 |
 |
|
 |
J. M. Sperger: from Pischelberger to Haydn & Mecklenburg |
|
|
In the recent 2022 issue of the International J.M. Sperger Society Magazine, the
great double bass player Leon Bosch (MozartCircle Interview: May 2018) presents
the life and works of the 18th-century double bass player and composer J.M. Sperger,
treating also his own experience, playing this so peculiar repertoire by Sperger: J.M. Sperger: A Prolific Composer (in International J.M. Sperger Society Magazine 2022, p. 42-45) This is, without doubt, a marvelous occasion of a special encounter with another composer, who orbited and worked around the circle of musicians directly linked to Dittersdorf, Haydn and Mozart, and, who can be well positioned within the Genius/Sturm und Drang Movement for his strong style and emotionally rich music. The interest in Sperger's music goes also beyond the simple musical interest, due to the legendary status of his extra-virtuoso works for double bass, universally considered so technically demanding and difficult to be de facto almost unplayable by standard musicians, so to say. We know for sure, that Sperger performed his music and concertos in Eisenstadt (the town of Haydn and the Esterhazys) various times, unfortunately it has not been possible, so far, to definitely prove, that he had personally established some kind of relationship with Haydn and the Esterhazys: it has been long speculated that Sperger worked in Haydn's orchestra in Eisenstadt probably after 1783, but this speculation just remains today a speculation and nothing more. Table of Content: A. The Life of J.M. Sperger (link) The Life of J.M. Sperger A many years delay in publishing his works for double bass Importance of Sperger as Copyist From Violone to Contrabasso B. Sperger's Compositions & Vast Repertoire (link) a. Sperger's Music Theory Books b. Sperger's works for the Double Bass c. Sperger's Symphonies d. Sperger's Chamber Music & the Romance C. Trumpf & The International J.M. Sperger Society: All the Activities (link) a. Trumpf rediscovers the long neglected music by Sperger b. Trumpf founds the Sperger Society and the Sperger Competition c. Trumpf's book on Sperger's life and work (2021) D. A Selected Discography (21 Albums) (link) E. J.M. Sperger's Works (link) F. Read the complete article by L. Bosch (International J.M. Sperger Society) (link) A. The Life of J.M. Sperger • 1750 (23 March) JM Sperger born in Feldsberg (Lower Austria, today Valtice in Czech Republic) princely seat of Liechtenstein dynasty. The prince recognizes his talent for music and starts a first education in music, with the organist Franz Anton Becker.  • 1767 ca. / 1769 The prince apparently allows Sperger to reach Vienna, where he can receive a complete music instruction of the highest level. In fact, his composition teacher is Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, one of the most important music theorist and teacher (friend of Haydn and Mozart and famous for his music composition treatises), who often had their own pupils complete their music education with Albrechtsberger. Among other important Albrechtsberger's pupils we remember: Hummel, Moscheles, Weigl, A. Reicha, F. Ries, C. Czerny, F.X.W. Mozart, L van Beethoven, Eybler (a relative of Haydn and personal friend of Mozart)... ... and his double bass teacher is Friedrich Pischelberger, the famous double bass virtuoso, for whom Dittersdorf wrote his most demanding and celebrated double bass works (ca. 1765/1768), and, for whom Mozart wrote K612 in 1791. In 1791, Pischelberger was working with Schikaneder and played the double bass in Mozart's The Magic Flute. • 1768 Sperger's debut in Vienna (18yo; details and facts are still disputed) • 1777 Sperger marries Anna Maria Barbara Firani • 1778 (20 December) Vienna Tonkünstler Sozietät organizes a Concerto with a Symphony and a Double Bass Concerto by Sperger • 1779 Sperger becomes member of the Vienna Tonkünstler Sozietät • 1777/1783 Music Service in the court chapel of Archibishop Joseph, Count of Batthyány (Cardinal Primate of Hungary) in Pressburg (Bratislava or Pozsony, capital of the kingdom of Hungary). Here Sperger composes his first 18 symphonies, many concertos of any kind and his first 7 double bass concertos. Here Sperger works and is in contact with another double bass virtuoso: Joseph Kämpfer (ca. 1779-80). Sperger's solo performances are also known at the Stadttheater Brünn (Brno) (1781). The Pressburg orchestra here available had 15 string players, the oboist Johann and Philipp Teimer and the horn players Karl Franz and Anton Böck. There were musicians capable of playing clarinets, bassons, flutes, trumpets and timpani if and when necessary. • 1783/1786 Music Service in the orchestra of Count Erdődy, in Fidisch near Eberau in the Burgenland (Austria). • 1786/1789 Works as freelance musician in Vienna, like Vanhal and Mozart. Period of important public Tour from Austria, Germany and Northern Italy, for concerts with his music. Only in Berlin in 1789, he appears in seven concerts before the king of Prussia. Among his admirers there are King Frederik William II of Prussia (a well known cello player of the time) and the Russian Tsar. • 1789/1812 Thanks to his successful and much admired virtuoso concerts, he meets with Frederik Francis I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who wants him in his court, as a highly esteemed member at Ludwigslust. He lives here until his death, producing new double bass masterpieces until 1807. His orchestra was of ca. 21 musicians. • 1812 (13 May) Death. A fortnight after Sperger's death Mozart's Requiem was performed for him in his memory. The obituary remembers him as a giant of music and as a highly prolific composer. A many years delay in publishing his works for double bass As Trumpf pointed out, the so called Viennese double bass and the Viennese tuning of Sperger's double bass F‑A‑D‑F#‑A (1760-1800), so different from the modern double bass (F#-B-E-A) created a situation of difficulty in properly publishing Sperger's works in a modern context, which need an accurate transcription. For this reason, ca. 7 double bass Concertos have been properly published in the years 2000s, out of 18 Concertos. Importance of Sperger as Copyist Sperger carried on an important activity of music copyist. Thanks to his activity, today we can have a copy of the most celebrated and famous double bass concertos and works by Dittersdorf and Vanhal. From Violone to Contrabasso The scores of Sperger are extremely interesting also, because they clearly witness the terminology passage from the old term Violone to Contrabasso. Sperger's House in Ludwigslust (1789-1812) and the modern statue dedicated to the composer  B. Sperger's Compositions & Vast Repertoire Sperger's corpus of compositions is a vast collection of ca. 400 works, of which ca. more than 40 are important and fundamental works for double bass. a. Sperger's Music Theory Books The young Sperger (16yo) produced a couple of music theory books, which represent a curious and interesting case, at the same time: a. Gradus ad Parnassum oder Anführung zur Regelmesigen Composition (ca. 1766) A book based on the most famous Fux's treatise (1725). The knowledge of Fux was also fundamental for Haydn and Beethoven. b. Wegweiser auf die Orgel (1766) These two books (but principally mostly this second one), which probably in part were written for himself and for his personal use, were influenced also by the works of Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1674), in particular of his work, in German language, Wegweiser etc. leichten Grund-Regeln der Sing-Kunst (printed in Augsburg, 1693/1696 3a). b. Sperger's works for the Double Bass 18 Concertos and a good number of pieces for Chamber Music. The pieces for double bass are famous for being, with those by Dittersdorf, among the most difficult and demanding compositions for double bass. A few works by Sperger are even considered almost unplayable de facto and require a superior technical talent from the double bass player. Among the Double Bass Concertos, which are all brilliantly and virtuosistically conceived, we