Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt
or historically Johann Nikolaus Graf de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt;
[ ()] (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian
conductor, particularly known for his
historically informed performance
Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of classical music, which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of the musical era in whic ...
s of music from the
Classical era and earlier. Starting out as a classical cellist, he founded his own period instrument ensemble,
Concentus Musicus Wien, in 1953, and became a pioneer of the
Early Music movement. Around 1970, Harnoncourt began conducting opera and concert performances, soon leading international symphony orchestras, and appearing at leading concert halls, operatic venues and festivals. His repertoire then widened to include composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 2001 and 2003, he conducted the
Vienna New Year's Concert. Harnoncourt was also the author of several books, mostly on subjects of performance history and musical aesthetics.
Early life
Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt was born as an Austrian citizen in Berlin,
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 betwee ...
, in 1929. His Austrian mother,
Ladislaja née
Gräfin von Meran, Freiin von Brandhoven, was the great-granddaughter of the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
Archduke Johann
Archduke John of Austria (german: Erzherzog Johann Baptist Joseph Fabian Sebastian von Österreich; 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859), a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, was an Austrian field marshal and imperial regent (''Reichsverwese ...
, the 13th child of Emperor
Leopold II, making him a descendant of
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
s and other European royalty. His father, Eberhard Harnoncourt, born de la Fontaine
Graf
(feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as " count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is " ...
d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt,
was an Austrian engineer working in Berlin who had two children from a previous marriage. Two years after Nikolaus's birth, his brother Philipp was born. The family eventually moved to
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popula ...
,
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 ...
, where Eberhard had obtained a post in the state government (''Landesregierung'') of
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered ...
.
Harnoncourt was raised in Graz, and studied music 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 ...
. During his youth, he served in the
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...
under duress, where, as he noted:
At the
Vienna Music Academy, Harnoncourt studied cello with
Paul Grümmer
Paul Grümmer (26 February 1879 – 30 October 1965) was a German-born cellist and teacher.
Grümmer was born in Gera in Thuringia. He studied at the Leipzig Conservatory with Julius Klengel.
He was well known as a member of the Busch Quart ...
and Emanuel Brabec, and also learned
viola da gamba.
Career
Harnoncourt was a
cellist
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D ...
with the
Vienna Symphony from 1952 to 1969. In 1953, he founded the period-instrument ensemble
Concentus Musicus Wien with his wife,
Alice Hoffelner, whom he married during the year.
The Concentus Musicus Wien was dedicated to performances on
period instruments. He played the
viola da gamba at this time, as well as the cello. For the
Telefunken (later
Teldec) label, Harnoncourt recorded Baroque repertoire, beginning with the viol music of
Henry Purcell, and extending to include works like Bach's ''
The Musical Offering'', Monteverdi's ''
L'incoronazione di Poppea'', and Rameau's ''
Castor et Pollux
''Castor et Pollux'' (''Castor and Pollux'') is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed on 24 October 1737 by the Académie royale de musique at its theatre in the Palais-Royal in Paris. The librettist was Pierre-Joseph-Justin Bernard, ...
''. One of his final recordings with the Concentus Musicus Wien was of Beethoven's
Symphonies Nos. 4 and
5.
One reason that Harnoncourt left the Vienna Symphony was to become a conductor. He made his conducting debut at
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
,
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
, in 1970, leading a production of Monteverdi's ''
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria''.
In 1971, Harnoncourt established a joint project with conductor
Gustav Leonhardt to record all of
J.S. Bach's cantatas. The
Teldec Bach cantata project was eventually completed in 1990 and was the only cantata cycle to use an all-male choir and soloist roster, with the exception of cantatas nos.
51 and
199, which were intended for a female soprano voice. He also made the first recordings in historically informed performance of Bach's
Mass in B minor
The Mass in B minor (), BWV 232, is an extended setting of the Mass ordinary by Johann Sebastian Bach. The composition was completed in 1749, the year before the composer's death, and was to a large extent based on earlier work, such as a Sanc ...
(1968) and ''
St Matthew Passion'' (1970). In 2001, an acclaimed and
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
winning
recording of the ''St Matthew Passion'' with the
Arnold Schoenberg Choir
The Arnold Schoenberg Choir (german: Arnold Schoenberg Chor) is a Viennese/Austrian choir which was founded 1972 by Erwin Ortner, who is still its artistic director. The choir has a high reputation both among conductors and among critics and the ...
was released, which included the entire score of the piece in Bach's own hand on a
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both com ...
. This was his third recording of the work.
Harnoncourt later performed with many orchestras performing on modern instruments, but retaining considerations for historical authenticity in terms of
tempi and
dynamics, among other issues. He also expanded his repertoire, continuing to play the
baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
works, but also championing the
Viennese Viennese may refer to:
* Vienna, the capital of Austria
* Viennese people, List of people from Vienna
* Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna
* Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city
* Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance
* ...
operetta
Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its ...
repertoire. He made a benchmark recording of
Beethoven's symphonies with the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE), established in 1981, is an orchestra based in London. The orchestra comprises about 60 members from across Europe. The players pursue parallel careers as international soloists, members of chamber groups a ...
