Joseph von Blumenthal, also known as Joseph de Blumenthal (1 November 1782 – 9 May 1850), was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist and

violist ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

, influential

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Biography

Joseph von Blumenthal was born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, the son of Baron Joseph von Blumenthal and Baroness Maria Therese,

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Malabreck.Allgemeine Musik-Gesellschaft Zürich: Casimir von Blumenthal biography
Retrieved 30 September 2012. His father, who had a job with the Austrian government, took the family to

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

during the

Brabant Revolution The Brabant Revolution or Brabantine Revolution (french: Révolution brabançonne, nl, Brabantse Omwenteling), sometimes referred to as the Belgian Revolution of 1789–1790 in older writing, was an armed insurrection that occurred in the Austr ...

(1789–1790). The young Blumenthal and his two brothers, Casimir and Léopold, learned to play the violin and studied composition with Abbé Vogler. When Vogler went to Vienna in 1803 to produce his opera ''Samori'', he recommended his students to the director of the

Theater an der Wien The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served prima ...

, and on his testimony, they were accepted into the theatre orchestra, Joseph on viola, his siblings on violin. From 1842 to 1844 Blumenthal was choirmaster at the

Piarist Church, Vienna The Piarist Church, also known as the Church of Maria Treu, is a Baroque parish church of the Order of the Piarists (''Patres Scholarum Piarum'') in Vienna, Austria. It is located in Vienna's 8th district (Josefstadt). The Piaristenkirche was ...

. During the first two decades of the nineteenth century, Joseph von Blumenthal wrote a great deal of dramatic music, of which a part was attributed to his brothers. He composed music for the stage including an opera and ballet, symphonies, some chamber music and vocal works. Blumenthal also wrote a considerable amount of music for violin: many concert pieces and instructive works, including a Violin Method (published Vienna, 1805) and a treatise on

harmonic A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', the ...

s (published Vienna, 1829).MGG1, vol. 15, p. 865 His brother

Casimir von Blumenthal Casimir von Blumenthal (August 1787 in Brussels – 22 July 1849 in Lausanne), was an Austrian violinist, composer and conductor who worked in Switzerland. Biography Casimir von Blumenthal was born in Brussels, the son of Baron Joseph von Blum ...

(1787–1849) went on to become music director in Zurich, and Léopold von Blumenthal (born 1790) was a musician employed by a nobleman in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. Both published compositions for violin and various other works.

Selected works

Stage

* ''Don Sylvio de Rosalba'' (Don Sylvio von Rosalva), Opéra romantique (1805); premiere 18 December 1810

Vocal

* ''Vater Unser'' for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, and ensemble (2 violins, 3 cellos, double bass, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, organ), Op. 90 (1843)

Piano

* ''La Source'', Caprice, Op. 1 * ''2 Sonatines'' (in C and G) for piano 4-hands, Op. 76 (1837) * ''Divertissement pastorale'' in C for piano 4-hands, Op. 84 (1842)

Chamber music

* ''Sérénade tirée de la pantomime "Arlequin dans l'îsle des amazones"'' for flute (or violin), viola and guitar (c. 1810) * String Quartet No. 1 in G major, Op. 13 * ''Grand Quatuor brillanto'' for flute, violin, viola and cello, Op. 31 * ''Variations sur un thême de l'opéra "

Cendrillon ''Cendrillon'' (''Cinderella'') is an opera—described as a "fairy tale"—in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn based on Perrault's 1698 version of the Cinderella fairy tale. It had its premiere performance on 24 ...

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Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

'' for string quartet, Op. 32 * String Trio (Terzett) No. 1 in F major for 2 violins and cello, Op. 34 (1827) * String Trio (Terzett) No. 2 in G major for 2 violins and cello, Op. 35 (1827) * String Trio (Terzett) No. 3 in C major for 2 violins and cello, Op. 36 (1827) * String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 38 * String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 39 * String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 40 * ''Divertissement'' for violin and cello, Op. 41 * ''Quartett nach beliebten Motiven der Oper "

Fra Diavolo Fra Diavolo (lit. Brother Devil; 7 April 1771–11 November 1806), is the popular name given to Michele Pezza, a famous guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples, proving an "inspirational practitioner of popular insurrect ...