certainly remember: 1. the Concerto No. 11 in A major (T11) (1791?), which was one of the first works by Sperger to reappear in public concerts in modern times; 2. the Concerto No. 15 in D major (1796), which is today a general favourite concerto by double bass players, with its beautiful but demanding virtuosity; 3. the Concerto No. 4 in F major (1779), which is a marvellous and most brilliant double bass concerto; 4. the Concerto No. 8 in D major (1785), wth its many highly virtuoso sections: extremely visrtuosic and the soloist uses the entire fingerboard and beyond, up to the high A with three ledger lines (Trumpf); 5. the Concerto No. 18 in C minor (1807) a magnificent and dramatic Sturm und Drang style masterpiece, that can be considered the Mozart's K.491 by Sperger for double bass. c. Sperger's Symphonies As Leon Bosch pointed out, Sperger's symphonies, due to their high-level quality, certainly well stand beside Haydn's ones and those of other composers of that era and a few may be even de facto undistinguishable from the typical symphonic language and program style of Haydn. Even though most of Mozart's symphonies world is mainly the development/further evolution of J.C. Bach's symphonies and concertos style (with elements of Vanhal and Dittersdorf and here and there of Haydn's style), nonetheless even Sperger's Symphonies No. 34 and No. 30 seems to contain clear Mozartian elements: the Finale of Symphony No. 34 develop a theme that recalls Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail Singspiel themes, while No. 30 (1788) seems even to recall certain passages of Don Giovanni (1787), as Klaus Trumpf pointed out. Among the 45 symphonies, the group of the Sturm und Drang symphonies mostly in minor key (see, for example, Nos. 26 and 21) are without doubt the most impressive ones. Among Sperger's most important symphonies, in particular, we remember the Symphony No. 39 in F major The Arrival, that develops all its musical program à la Haydn in a sort of mirror effect, based on the program of Haydn's The Farewell: the musicians of orchestra arrive instead of leaving! (see infra the frontespice of the score with the explicitous indication of Haydn). But other orchestral effects, that can be labeled as Haydn's effects, can be identified in Sperger's symphonies... as it happens with the second movement of Sperger's Symphony No. 34. The history behind Sperger's Symphonies is also particularly interesting, because a few among his symphonies de facto exist today in different versions with different structures and orchestrations, even though remaining substantially the same symphonies. In the case of his Symphony in C major, for example, the first version appears as a simple symphony for strings only. Then the same symphony re-appears amplified in structure and with addition of horns and oboes. In the end, it appears also with timpani and trumpets parts. This curious process characterizes a few symphonies by Sperger, which appear in the 1770s in a simple form and re-appear amplified and orchestrally enlarged almost 10 years later. d. Sperger's Chamber Music & the Romance Sperger's Chamber Music is very abundant and for a good variety of instruments combinations and is deservedly famous, in particular, for those compositions, which require the presence of the double bass. We remember, in particular: 1. the Sonata in B minor Anno 1790 (T36) 2. the Sonata in D major (1777/1782; T40) 3. Trio for Flute, Viola and Double Bass in D major (1786/1789; T35) 4. Sonata for Double Bass and Viola in D Major (1777/1782; T38) 5. Quartet for Double Bass, Flute, Viola, and Cello in D major (1789; T31) 6. Romance for the double bass, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello (1789/1793; T26) We underline the fact, that in Sperger's Chamber Music we can find a movement of French origin called Romance (but in its pure instrumental version!), which is characterized by a profound lyricism, like in the Sonata per il Contrabasso et Viola in D major (T9; 1789) and the Romanze T26 in C sharp minor. This choice well documents the main stylistic interest of Sperger in a formally strong emotionally rich medium, well derived from that Genius/Sturm und Drang Movement (to which also Haydn and Mozart both belonged to: in 1786 Haydn and Mozart were publicly defined the Gellert and Klopstock of music: so they were identified with two well known masters of the Sturm und Drang German literature!) to that world of transition (during the French Revolution and the first Napoleonic years), that, in its evolution, was deliberately transformed into the Romanticism.  