Emil Georg Conrad von Sauer (8 October 186227 April 1942) was a German
composer,
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
, score editor, and music (piano) teacher. He was a pupil of
Franz Liszt and one of the most distinguished pianists of his generation.
Josef Hofmann
Josef Casimir Hofmann (originally Józef Kazimierz Hofmann; January 20, 1876February 16, 1957) was a Polish-American pianist, composer, music teacher, and inventor.
Biography
Josef Hofmann was born in Podgórze (a district of Kraków), in A ...
called von Sauer "a truly great virtuoso."
[Quoted in Schonberg, 317.] Martin Krause
Martin Krause (17 June 18532 August 1918) was a German concert pianist, piano teacher,James Methuen-Campbell (2001). Krause, Martin. '' Grove Music Online'', Oxford University Press music critic, and writer.
Career
Martin Krause was born in ...
, another Liszt pupil, called von Sauer "the legitimate heir of Liszt; he has more of his charm and geniality than any other Liszt pupil."
Life
Sauer was born in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
on 8 October 1862 as Emil Georg Conrad Sauer. He studied with
Nikolai Rubinstein
Nikolai Grigoryevich Rubinstein (russian: Николай Григорьевич Рубинштейн; – ) was a Russian pianist, conductor, and composer. He was the younger brother of Anton Rubinstein and a close friend of Pyotr Ilyich Tc ...
at the
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...
between 1879 and 1881. On an 1884 visit to Italy he met the
Countess von Sayn-Wittgenstein, who recommended him to her former paramour,
Franz Liszt. He went on to study with Liszt for two years, but did not for some time consider himself a Liszt pupil. In an 1895 interview, he even denied it: "It is not correct to regard me as a pupil of Liszt, though I stayed with him for a few months. He was then very old, and could not teach me much. My chief teacher has been, undoubtedly, Nicholas Rubinstein."
In his later years, however, Sauer realized the influence of Liszt on himself and on music in general.
From 1882 Sauer made frequent and successful tours as a
virtuoso pianist; his performing career lasted until 1940. He premiered in London in 1894 and New York in 1899. In 1901 he was appointed head of the Meisterschule für Klavierspiel at the
Vienna Academy
The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria.
History
The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...
. Sauer left this post in April 1907 but returned to it in 1915.
[Anderson, 16:521.] Some of his pupils continued on to successful concert or other significant music careers,
In 1917, Sauer was raised to the peerage by the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy, which added the nobiliary particle "von" to his name. He was also awarded the Gold Medal of the
Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...
of London.
Emil von Sauer was married twice.
Angelica Morales (Sauer), his second wife, carried on his legacy in teaching. Sauer had two sons with Morales — Julio and Franz.
He died in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
on 27 April 1942, aged 79.
Playing
Regardless of his own opinion initially, Sauer was considered to have emphasized the original Liszt approach to piano as well as a strong
Romantic approach to a musical technique which demanded total command of the keyboard in what was known as the Liszt School of piano. Unlike his fellow pupil
Moriz Rosenthal
Moriz Rosenthal (17 December 18623 September 1946) was a Polish pianist and composer. He was an outstanding pupil of Franz Liszt and a friend and colleague of some of the greatest musicians of his age, including Johannes Brahms, Johann Strauss, ...
, who could overwhelm the keyboard with orchestral force, von Sauer was said to caress the piano in a suave, polished manner. His recordings show him as a smooth pianist who was inclined toward relaxed tempos and the exactitude of detail over temperament.
[Schonberg, 317.] While his playing may have sometimes lacked breadth, it was always elegant and beautifully finished.
[Anderson, 16:521.]
Compositions
Along with editing the complete piano works of
Johannes Brahms and a number of academic works by
Pischna,
Plaidy and
Kullak, Sauer wrote
piano concertos,
piano sonata
A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement ( Scarlatti, Liszt, Scriabin, Medtner, Berg), others with ...
s, concert
étude
An étude (; ) or study is an instrumental musical composition, usually short, designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular musical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapid ...
s, piano pieces and
lieder. His compositions have been considered of minor importance.
[Anderson, 16:521.] Nevertheless, six CDs of his piano music were recorded by
Oleg Marshev
Oleg Marshev (russian: Олег Маршев, born 1961) is a Soviet and Russian pianist, born in Baku (Azerbaijani SSR, USSR) and now a resident of Italy.
Biography
Oleg was born in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, and studied at the Moscow Conse ...
.
Selected works
*Two piano concertos
*Two piano sonatas
*Études de Concert
*Suite moderne
Selected discography
Playing
* Emil von Sauer—1940 live recordings. Works by Chopin, Sauer, Schubert, Schumann, Sgambati.
Willem Mengelberg
Joseph Wilhelm Mengelberg (28 March 1871 – 21 March 1951) was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest s ...
conducts the
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra ( nl, Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, ) is a Dutch symphony orchestra, based at the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw (concert hall). Considered one of the world's leading orchestras, Queen Beatrix conferred the " ...
