Reinecke, Carl Heinrich Carsten 1824 - 1910
Author: Ueda, Yasushi
Last updated：May 18, 2011
Author: Ueda, Yasushi
Early Life and Musical Development
Reinecke was born in 1824 in Altona, a city in northern Germany (now Hamburg, then under Danish rule). His father was a well-known music theorist at the time, and under his guidance, Reinecke steadily acquired musical knowledge, beginning to compose at the age of seven. The fact that he published his Piano Piece Op. 1 with a fugue in his mid-teens suggests that he had by then mastered the fundamental techniques of composition. His progress in performance was also remarkable; it is said that he became known as a pianist by the age of eleven. In March 1843, at the age of eighteen, he left his hometown and performed in Leipzig, Lübeck in northern Germany, and Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. After returning to Leipzig, he remained there for several years, spending his final "period of study." In Leipzig, where J.S. Bach spent the latter half of his life, a tradition of public concerts had taken root early on, and the Gewandhaus concert hall and orchestra, established in 1781, provided a rich cultural foundation for citizens and musicians alike. In '43, the year Reinecke visited this city, Mendelssohn was leading this orchestra, and the young Schumann was also a resident of the city. The city was home to many music dealers, including the venerable publishing house Breitkopf & Härtel, still renowned today, which served as a conduit for the release of numerous masterpieces by Haydn, Mozart, and others.
Career and Travels
In this cultural city, Reinecke was warmly welcomed by distinguished musicians such as Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Hiller, and was given numerous opportunities to perform at Gewandhaus concerts. In this way, he absorbed the tradition of Bach and the music of the most prominent musicians of his time. The Leipzig Conservatory was also founded by Mendelssohn in precisely this year, but who could have imagined that this young man would later become the director of this institution? In 1846, Reinecke left Leipzig to take up the position of court pianist in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, and undertook an extensive concert tour to the north with a royal scholarship. This tour covered various locations from Danzig (now in Poland) to Bremen and Hanover, and then extended as far as Riga, the capital of Latvia. This stable position was however lost amidst the revolutionary turmoil that swept across Europe in '48, and he returned to Leipzig at the invitation of the Gewandhaus's new conductor, Rietz. (During this period, Reinecke met Liszt in Weimar, about 80 km from Leipzig, and deepened their relationship. Liszt, impressed by Reinecke's character and profound musical erudition, would later entrust him with the education of his daughter, who was sent to Paris.) However, dissatisfied with the insufficient income as a pianist, he moved to Barmen, near the Dutch border, in '49, where he built his career as a first-rate musician by giving concerts with Liszt and Clara Schumann. In '51, he visited Paris and gave concerts. In this city, he re-encountered Hiller and was invited to the Cologne Conservatory, led by Hiller, where he accepted positions as professor of composition and piano. Alongside his academic duties, he frequently visited Schumann in the neighboring city of Düsseldorf in '53, where he met Brahms, nine years his junior, and established a relationship of trust. After relinquishing his position in Cologne in 1854, he returned to Barmen, serving as the local orchestra conductor, and subsequently, in '59, as conductor and music director in Breslau (now in Poland).
Leadership in Leipzig and Enduring Influence
1860 proved to be a significant year for Reinecke and the German music scene. He returned to Leipzig and assumed the positions of conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra and professor at the Leipzig Conservatory. Beginning with his inaugural concert on September 30 of the same year, he led this orchestra for 35 years until he ceded the position to Nikisch in 1895. Furthermore, as a distinguished professor of composition and piano at the Leipzig Conservatory, he taught for over 40 years until 1902 (becoming director in '97). This made Reinecke's influence on the German music world decisive.
To establish educational standards, he edited and compiled scores of numerous piano works from Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, and Weber to contemporary composers, and also undertook the meticulous piano arrangements of famous orchestral and chamber music pieces. It is not difficult to imagine that these were widely used as exemplary teaching materials in Germany. The cadenzas he composed for Mozart's and Beethoven's concertos are still played today and are more famous than Reinecke's name itself. Reinecke came to be regarded as a doyen of the conservative faction due to his curriculum emphasizing tradition and formality, and the Gewandhaus concert programs, rather than the radical works of Liszt or Wagner. Yet, from his tutelage emerged young musicians who would shape the future of the music world. Janáček, E. Grieg, Busoni, Weingartner, P. Richter, theorist H. Riemann, and musicologist Kretzschmar all received his instruction. The Leipzig Conservatory, boasting an excellent faculty including Reinecke, indeed spread its prestige throughout Europe during his tenure, growing into one of the foremost prestigious institutions. The debt that Leipzig's musical culture owes to Reinecke, who can be called the restorer of the Leipzig Conservatory (now the Mendelssohn Conservatory) and the Gewandhaus Orchestra, is immeasurable.
