Joseph Merk (18 January 179516 July 1852) was a noted
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 ...
n cellist, often described as one of the most influential of the first half of the 19th century. He also wrote a number of compositions for the cello.
Career
Joseph (or Josef) Merk was born 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 ...
in 1795. He first studied singing, the guitar and the violin,
[''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', 5th ed (1954), Vol. V, p. 716] but at the age of 15
[Florida State University]
/ref> he was bitten so severely on his left arm by a dog, that he could no longer play the violin adequately even after the wound had healed. He then turned to the cello and had lessons with the principal cellist of the Vienna Court Opera, Philipp Schindlöker (1753-1827),[Naxos]
/ref> making such rapid progress that after only a year he was engaged by a Hungarian aristocrat to play in his string quartet, where he remained for two years.
In 1815 the guitarist Mauro Giuliani
Mauro Giuseppe Sergio Pantaleo Giuliani (27 July 1781 – 8 May 1829) was an Italian guitarist, cellist, singer, and composer. He was a leading guitar virtuoso of the early 19th century.
Biography
Although born in Bisceglie, Giuliani's cent ...
appeared with Joseph Merk, Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (14 November 177817 October 1837) was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the Transition from Classical to Romantic music, transition from the Classical period (music), Classical to the Romantic ...
and the violinist Joseph Mayseder
Joseph Mayseder (27 October 1789 – 21 November 1863) was an Austrian violin virtuoso and composer.
Biography
Mayseder showed musical promise from an early age, and was a student of Joseph Suche (1797), Paul Wranitzky (1798) and Ignaz Schupp ...
in a series of chamber concerts in the botanical gardens of Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace (german: Schloss Schönbrunn ; Central Bavarian: ''Schloss Scheenbrunn'') was the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, located in Hietzing, Vienna. The name ''Schönbrunn'' (meaning “beautiful spring”) has its root ...
(dubbed the "Dukaten Concerte", after the price of the ticket, which was a ducat). He frequently performed with Mayseder throughout his career, and was even dubbed "the Mayseder of the cello".[
After touring the Austrian provinces, in 1816 or 1818 Merk was appointed to his teacher Schindlöker's old post of principal cellist at the Vienna Court Opera.][Paladino, Joseph Merk: 20 Etudes for cello op 11 (Martin Rummel)]
In 1822 Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...
wrote a quartet for male voices, ''Geist der Liebe'' (D.747; Op. 11, No. 3), especially for a Joseph Merk concert.[ In turn, Merk dedicated his 20 Études, Op. 11, to Schubert.][
In 1823 Merk became professor at the Vienna Conservatory, remaining in that position until 1848.][ His pupils included ]Karl Leopold Böhm Karl Leopold Böhm (also Carl Leopold Böhm, Leopold Karl Böhm; 4 November 1806 – 2 October 1859) was an Austrian cellist.
Life
Böhm was born in Vienna, son of a businessman, and he was intended to follow in the business. Showing musical abilit ...
, Anton Träg, Jacques Franco-Mendès and Franz Knecht.[
He became associated with ]Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
's Triple Concerto
A triple concerto (Italian: ''Concerto triplo'', German: ''Tripelkonzert'') is a concerto with three soloists. Such concertos have been composed from the Baroque period, including works by Corelli, Vivaldi, Bach and Telemann, to the 21st century ...
, his performances of it helping to bring it out of the obscurity in which it had languished since its debut in 1808 (Beethoven himself having never played it in public, unlike his piano concertos). These include performances in 1825 or 1830[ with Mayseder and the pianist ]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 ...
.
In 1829, the 19-year-old Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...
visited Vienna, and dedicated his ''Introduction and Polonaise brillante'', Op. 3, to Joseph Merk. In a letter, Chopin wrote "On Thursday there was a soiree at Fuchs's, when Limmer introduced some of his own compositions for four violoncellos. Merk as usual made them more beautiful than they really were by his playing, which is so full of soul. He is the only violoncellist I really respect". Chopin was also said to have played with Merk.[
He was named ''k.k. Kammervirtuoso'' (translated as ''Imperial and Royal Chamber Virtuoso'') to the Emperor in 1834.][ Up to 1837-38, only five other musicians had ever been given this special title: the violinists ]Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices f ...
and Joseph Mayseder, the pianist Sigismond Thalberg
Sigismond Thalberg (8 January 1812 – 27 April 1871) was an Austrian composer and one of the most distinguished virtuoso pianists of the 19th century.
Family
He was born in Pâquis near Geneva on 8 January 1812. According to his own account, h ...
, and the singers Giuditta Pasta
Giuditta Angiola Maria Costanza Pasta (née Negri; 26 October 1797 – 1 April 1865) was an Italian soprano opera singer. She has been compared to the 20th-century soprano Maria Callas.
Career Early career
Pasta was born Giuditta Angiola Maria C ...
and Jenny Lutzer.[ In 1836 a reviewer wrote that Merk "would undoubtedly evoke admiration among those who give preference to singing instead of to difficulties alien to the nature of the instrument. Let all the cellists imitate his tone, taste, performance and abandon useless torments in conquering difficulties that never touch anybody's soul."]
In 1836 Friedrich August Kummer
Friedrich August Kummer (5 August 1797 – 22 August 1879), born in Meiningen, Germany, was a cellist, pedagogue, and composer.
Childhood and education
As a child, his family moved to Dresden on an invitation by the court chapel to his father, ...
dedicated his ''Souvenir de la Suisse'', Concertino for cello and orchestra, Op. 30, to Joseph Merk.IMSLP: Friedrich August Kummer
/ref>
On 19 April 1838 Merk played Beethoven's "Archduke" Trio with Mayseder and Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
. Liszt also played privately for Merk, and on 23 April the two took part in a performance of Hummel's Septet for piano, flute, oboe, horn, viola, cello and bass.[ Christopher H Gibbs, Dana Gooley eds., ''Franz Liszt and His World'']
/ref>
Joseph Merk's compositions include a Concerto, a Concertino, an Adagio and Rondo, a Polonaise, various sets of variations, études and similar works. His complete list of works can be foun
here
He died in Vienna's 19th district Döbling
Döbling () is the 19th District
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, seve ...
in 1852, aged 57.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Merk, Joseph
1795 births
1852 deaths
Austrian classical cellists
Austrian male composers
Austrian composers
Austrian music educators
Cello pedagogues
Musicians from Vienna
19th-century male musicians