" von D. F. E. Auber'' for string quartet, Op. 54 * ''Quartett nach beliebten Motiven der Oper "

La Straniera ''La straniera'' (''The Foreign Woman'') is an opera in two acts with music by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on the novel ''L'Étrangère'' (2 vols, 1825) by Charles-Victor Prévot, vicomte d'Arlincourt, although ...

" (Die Unbekannte) von V. Bellini'' for string quartet, Op. 55 * ''Quartett nach beliebten Motiven der Oper "

Anna Bolena ''Anna Bolena'' is a tragic opera (''tragedia lirica'') in two acts composed by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after Ippolito Pindemonte's ''Enrico VIII ossia Anna Bolena'' and Alessandro Pepoli's ''Anna Bolena'', both ...

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Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the '' bel canto'' opera style dur ...

'' for string quartet, Op. 56 * ''Fantaisie et variations sur deux thèmes russes'' in C for horn (or violin, or cello) and piano, Op. 74 (1837) * ''Grand caprice'' in F major for viola solo, Op. 79 (1838) * ''3 Grands duos concertans'' (in C, D, F) for violin and viola, Op. 81 (1839) * ''Quartett nach beliebten Motiven der Oper "

I Capuleti e i Montecchi ''I Capuleti e i Montecchi'' (''The Capulets and the Montagues'') is an Italian opera (''Tragedia lirica'') in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini. The libretto by Felice Romani was a reworking of the story of ''Romeo and Juliet'' for an opera by Nicol ...

" von Bellini'' for string quartet * ''Quartett nach beliebten Motiven der Oper "

Linda di Chamounix ''Linda di Chamounix'' is an operatic ''melodramma semiserio'' in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Gaetano Rossi. It premiered in Vienna, at the Kärntnertortheater, on 19 May 1842. Performance history ''Li ...

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'' for string quartet (published 1844) * ''Quartett nach beliebten Motiven der Oper "

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid *Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

" von Bellini'' for string quartet * ''Quartett nach beliebten Motiven der Oper "

Zampa ''Zampa'','' ou La fiancée de marbre'' (''Zampa, or the Marble Bride'') is an opéra comique in three acts by French composer Ferdinand Hérold, with a libretto by Mélesville. The overture to the opera is one of Hérold's most famous works an ...

" von L. J. F. Hérold'' for string quartet ;Violin music, including pedagogical works * ''Divertissement'' for 2 violins, Op. 11 * Duo No. 1 (in C, G, F) for 2 violins, Op. 18 (1813) * 3 Duos for 2 violins, Op. 19 (1813) * ''Introduction et variations brillantes sur un motif de l'opéra "I Montecchi"'' for violin and piano, Op. 20 * ''100 Pièces instructives et graduées'' (100 Übungsstücke) for 2 violins, Op. 42 (1829) * ''Potpourri sur différens motifs favoris de "

La muette de Portici ''La muette de Portici'' (''The Mute Girl of Portici'', or ''The Dumb Girl of Portici''), also called ''Masaniello'' () in some versions, is an opera in five acts by Daniel Auber, with a libretto by Germain Delavigne, revised by Eugène Scribe. ...

