Eduard Franck (October 5, 1817, Wrocław – December 1, 1893)

German pianist, composer, and teacher. Born in Wrocław (then German territory, now Poland) as the son of a banker. In 1834, at the urging of his elder brother Hermann, he moved to Düsseldorf and studied under Mendelssohn (who at the time served as music director in the city for a three-year term). After returning to his hometown to complete his general education, he again studied under Mendelssohn in Leipzig until 1838, after his teacher was appointed music director of the city of Leipzig and conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1835. In Leipzig, which at the time was a musical center in the Kingdom of Saxony alongside Düsseldorf, Franck became acquainted with the English pianist and composer W. S. Bennett, R. Schumann, and the violinist Ferdinand David. He later dedicated his Piano Concerto, Op. 13, to Schumann's wife.

From 1842 to 1845, he traveled to Paris, London, and Rome. However, it appears Franck did not promote his own works in these cities (as far as confirmed, Franck's works were published only by German publishers). After returning to Germany, he was active in Berlin from 1845 to 1851, and then taught at the Cologne Conservatory, where Hiller served as director, from 1851 to 1859, teaching piano, score reading, and music theory (Hiller attempted to appoint Brahms as Franck's successor, but was declined). In 1852, he was also appointed president of the city's Civic Choral Society, contributing significantly to the development of the city's conservatory and musical activities. His Piano Trio, Op. 22, is dedicated to Ferdinand Hiller. In 1859, he moved to Bern and taught at the local conservatory until 1867 as an honorary professor and doctor. In the same year, Franck, who had moved to Berlin, was invited to the Stern Conservatory, founded by the educator Julius Stern (1820–1883) with Theodor Kullak and others, and taught there as a professor until 1878. From 1878 until his later years in 1892, Franck taught at the music school founded by Emil Breslaur (1836–1899), who had previously taught at the Stern Conservatory.

Due to his highly self-critical nature, Franck did not publish many of his own works. Despite a relatively long life of 76 years, he only reached Op. 62 (and works in the Op. 30s were not published).

Franck's published works are limited to instrumental music, with the exception of song collections (Opp. 4, 8).

• Orchestral works include: Concert Overture (Op. 12), Piano Concerto (Op. 13), Fantasia (Op. 13), Symphony (Op. 47).
• Chamber music includes: Cello Sonata (Op. 6), Violin Sonatas (Opp. 42, 60), Piano Trios (Opp. 11, 58), String Quartets (Opp. 49, 55), String Quintets (Opp. 15, 51), Piano Quintet (Op. 45), String Sextets (Opp. 41, 50).
• For solo piano works: 9 Sonatas (Opp. 40, 44), Etudes (Op. 1), Preludes (Op. 18), Fantasia (Op. 61), and various collections of character pieces have been identified.

Franck's style emphasizes classical phrase structure and harmonic systems, belonging, as mentioned at the outset, to the strict lineage of his teacher Mendelssohn. While Mendelssohnian idioms can be observed in his early works, his later chamber music reveals a freer, more relaxed breadth and unexpected developments reminiscent of Hiller. In 40 Pieces, Op. 43-7, introduced in 'Piano Blossom,' a style reminiscent of Bach's church cantatas, likely learned through Mendelssohn, is prominent. In recent years, re-evaluation has progressed, with recordings and critical editions being produced and sold. His son, Richard (1858–1938), also became a pianist and composer.

References

• New Grove Online
• Pfefferkorn Musikverlag website: http://www.pfefferkorn-verlag.com/en/our-publishing-house/eduard-franck/