(Arbiter CD 114).
* Emil von Sauer: The Complete Commercial Recordings (3-CD set,
Marston Records
Marston Records is an independent American record label. The label specializes in the remastering and reissuing of very early and rare recordings. It was founded in 1997 by Ward Marston and Scott Kessler.
Releases on Marston Records
Collecti ...
).
* Emil von Sauer Plays Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos 1 and 2. Orchestre des Concerts du Conservatoire conducted by
Felix Weingartner
Paul Felix Weingartner, Edler von Münzberg (2 June 1863 – 7 May 1942) was an Austrian conductor, composer and pianist.
Life and career
Weingartner was born in Zara, Dalmatia, Austria-Hungary (now Zadar, Croatia), to Austrian parents. ...
(Dutton Labs UK B0001DCXLK).
Compositions
* Piano Concerto No. 1 played by
Stephen Hough
Sir Stephen Andrew Gill Hough (; born 22 November 1961) is a British-born classical pianist, composer and writer. He became an Australian citizen in 2005 and thus has dual nationality (his father was born in Australia in 1926).
Biography
Houg ...
with the
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...
conducted by
Lawrence Foster
Lawrence Foster (born October 23, 1941) is an American conductor of Romanian ancestry. He is currently the artistic director and chief conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the music director of the Marseille Opera and th ...
. Recorded in 1994. The CD also contains
Xaver Scharwenka
Theophil Franz Xaver Scharwenka (6 January 1850 – 8 December 1924) was a German pianist, composer and teacher of Polish descent. He was the brother of Ludwig Philipp Scharwenka (1847–1917), who was also a composer and teacher of music.
Life ...
's Piano Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 82 (Hyperion no. 66790).
* Piano Concerto No. 2 played by
Oleg Marshev
Oleg Marshev (russian: Олег Маршев, born 1961) is a Soviet and Russian pianist, born in Baku (Azerbaijani SSR, USSR) and now a resident of Italy.
Biography
Oleg was born in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, and studied at the Moscow Conse ...
with the
Aarhus Symphony Orchestra
The Aarhus Symfoniorkester (Aarhus Symphony Orchestra) is the principal orchestra for the Danish city of Aarhus.
Description
Established in 1935 as ''Aarhus By-Orkester'' (Aarhus City Orchestra), since 1982 it has performed most of its concerts in ...
conducted by
James Loughran
James Loughran CBE, DMus., FRNCM, FRSAMD (born 30 June 1931, Glasgow, Scotland) is a conductor.
Early life
Educated at St Aloysius' College in Glasgow, Loughran conducted at school and afterwards, while studying economics and law. When he ...
(Danacord DACOCD 596).
* Piano Sonata No. 2 and Other Piano Works played by Oleg Marshev (Danacord DACOCD 534).
* Études de Concert played by Oleg Marshev (Danacord DACOCD 487).
References
Bibliography
*Anderson, Robert Kinloch, ed. Stanley Sadie, "Sauer, Emil von," ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, First Edition'' (London: Macmillan, 1980), 20 vols. .
*Crocus, Anita, “Emil von Sauer, Liszt’s Forgotten Protégé,” biography: , July 12, 2022.
*Heliotes, Steven, Notes for Hyperion CDA66790, ''Scharwenka: Piano Concerto No. 4; Sauer: Piano Concerto No. 1'';
Stephen Hough
Sir Stephen Andrew Gill Hough (; born 22 November 1961) is a British-born classical pianist, composer and writer. He became an Australian citizen in 2005 and thus has dual nationality (his father was born in Australia in 1926).
Biography
Houg ...
, pianist;
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...
conducted by
Lawrence Foster
Lawrence Foster (born October 23, 1941) is an American conductor of Romanian ancestry. He is currently the artistic director and chief conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the music director of the Marseille Opera and th ...
(London: Hyperion records, 1995).
*Renfroe, Anita Boyle, ''Emil von Sauer; A catalogue of his piano works''. Louisville, KY, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Diss., 1981
Microfiche
Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original document size. F ...
.
*
Schonberg, Harold C., ''The Great Pianists'' (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987, 1963). .
External links
Review of recordings of his works for solo pianoContains biographical information and information about each piece
*
Recordings
The Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation(Marston Records)
''Emil Sauer plays Liszt''(Dutton Vocalion)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sauer, Emil von
1862 births
1942 deaths
19th-century classical composers
19th-century classical pianists
19th-century German composers
19th-century German male musicians
20th-century classical composers
20th-century classical pianists
20th-century German composers
German classical pianists
German male classical composers
German pianists
German male pianists
German Romantic composers
Honorary Members of the Royal Philharmonic Society
Male classical pianists
Musicians from Hamburg
Pupils of Franz Liszt
Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medallists
20th-century German male musicians