In 1901, Rentarō Taki visited Leipzig as Japan's first music student abroad and passed the entrance examination for the Conservatory led by Reinecke in October. Reinecke continued to live even after his younger contemporaries Brahms and Grieg had passed away, and Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky had already begun to establish themselves as composers, finally closing his 85-year life in 1910, at the end of the Meiji era. He currently rests with his family in a Leipzig cemetery.
Personal Life and Legacy
Although Reinecke was blessed with a long life as a musician, his personal life as a family man was not always a happy one. He married three times in his life. His wife Betty Hansen, whom he married in Cologne in 1852, passed away as early as 1860. Charlotte Scharnke, whom he remarried in '62, also died within less than 10 years. Subsequently, in '72, in his late 40s, he married Margarethe Schifflin. Fortunately, he was blessed with children, and the Reinecke Brothers Association, founded by his sons in 1889, continued until 1950, preserving their father's achievements for posterity. Subsequently, in 2004, Reinecke Musikverlag Leipzig was re-established, and even today, it is gradually working to promote Reinecke's works.
Author : PTNA Piano Encyclopedia Editorial Department
Last Updated: February 1, 2009
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Author : PTNA Piano Encyclopedia Editorial Department
A German composer and educator. He received a thorough musical education from his father, who was a music teacher. After 1845, he was active as a performer throughout Europe. From 1851, he became involved in music education in Cologne, gradually gaining renown by concurrently serving as music director for multiple organizations. In 1861, he was appointed professor of piano and composition at the Leipzig Conservatory, and from 1897, he became its director, implementing various improvements that ushered in the conservatory's golden age. As conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, he trained its members and elevated their performance level. While approaching many tasks with a strict demeanor, he also seemed to possess a moderate personality, earning great respect from contemporary musicians. Numerous musical works were dedicated to Reinecke.
His own compositions, numbering 288 with opus numbers, include many piano works, ranging from sonatinas for beginners to piano concertos.
He was a versatile individual, also highly regarded for his poetry, painting, and writings. Perhaps due to the sheer volume of his work, the opportunities for his music to be featured in performances or research are arguably insufficient given his influence. He is a musician whose re-evaluation is awaited.
Works(146)
Concerto
concerto (4)
Konzert für Klavier und Orchester Nr.1／Piano Concerto No.1 Op.72
Key: fis-moll Composed in: 1879 Playing time: 24 min 00 sec
Konzert für Klavier und Orchester Nr.2／ Piano Concerto No.2 Op.120
Key: e-moll Composed in: 1873 Playing time: 26 min 50 sec
Konzert für Klavier und Orchester Nr.3／Piano Concerto No.3 Op.144
Key: C-Dur Composed in: 1878 Playing time: 34 min 50 sec
Konzert für Klavier und Orchester Nr.4／Piano Concerto No.4 Op.254
Key: h-moll Playing time: 20 min 30 sec
Piano Solo
sonata (7)
ballade (2)
pieces (40)
suite (2)
etude (9)
inpromptu (2)
variation (2)
character pieces (6)
Reduction/Arrangement (2)
transcription (2)
Various works (2)
Piano Ensemble
sonata (5)
pieces (10)
inpromptu (2)
variation (3)
Andante und Variationen 1／Andante and Variations for two pianos Op.6
Key: Es-Dur Playing time: 12 min 20 sec
polka (1)
Ses yeux (Polka de concert)／Impromptu for Two pianos Op.66
Key: A-Dur Composed in: 1856 Playing time: 7 min 40 sec
Reduction/Arrangement (6)
Impromptu über ein Motiv aus Schumann's Gelegenheitsmusik "Manfred" Op.66
Playing time: 7 min 40 sec
Impromptu über ein Motiv aus Schumann's Gelegenheitsmusik "Manfred" Op.66
Playing time: 7 min 40 sec
La belle Grisélidis, improvisata über ein französisches Volkslied aus dem 17 Jahrhundert Op.94
Playing time: 9 min 30 sec
La belle Grisélidis, improvisata über ein französisches Volkslied aus dem 17 Jahrhundert Op.94
Playing time: 9 min 40 sec
transcription (2)
Various works (9)
Chamber Music
character pieces (1)
Introduzione ed allegro appassionato Op.256
Key: c-moll Composed in: 1901 Playing time: 7 min 30 sec
Various works (4)