August Enna

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August Enna

August Emil Enna (born May 13, 1859 in Nakskov , † August 3, 1939 in Copenhagen ) was a Danish musician and composer.

Life

The grandfather, a native Italian (perhaps from Enna in Sicily ), emigrated to Denmark with his wife, who was born in Germany, after the Napoleonic wars (where he served as a soldier). August Enna was born in Nakskov on Lolland, where his father was a shoemaker. The family moved to Copenhagen in 1870, where Enna became a shoemaker's apprentice and received music lessons (violin, piano and theory; with Christian Schiørring as violin teacher and organist Peter Rasmussen for theory). He became a violinist and performed in Finland and Sweden. In 1883 he returned to Denmark to become music director at Werner's Theater Company , a traveling touring theater company.

In 1884 he composed his first opera, Agleia, some piano pieces and instrumental works, and in 1886 a symphony (in C minor), which aroused the interest of Niels Gade . In 1890/91 he was a conductor at the Dagmar Theater in Copenhagen. After that he lived from composing and short engagements; in his last years he was poor. In 1908 he became adjunct professor.

In 1892 his groundbreaking work, The Witch, premiered. He then had great success with other operas, including Cleopatra (1894), The Little Match Girl (1897), Gloria Arsena (1917) and Comedian (1920). Several of them have been performed on various European stages, for example in Berlin, Hamburg, Weimar, Magdeburg and Cologne.

He was a knight of the Dannebrog Order . He was buried in Frederiksberg in the old cemetery.

plant

He wrote in a high romantic style that was long out of style when he died almost forgotten in 1939. His only piece that is performed more often is the overture to The Girl with the Sulfur Woods, a one-act opera that only lasts a little over half an hour. His music is inspired by Wagner and Verdi as well as the Danish romantic tradition. Enna had a good sense for theatrical instruments, had a fine melodic streak and mastered the art of orchestration. Some of his works are tailored to the small Danish provincial theaters with limited resources. After the First World War , Enna's time as a successful composer was over. In his time he was one of the most performed opera composers internationally.

In addition to opera and theater music, Enna wrote a violin concerto (premiered in Carnegie Hall in New York), two symphonies, other orchestral music as well as songs and small piano pieces.

reception

For a long time his name was only known in professional circles (and through crossword puzzles: Danish composer with four letters ). Only a few of his works are available on phonograms. The classical music label CPO has released four CDs with works by the composer so far.

Works

Works (chronological)

  • Concert overture (1880)
  • Adagio for violin (1880)
  • Romance for violin (1880)
  • Valses Brillants (1880)
  • En Idyl (operetta 1881)
  • Qui pro quo (lystspil 1882)
  • En landsbyhistorie (operetta 1883)
  • Areta (operetta 1884)
  • Agleia (opera 1884 ikke opført)
  • Suite for orkester (ca.1884)
  • Symfoni no. 1 i c-mol (1886)
  • Tre sange på volapük (1887)
  • Fem Klaverstykker (Menuet, Barcarole, Melodie, Gavotte, Scherzino - 1887)
  • op. 5 Heksen (opera 1889)
  • Udløst (skuespil 1891)
  • Fem Sange for en Sangstemme med Pianoaccomp (1892)
  • op.6 Cleopatra (opera 1893)
  • op. 8 Aucassin og Nicolete (opera 1895) - text by Sophus Michaëlis
  • Scherzo (Digt af Sophus Michaëlis - 1896)
  • op. 12 Den lille pige med svovlstikkerne (opera 1897)
  • Kongesønner (skuespil 1897)
  • Violin Concerto in D major (1897)
  • Barcarole for Violin and Piano (1898)
  • Romance (violin and orkester / klaver - 1898)
  • Lamia (opera 1898)
  • Cantata til Industri- og Haandværkerforeningens udstilling i Nakskov (1898)
  • Lamia (opera 1899)
  • Seks Digte af HCAndersen 1st booklet (1899)
  • Hyrdinden og Skorstensfejeren (pantomime / ballet 1900)
  • op. 10 Prinsessen på aerten (opera 1900)
  • Barcarole (1900)
  • Ib og lille Christine (opera / melodrama 1902)
  • Trylledrikken (syngestykke 1902)
  • op. 13 Ung elskov (opera - omarbejdelse af Lamia - 1903)
  • Ski bow (klaver 1904-05)
  • Små noveller (klaver 1904-05)
  • Klaverstykker (1904-09)
  • Poetiske tonebilleder (klaver 1904-09)
  • Santa Cæcilias guldsko (ballet / pantomime 1905)
  • Fairy tales (symphonic pictures - 1905)
  • Symfoni no. 2 i E major (1905)
  • HC Andersen (festival overture 1905)
  • Yduns Æbler (syngestykke 1906)
  • Halfred Vandraadeskjald (skuespil 1906)
  • Motherly love (kor 1907)
  • Bellman (sceneværk i 4 billeder 1907)
  • Histories om en moder (kor 1907)
  • Little Novellas for Piano (1909)
  • Lyric album for piano (1912)
  • op. 20 Nattergalen (opera 1912)
  • op. 21 Gloria Arsena (opera 1913)
  • Crown Brothers (Skuespil 1913)
  • Elskov's guld (pantomime 1914)
  • Violin romance. Forspil til Kronbruden (?? 1915)
  • Comedian (opera 1916)
  • Valses amoroso (klaver 1917)
  • Børnene fra Santa-Fé (opera 1918)
  • Don Juan Maraña (opera 1925)
  • Afrodites præstinde (opera 1925 ikke opført)
  • Russia, Moder (sang og klaver - 1927)
  • Kysset (ballet 1927)
  • Symfonisk fantasi (organ and orkester - 1930)
  • Ghettoens dronning (opera 1932 ikke opført)
  • You vidste (sange 1937-39)
  • Rosenknoppen (sange 1940-42) Posthumous ????

Music with opus number

  • op. 2 3 lette karakterstykker, (Lille Idas Blomster, Ole Lukøje, Tommelise)
  • op. 4 Karakterstykker (klaver)

Music (undated)

  • About 10 overtures (for the traveling theater group)
  • Three piano pieces (Auf der Heide, Ib and Kirstine, Gypsy Dance)
  • Five songs (with piano by H. Heine and von Hase)
  • 12 by post (ballet)
  • It lost its head (pantomime)
  • Concert arias
  • It was an old king ("It was an old king" by H. Heine)
  • In memoriam (Hymn of Viggo Stuckenberg)
  • Three songs (by Sophus Michaelis with piano)
  • Sketchbook (piano pieces for the youth)
  • Scherzino for piano
  • Songs - Lieder by Andersen (with piano)
  • How could i forget you (song)
  • Did You (Song)
  • Sorrow (song)
  • Summer Evening (song)
  • I come with fear (song)
  • Avis aux lectrices (song)

Others

In 1945 Emil Reesen composed a Fantasi over Kompositioner af August Enna for Orkester .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Symphony No. 2 in E major et al., Cpo 5817051 (2005, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Michael Hofstetter); Violin Concerto / Overture Cleopatra / Symphonic Fantasy, cpo 7776742 (2014); the opera Heisse Liebe (CD: cpo 3512560) and Das Streichholzmädchen - one-act opera in Danish cpo 8359461 (2000) are out of print.
personal data
SURNAME Enna, August
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Enna, August Emil (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Danish musician and composer
DATE OF BIRTH May 13, 1859
PLACE OF BIRTH Nakskov
DATE OF DEATH August 3, 1939
Place of death Copenhagen