Joseph Schad (1812-1879)

[Born March 6, 1812, Steinach; Died July 4, 1879, Bordeaux]

Joseph Schad was a German pianist and composer. Born in Steinach, northern Bavaria (present-day southern Thuringia), he studied with Josef Fröhlich (1780–1862), a music theorist in Würzburg, located southeast of his hometown. Fröhlich was a prominent figure in the local music scene, having established a music school there in the early 19th century. Schad subsequently studied with Aloys Schmitt (1788–1866), who also taught Ferdinand Hiller. Schmitt, originally from the Kingdom of Bavaria, resided in Frankfurt from 1816, then briefly in Berlin, and served as court pianist in Hanover from 1825 to 1829. It is likely that Schad received instruction from Schmitt in Frankfurt, which is close to Würzburg. After his period of study, Schad traveled through the Rhine region and Switzerland. His talent was highly regarded, and he served as a piano professor at the Geneva Conservatory from November 1836 to August 1839. From 1842 to 1845, Schad held annual concerts at the Érard Hall in Paris, performing his own compositions and generating considerable attention in music magazines. (During this period, he also traveled to the Kingdom of Bavaria.) The music newspaper Revue et Gazette Musicale, issued on July 27, 1845, reported Schad's departure for Bordeaux. Thereafter, Schad made Bordeaux his base of operations for the remainder of his life. His reputation in Bordeaux was also high, and he taught piano to wealthy patrons, including aristocrats. The ballet Franizia is also said to have been staged in Bordeaux in 1864. He died in Bordeaux at the age of 67. With the exception of a few songs, all of Schad's published works are for piano, with opus numbers confirmed up to Op. 95. His 3 Nocturnes, Op. 5, are dedicated to Chopin, and his Concerto for Solo Piano, Op. 62 (published 1860, single movement), is dedicated to Liszt.

References

• Rémy Campos, Instituer la musique : les premières années du Conservatoire de musique de Genève (1835-1859), Genève, Université : Conservatoire de musique, 2003, 877 p.
• François-Joseph Fétis, « Schad (Joseph) », Biographie universelle des musiciens et bibliographie générale de la musique, Supplément et complément, M. Arthur Pougin (dir.), vol. 2, Paris, Firmin-Didot, 1880, p. 492-493.
• Anonyme, « Concert, nouvelles diveres », Revue et gazette musicale de Paris, 12e année, n° 30, 27 juillet, 1845, p. 216.
• Anonyme, « Concert, nouvelles diveres », Revue et gazette musicale de Paris, 43e année, n° 46, 13 juillet, 1876, p. 231.