Klaus Trumpf Sperger: Sonata in D - Major (recording 1983) C. Trumpf & The International J.M. Sperger Society: All the Activities a. Trumpf rediscovers the long neglected music by Sperger The rediscovery of the music and art of J.M. Sperger is mostly due to the interest and activity of the great double bass player Klaus Trumpf (b. 1940), following a suggestion by the Viennese music researcher Alfred Planyavsky. Starting in 1966 by working at the Schwerin State Library (Landesbibliothek Schwerin), Trumpf managed to bring Sperger's works corpus back to light after ca. 200 years. At that time, Trumpf was the double bassist of Berlin Staatskapell. Through scores rediscoveries, concerts and albums recordings, Trumpf managed to put Sperger's compositions at the very centre of double bass players' repertoire. As Leon Bosch recollects in his article, in 1970s music by Sperger was already part of the graduation recitals of the Music Colleges and in 1980s was already compulsory as a final demanding test piece of International Competitions, such as The Isle of Man International Double Bass Competition. Trumpf, now solo double bass player of the Berliner Staatsoper, infused such passion and interest in Sperger's works, that in 1990s Sperger's thematic catalogue was finally published: Thematisches Werkverzeichnis der Kompositionen von Johannes Sperger (1750-1812) (1990). b. Trumpf founds the Sperger Society and the Sperger Competition With the patronage of Zubin Mehta, in 2000 Trumpf (with the collaboration of Planyavsky) organized the first Sperger Double Bass Competition in Woldzegarten Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In the same period, Trumpf founded the International J.M. Sperger Society e.V., which has been directed by Christine Hoock / University Mozarteum Salzburg, since 2016. 
The International J.M. Sperger Society: http://www.spergergesellschaft.de/index.php/en/ takes care of promoting the scientific research, the study and the international knowledge of Sperger as composer and of his enormous corpus of compositions, especially those for double bass. Among such activities we remember in particular the International Sperger Competition, which takes places every two years: http://www.spergerwettbewerb.de/index.php/en/ and the publication of a full dedicated magazine: https://www.spergergesellschaft.de/index.php/en/magazine For those interested in becoming members of the International J.M. Sperger Society: https://www.spergergesellschaft.de/index.php/en/society/become-a-member c. Trumpf's book on Sperger's life and work (2021) In 2021 Schott has published the fundamental book on Sperger, his life and his work, written by Klaus Trumpf and with a Salute Foreword by Anne-Sophie Mutter: ...da er einer unserer besten Virtuosen ist. Johann-Matthias-Sperger – Leben und Werk The book is available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/3959836236  International J.M. Sperger Competition for Double Bass 2018 22 – 29 July 2018 in Ludwigslust, Germany Final concert: Sunday 29 July 2019. Johann Matthias Sperger Concerto no. 15 in D major for Double Bass and Orchestra: Allegro moderato - Adagio - Rondo. Allegro D. A Selected Discography We present here a selected discography of J.M. Sperger, that can lead you to the appreciation of his music, in particular, of his symphonies, his concertos and of his special extra-rare repertoire for the double bass. • Sperger Double Bass Concertos 1 & 8 - Sinfonia No. 15 • Sperger Double Bass Concertos 2 & 15 - Sinfonia No. 30 • Sperger Double Bass