jadassohn was unable to qualify for the many church jobs which were usually available to graduates of a conservatory such as Leipzig. Instead he worked for a Leipzig
synagogue and a few local choral societies as well as teaching privately. Eventually, he was able to qualify for a position at the Leipzig Conservatory, teaching piano and composition. Over the years, he became a renowned teacher, andEdvard Grieg ,Ferruccio Busoni ,Frederick Delius ,Richard Franck ,Sigfrid Karg-Elert ,Emil Reznicek andFelix Weingartner were among his many students.Work
Jadassohn wrote over 140 works in virtually every genre, including four symphonies, two
piano concerto s,lied er,sonata s,opera and a considerable amount ofchamber music , including twostring quartet s, fourpiano trio s, threepiano quartet s, threepiano quintet s and aserenade forflute andstring quintet . These chamber works rank among his finest compositions. Additionally, he authored several important texts on composition andmusic theory . Considered a master ofcounterpoint andharmony , he was also a gifted melodist, following in the tradition of Mendelssohn. But one also hears the influence of Wagner and Liszt, whose music deeply impressed him.Reputation
The general consensus is that Jadassohn and his music were not better known primarily for two reasons.
The first is the pre-eminence of Jadasshon's contemporary
Carl Reinecke Reinecke was a world famous piano virtuoso and composer, but also an important professor at the Leipzig Conservatory, where Jadassohn also taught. He later served as its director. At the same time, Reinecke held the post of conductor of the renownedLeipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra . Under these circumstances, Jadasshon was somewhat over-shadowed.A second reason was the rising tide of
antisemitism in late 19th centuryWilhelmine Germany. In the wake of Wagner, many music critics attacked Jadassohn's music, labeling it academic and dry, epithets which have stuck with it ever since. Virtually unheard since his death, a reevaluation of Jadassohn's music has recently begun.References
* Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, Oxford University Press, 1963
* The New Grove Dictionary of Music, MacMillan, 1980
* Some of the information on this page appears on the website of Edition Silvertrust but permission has been granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation LicenseExternal links
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* [http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/music-books-h-to-m.htm Salomon Jadassohn Piano Trio No.4, Op.85 & Piano Quartet No.1, Op.77, Piano Quintet No.3, Op.126, sound-bites]
* [http://www.recordsinternational.com/RICatalogFeb03.html Review of a recent Jadassohn CD]
* [http://www.muziekhandel-boeijenga.nl/eboeijenga-bladmuziek.htm] Source for organ music
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