(COE), and recorded Beethoven's
piano concertos with
Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Pierre-Laurent Aimard (born 9 September 1957) is a French pianist.
Biography
Aimard was born in Lyon, where he entered the conservatory. Later he studied with Yvonne Loriod and with Maria Curcio.
In 1973, he was awarded the chamber music priz ...
and the COE.
Harnoncourt was a guest conductor of the
Vienna Philharmonic
The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world.
The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. It ...
and made several recordings with the orchestra. Between 1987 and 1991, he conducted four new productions of Mozart operas at the
Vienna State Opera (1987–91: ''
Idomeneo''; 1988–90: ''
Die Zauberflöte''; 1989: ''
Die Entführung aus dem Serail''; 1989–91: ''
Così fan tutte
(''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte ...
''). He directed the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Day concerts in 2001 and 2003.
In 1992, Harnoncourt debuted at the
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...
conducting a concert with the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE), established in 1981, is an orchestra based in London. The orchestra comprises about 60 members from across Europe. The players pursue parallel careers as international soloists, members of chamber groups a ...
. In the following years, he led several concerts with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Concentus Musicus. Harnoncourt also served as the conductor for major opera productions of the Festival: ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (1993), Mozart's ''
Le nozze di Figaro'' (1995 and 2006), ''
Don Giovanni
''Don Giovanni'' (; Köchel catalogue, K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The rake (stock character), Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Pon ...
'' (2002, marking also
Anna Netrebko
Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко; born 18 September 1971) is an Austrian operatic soprano with an active international career and performed prominently at the Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Vienn ...
's international breakthrough as Donna Anna, and 2003) and ''
La clemenza di Tito'' (2003 and 2006), and Purcell's ''
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...
'' (2004). In 2012, Harnoncourt conducted a new production of ''Die Zauberflöte'' staged by
Jens-Daniel Herzog
Jens-Daniel Herzog (born 12 July 1964) is a German stage director for play and opera, and a theater manager.
Career
Jens-Daniel Herzog was born in Berlin, the son of the actor Peter Herzog. He studied Philosophy at the FU Berlin.
From 1989 Her ...
.
Harnoncourt made his guest-conducting debut with the
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam in 1975. He continued as a guest conductor with the orchestra, including in several opera productions and recordings. In October 2000, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (KCO) named him their ''Honorair gastdirigent'' (Honorary Guest Conductor). His final appearance with the KCO was in October 2013, leading Bruckner's
Symphony No. 5.
Other recordings outside of the baroque and classical era repertoire included his 2002 recording of Bruckner's
Symphony No. 9 with the Vienna Philharmonic. An accompanying second CD contained a lecture by Harnoncourt about the symphony with musical examples, including the rarely heard fragments from the unfinished finale. In 2009, Harnoncourt recorded Gershwin's ''
Porgy and Bess
''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', ...
'', taken from live performances at Graz. He was a conductor for the
Rudolf Buchbinder's recording of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
's Piano concertos No. 23 & 25.
On 5 December 2015, one day before his 86th birthday, Harnoncourt announced his retirement via his website. "My bodily strength requires me to cancel my future plans," he wrote in a hand-written letter inserted into the program on his 86th birthday of a concert by the Concentus Musicus Wien.
Styriarte
Harnoncourt was the focus of the annual festival of classical music
Styriarte
Styriarte (also written styriarte) is an annual summer festival of classical music in Graz and Styria, Austria, established in 1985. It is focused on Early music, Baroque music and music of the Classical period. Intended to showcase the work of Ni ...
, founded in 1985 to tie him closer to his hometown,
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popula ...
. He programmed the festival for 31 years. Events have been held at different venues in Graz and in the surrounding region.
Personal life
Harnoncourt met his wife
Alice
Alice may refer to:
* Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname
Literature
* Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll
* ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
through their mutual interest in
historically informed performance
Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of classical music, which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of the musical era in whic ...
s of Baroque music and co-founded the
Concentus Musicus Wien.
Their daughter is the mezzo-soprano
Elisabeth von Magnus
Elisabeth von Magnus (born Countess Elisabeth Juliana de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt on 29 May 1954) is an Austrian classical mezzo-soprano. The daughter of conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt and violinist Alice Harnoncourt, her prof ...
. Their two surviving sons are Philipp and Franz. Their third son Eberhard, a violin maker, died in 1990 in an automobile accident.
Harnoncourt died on 5 March 2016 in the village of
Sankt Georgen im Attergau
Sankt Georgen im Attergau (Central Bavarian: ''Sont Tiareng im Attogau'') is a municipality in the district of Vöcklabruck in the Austrian state of Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine ...
, north east of
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
. His widow Alice, their three adult children, seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren survived him. Alice died in July 2022.
Awards
*
Erasmus Prize (
Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, Netherlands, 1980)
* Joseph Marx Music Prize of the Province of Styria (1982)
*
Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class
The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (german: Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system.
History
The "Austrian D ...
(1987)
* Honorary Membership of the
Society of Music Friends in Vienna
The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien (), also known as the Wiener Musikverein (German for 'Viennese Music Association'), is an Austrian music organization that was founded in 1812 by Joseph Sonnleithner, general secretary of the Court Theat ...
