Berwald: Septet/serenade/piano Quartet

Description

Franz Berwald (1796-1868) Septet in B flat major Serenade Piano Quartet in E flat majorThe Swedish composer Franz Berwald wasthe most distinguished of a musical dynasty of German origin. Johann DanielBerwald, who died in 1691, served as a town musician in Neumarkt. His sonJohann Gottfried, born in 1679, was Kunstpfeifer in Konigsberg, and his ownson, the flautist Johann Friedrich Berwaid, after appointments in Copenhagenand Hohenaspe, joined in 1770 the Mecklenburg-Schwerin orchestra in Ludwigslustand fathered a number of musicians among the twenty-five children from his fourmarriages. One of his sons, Johann Gottfried, born in Copenhagen in 1737,studied with Franz Benda and served as a violinist at Ludwigslust before movingto St Petersburg, where he settled until his death in 1814. Another son,Christian Friedrich Georg, born at Hohenaspe in 1740, also studied in Berlinwith Benda and in 1772 settled in Stockholm as a violinist and member of theCourt Orchestra from 1773 to 1806. A third brother Georg Johann Abraham, aviolinist and bassoonist, born in Schleswig in 1758, joined the Swedish CourtOrchestra in 1782 and continued there until 1798, when he left for a concerttour, after which he settled in St Petersburg. His son Johan Fredrik, born inStockholm in 1787, won early distinction as a violinist and as a composer. Heaccompanied his father to Russia and from 1808 to 1812 was soloist, insuccession to Rode, with the Russian imperial orchestra. In 1814 he returned toStockholm to serve in the court orchestra as a violinist and from 1823 to 1849as Kapellmeister.Franz Berwald was born in 1796 inStockholm, the son of Christian Friedrich Georg. His younger brother ChristianAugust served as a violinist in the court orchestra from 1815 and as its leaderfrom 1834 to 1861. Franz Berwald followed family tradition as a violinist, apupil of his father, and joined the court orchestra in 1812, continuing thereuntil 1828. He also appeared as a soloist and in 1819 toured Finland and Russiawith his brother Christian August. Meanwhile he was winning something of areputation as a composer, in particular with a symphony, now partly lost, and aViolin Concerto in C sharp minor, written in 1819, following his earlierTheme and Variations for violin and orchestra, composed in 1816, and a DoubleViolin Concerto that he had performed with his brother. In 1827 hecompleted his Konsertstycke for bassoon and orchestra and turned hisattention to an opera on the subject of Gustaf Wasa, a work that henever finished, while other attempts at the form from this period were eitherleft incomplete or are now lost.In 1829 Berwald was at last awarded ascholarship for study abroad and moved to Berlin, where he took lessons incounterpoint, but at the same time developed his interest in medicine. Theearly 1830s found him occupied abortively with operatic composition, but in1835 he opened his own orthopaedic institute, an enterprise that enjoyed somesuccess during the next six years, until he de