" variés et dialogués'' for violin and piano, Op. 44 (1830) * ''Nouvelle collection de duos progressifs'' in 4 books for 2 violins, Op. 46 (1830–1831) * ''3 Terzetten zum Gebrauch für öffentliche Musikschulen'' for 3 violins, Op. 48 (1832) * ''6 Duos faciles et progressifs'' for 2 violins, Op. 49 * ''Introduction et variations brillantes sur l'opéra "

" de Bellini'' for violin and piano, Op. 50 * ''3 Duos faciles et progressifs'' for 2 violins, Op. 61 (1835) * ''Bluette musicale'', Rondeau brilliant in G for violin and piano, Op. 62 (1835) * ''Introduction, variations brillantes et rondo sur un thême de l'opéra "

Hans Heiling ''Hans Heiling'' is a German Romantic opera in 3 acts with prologue by Heinrich Marschner with a libretto by Eduard Devrient, who also sang the title role at the première at the Königliche Hofoper (now Berlin State Opera), Berlin, on 24 May 1 ...

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Marschner Heinrich August Marschner (16 August 1795 – 14 December 1861) was the most important composer of German opera between Carl Maria von Weber, Weber and Richard Wagner, Wagner.L'elisir d'amore ''L'elisir d'amore'' (''The Elixir of Love'', ) is a ' (opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's ' (1831). The opera premiere ...

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varié'' for violin and piano, Op. 69 * ''Que faire?, Rondeau en forme de valse sur differents motifs favoris de J. Lanner'' in C major for violin and piano, Op. 69 (1836) * ''Dernière pensée musicale de V. Bellini'', Variations faciles et brillantes in C major for violin accompanied by violin and cello, Op. 70 (1836) * ''3 Nocturnes'' for violin solo, Op. 71 (1837) * ''Pentachordes temperés à l'usage des commençans'', 6 Duos faciles et instructifs for 2 violins, Op. 73 (1837) * ''Rondeau brillant'' in G for violin solo accompanied by a second violin, viola and cello (or piano), Op. 77 (1838) * ''2 Morceaux de Salon'' for violin and piano, Op. 77 (1838) :# Romance :# Air ancien * ''Hommage aux jeunes élèves'', Introduction et variations sur un thême autrichien in G major for violin accompanied by violin and cello, Op. 78 (1838) * ''6 Grands duos concertans'' (in E minor, A, F minor, E, F, G minor) for 2 violins, Op. 80 (1839) * 6 Duos for 2 violins, Op. 82 * ''3 Duos concertans'' (in E, D, G minor) for 2 violins, Op. 83 (1841) * ''Gage d'amitié, Impromptu sur des thèmes styriens'' in A for violin and piano, Op. 85 (1842) * ''Fruits de l'étude'', 3 Duos (in C, D, G) for 2 violins, Op. 86 (1842) * ''Mosaïque musicale'', Collection agréables et brillantes for violin and piano, Op. 87 (1842) :# Fantaisie agréable et brillante sur un motif favorite de

:# La Romanesca, Air de danse :# Rondino sur l'opéra "Corrado d'Altamura" * ''Élégie sur le décès d'un objet chéri'' in C minor for violin and piano, Op. 88 (1842) * ''6 Études caractéristiques et récréatives'' for violin, Op. 89 (1843) * ''La Renaissance, Divertissement sur un motif de Righini'' for violin and piano, Op. 91 (1843) * ''Mes adieux à l'adolescence'', 3 Duos for 2 violins, Op. 95 (1847) * 3 Duos (in F, A, B) for 2 violins, Op. posthumous (1853) * ''50 Leçons'' for 2 violins (published 1855)

Sources

* Fétis, François-Joseph (1867). ''Biographie universelle des musiciens et bibliographie générale de la musique, Tome 1'' (Second ed.). Paris: Firmin Didot Frères, Fils, et Cie. p. * Constantin von Wurzbach (1856). ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich'', Vol. 1, Vienna: L. C. Zamarski. p. 446. *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenthal, Joseph von 1782 births 1850 deaths Austrian classical violinists Male classical violinists Austrian classical violists Austrian male composers Austrian composers Belgian classical violinists Belgian classical violists Belgian composers Male composers Belgian male musicians Composers for violin Musicians from Brussels 19th-century Belgian male musicians