(1992)
*
Léonie Sonning Music Prize (Denmark, 1993)
*
Polar Music Prize (Sweden, 1994)
* Honorary Membership of the University of the Arts Graz (1995)
*
Hanseatic Goethe Prize (1995)
*
Robert Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau (1997)
*
Hans von Bülow Medal (Berlin, 1999)
* Honorary Guest Conductor of the
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Amsterdam, 2000)
*
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
(2001)
*
Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (
Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, 2002)
* Bremen Music Festival Prize (2002)
* Georg Philipp Telemann Prize (
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...
, 2004)
*
Kyoto Prize for Lifetime Achievement (Japan, 2005)
* Grand Gold Decoration with Star of Styria (2005)
*
Bach Medal (
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
, 2007)
*
Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (2008)
* Honorary doctor (
Mozarteum University Salzburg, 2008)
* Honorary Citizenship of
Sankt Georgen im Attergau
Sankt Georgen im Attergau (Central Bavarian: ''Sont Tiareng im Attogau'') is a municipality in the district of Vöcklabruck in the Austrian state of Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine ...
(2009)
*
Gramophone Lifetime Achievement Award (London, 2009)
*
Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal (2010)
* Honorary Doctorate from the
University of Music and Dance Cologne (2011)
* Gold Medal for services to the city of Vienna (2011) (together with Alice Harnoncourt)
* Romano Guardini Prize (2012)
* Voted into the
Gramophone Hall of Fame (London, 2012)
Harnoncourt was a member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Music and of the Order
Pour le Mérite for Science and Art
Pour may refer to these people:
* Kour Pour (born 1987), British artist of part-Iranian descent
* Mehdi Niyayesh Pour (born 1992), Iranian footballer
* Mojtaba Mobini Pour (born 1991), Iranian footballer
* Pouya Jalili Pour (born 1976), Iranian si ...
,
and an Honorary Doctor of the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...
.
Recordings
* Nikolaus Harnoncourt,
Frans Brüggen,
Leopold Stastny, Herbert Tachezi. Johann Sebastian Bach: ''Gamba Sonatas — Trio Sonata in G majo''r. Viola da gamba: Jacobus Stainer; Cello: Andrea Castagneri; Flute: A.Grenser; Harpsichord: a copy after Italian builders by Martin Skowroneck. Label: Telefunken.
* Nikolaus Harnoncourt,
Gustav Leonhardt, Leonhardt-Consort (Orchestra),
Concentus musicus Wien (Orchestra), Alan Curtis, Anneke Ulttenbosch, Herbert Tachezi. Johann Sebastian Bach: Harpsichord Concertos BWV 1052, 1057, 1064. Violin, continuo, harpsichord. Label: Teldec
* Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Franz Schubert. ''Symphonies.'' Label: Ica Classics.
* Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Rudolf Buchbinder (fortepiano). Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. ''Piano concertos No. 23&25'' Played on a
Walter fortepiano replica by
Paul McNulty. Label: Sony.
* Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Chamber Orchestra of Europe,
Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Pierre-Laurent Aimard (born 9 September 1957) is a French pianist.
Biography
Aimard was born in Lyon, where he entered the conservatory. Later he studied with Yvonne Loriod and with Maria Curcio.
In 1973, he was awarded the chamber music priz ...
(piano). Ludwig van Beethoven. ''Piano Concertos Nos. 1–5''. Label: Teldec Classics.
* Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Chamber Orchestra of Europe,
Gidon Kremer (violin),
Martha Argerich (piano). Schumann: ''Piano Concerto and Violin Concerto''. Label: Teldec Classics
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
Notes
References
Sources
* Gratzer, Wolfgang (ed.) (2009). ''Ereignis Klangrede. Nikolaus Harnoncourt als Dirigent und Musikdenker'' (klang-reden 3), Freiburg/Br.: Rombach.
* Official catalogue ''Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Die Universität Mozarteum Salzburg ehrt den Dirigenten und Musikdenker''. Salzburg: Universität Mozarteum 2008
External links
*
*
*
November 2000 Interview with Norman LebrechtRoyal Concertgebouw Orchestra page on Nikolaus HarnoncourtWarner Classics page on Nikolaus Harnoncourt* John Rockwell
The New York Times, 1 April 1990
* Hein Bruns
heinbruins.nl
Memorial service notice for Nikolaus Harnoncourt, 18 March 2016 (Graz) and 19 March 2016 (Vienna)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harnoncourt, Nikolaus
1929 births
2016 deaths
Musicians from Berlin
Austrian choral conductors
Austrian classical cellists
Male conductors (music)
Bach conductors
Bach musicians
Counts of Austria
Grammy Award winners
Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music
Kyoto laureates in Arts and Philosophy
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
Members of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna
Musicians from Vienna
Austrian performers of early music
Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)
Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medallists
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alumni
Viol players
20th-century Austrian conductors (music)
20th-century Austrian male musicians
21st-century Austrian conductors (music)
21st-century male musicians
Ernst von Siemens Music Prize winners
Erato Records artists
Harnoncourt family