Concertos 18 in C minor (+ music by Dittersdorf & Hoffmeister)  • Sperger Double Bass Concertos 2, 3 & 4 • Sperger Trumpf in Quartet for Double Bass, Flute, Viola and Cello (+ music by Vanhal & M. Haydn) • Sperger Double Bass Concertos in D major (+ music by Vanhal)  • Sperger Symphonies No. 21, No. 26, No. 34 • Sperger String Symphonies in C major, F major "Arrival", B flat major • Sperger Symphony in F major, "Ankunftssinfonie" (Arrival Symphony) (+ music by E. von Gemmingen)  • Sperger Cassation No. 3 & Sonata in D major (+ music by M. Haydn, Hoffmeister, Bottesini, Rossini, Beethoven, Romberg, Findeisen) • Sperger Sonata per il Contrabasso e Viola d’amore (+ music by Mozart, Vanhal & Hoffmeister) • Sperger Sonata in B Minor for Cello & Double Bass "Anno 1790" (+ music by F.J. Haydn, Hammer, Zimmermann & Kohaut)  • Sperger Horn Concertos in D major, E flat major, Horn Quartet & Duos • Sperger Corno da Caccia Concerto in D major (+ music by Rathgeber, Vivaldi, Fasch & Zelenka) • Sperger Concerto for Trumpet (+ music by Handel, Molter, Hertel & Rathgeber)  • Sperger String Trios (+ music by Albrechtsberger) • Sperger Trumpet Concertos No.1 & No. 2 (+ music by Stamitz, Otto, Riepel & Lang) • Sperger Viola Concerto in D major (+ music by Stamitz A., Stamitz J.W.)  • Sperger Trumpf in Selected Works of J. M. Sperger • Sperger Trumpf in Klassische Werke für Kontrabass (+ music by Vanhal) • Sperger Trumpf in Ausgewählte Werke für Kontrabass  In these three Albums you find these Sperger's works performed by Klaus Trumpf: • Romance for double bass & string quartet C sharp min (T26) (1789/1793) • Sonata for double bass & piano E major • Duet for double bass & viola D major (T37) (1796) • Concertino for flute, viola, double bass & orchestra (T4) (1778) • Quartet for contrabass solo, flute, viola & cello D major (T 31) (1789) • Trio for flute, viola & contrabass D major (T 35) (1786/1789) • Sonata for double bass and piano D major (T 40) (1777/1782) E. J.M. Sperger's Works Sperger's corpus of compositions is a vast collection of ca. 400 works, of which ca. more than 40 are important and fundamental works for double bass. J.M. Sperger at IMSLP: https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Sperger,_Johann_Matthias • Theory works: • Gradus ad Parnassum, oder Anführung zur regelmässigen Composition (a guide based on 1725 music treatise by Fux, ca. 1766) • Wegweiser auf die Orgel (1766; inspired by the 1693 music treatise by Carissimi) • Works for Orchestra: • 45 symphonies; various symphonies exist in a double version, with simple string orchestra and one revised, even extended, for a full orchestra; among Sperger's symphonies we remember, in particular: • Symphony No. 39 in F major Ankunftssinfonie (Arrival Symphony) [a mirror Symphony to Haydn's own Farewell] • Symphony No. 6 • Symphony No. 15 • Symphony No. 21 • Symphony No. 26 • Symphony No. 30 • Symphony No. 34 • Sinfonia concertante for Flute, Viola and Double Bass • 18 Concertos for Double Bass (see Trumpf 2021; some old catalogues still give also 17; from year 1777 No. 1 to 1807 No. 18) • 2 Concertos for Horn • 2 Concertos for Trumpet • Concerto for Flute • Concerto for Bassoon • Concerto for Viola • Concerto for Cello • and many other concertos, cassazioni, divertimenti, quartets, terzetti, duos, menuets, parthien • Chamber Music: • Trois quatuors pour deux violons, taille et violoncelle Op. 1 (ca. 1792) • 15 quartets for Strings • quartets with Flute • 1 quartet with Oboe • quartets with Piano • 2 trios for Flute & Strings • duos with Flute • 6 divertimenti for Cello & Harpsichord • sonatas for Viola & Double Bass • various works for Piano, Harpsichord & Organ • Sacred Music: • Cantata Jesus in Banden (1782) • Offertorium a canto, vl. unisono e organo • Vocal Music: • various Arias & Choruses with Orchestra • various Masonic works S. & L.M. Jennarelli  __________________ |
||
|
Read the complete article by L. Bosch (International J.M. Sperger Society): J.M. Sperger: A Prolific Composer (in International J.M. Sperger Society Magazine 2022, p. 42-45) |
||
 |