Jacques Blumenthal (4 October 1829 – 17 May 1908) was a German pianist and composer. Born "Jakob" in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, he began his musical studies at an early age, receiving instruction from

Friedrich Wilhelm Grund Friedrich Wilhelm Grund (7 October 1791, Hamburg – 24 November 1874, Hamburg) was a German composer, conductor and teacher. He studied with his father (piano, violin, cello and contrabass) and with the Hamburg cantor Christian Friedrich Gottlieb ...

Carl Maria von Bocklet Carl Maria von Bocklet (30 November 1801 – 15 July 1881) was a composer, pianist and teacher of music. Bocklet was born in Prague. He studied with Bedřich Diviš Weber and in 1821 he moved to Vienna, where he "created a great stir...throu ...

, and

Simon Sechter Simon Sechter (11 October 1788 – 10 September 1867) was an Austrian music theorist, teacher, organist, conductor and composer. He was one of the most prolific composers who ever lived, although his music is largely forgotten and he is now mainl ...

. In 1846 he entered the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

, where he studied the piano under the tutelage of

Henri Herz Henri Herz (6 January 1803 – 5 January 1888) was a virtuoso pianist, composer and piano manufacturer, Austrian by birth and French by nationality and domicile. He was a professor in the Paris Conservatoire for more than thirty years. Among his ...

and

Fromental Halévy Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera '' La Juive''. Early career Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...

.Frederick Corder, rev. by David J. Golby: "Blumenthal, Jacques (Jacob), in ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison, eds. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), vol. 6, p. 331. In 1848 Blumenthal settled in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where he became the pianist to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. The position contributed to his demand as a teacher in London society, and he prospered greatly. Blumenthal also composed a number of works; his short piano pieces and songs achieved considerable popularity, though his efforts at larger pieces did not meet with similar success. He died at his home in

Cheyne Walk Cheyne Walk is an historic road in Chelsea, London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It runs parallel with the River Thames. Before the construction of Chelsea Embankment reduced the width of the Thames here, it fronted ...

, Chelsea in May 1908; his widow, Léonie Souvoroff Blumenthal, ''née'' Gore, assigned the copyrights of his music to the

Royal Society of Musicians The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain is a charity in the United Kingdom that supports musicians. It is the oldest music-related charity in Great Britain, founded in 1738 as the ''Fund for Decay'd Musicians'' by a declaration of trust sign ...

Selected compositions

Piano music * ''La Source''. Caprice, Op. 1 (Paris: Brandus & Cie., 1849) * ''Trois Mazurkas'', Op. 20 (Paris: Brandus & Cie., 1851) * ''Fleurs emblématiques'', Op. 21 * ''Le Gondolier du Lido''. Barcarolle, Op. 40 (London: Cramer, Beale & Chappel) * ''Chant du cigne''. Mélodie plaintive, Op. 51 (London: Chappell) * ''L'Étoile du soir''. 3e Valse, Op. 52 (Paris: G. Brandus et S. Dufour, 1859) * ''La Petite Russie''. Mélodie des Bohémiens Russes, Op. 61 (London, 1862) * ''La Stella de L'Aranella''. Chanson napolitaine, Op. 70 (London: Augener & Co.) Songs * ''The Message'' (A. Procter) (London, 1864) * ''The Requital'' (A. Procter) (London, 1864) * ''The Days are Past'' (

Barry Cornwall Bryan Waller Procter (pseud. Barry Cornwall) (21 November 17875 October 1874) was an English poet who served as a Commissioner in Lunacy. Life and career Born at Leeds, Yorkshire, he was educated at Harrow School, where he had for contemporarie ...

) (London: Ashdown & Parry, c.1877) * ''We Two'' (Rea) (London, 1879) * ''My Queen'' (Stella) (1867) * ''Looking Beyond'' (Henry Ffrench) (London: J. & J. Hopkinson, c.1887)

References

1829 births 1908 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century German composers 19th-century German male musicians Conservatoire de Paris alumni German emigrants to England German male classical composers German Romantic composers Musicians from Hamburg {{Germany-composer-stub