Charles Mayer (composer)
Charles Mayer (* 21st March 1790 in Königsberg , † 2. July 1862 in Dresden ), also known as Carl Mayer and Charles Meyer , was a German, from Prussia originating pianist , composer and important piano teacher of the early 19th century, active before especially in Saint Petersburg. He taught Michail Ivanovich Glinka and sponsored the first piano manufacturer in Russia, Johann August Tischner .
Life
Mayer's father was a clarinetist. When their son Charles was born, the family settled in Saint Petersburg, and a few years later in Moscow. Charles was introduced to music through his mother and was considered a child prodigy. One of his teachers in Moscow was John Field (1782-1837). Field and the Mayers fled Moscow to St. Petersburg because of the turmoil of the war and continued their classes there.
As a five-year-old, Mayer developed special talents for music; he played everything by ear without any knowledge of musical notes. His mother had a job as a teacher in the aristocratic fräuleinstift, the Smolny Institute . Charles Mayer made his first concert tour in 1814, accompanied by his father, to Warsaw and further through Germany, Holland and France. In Amsterdam he wrote his first major variations on God save the King , which was the melody of national anthems in England, Germany and Russia. Mayer returned to Petersburg in 1819 and stayed for another 25 years, interrupted by many concert tours. In Copenhagen he was offered the title of court pianist. Finally he settled in Dresden in 1846, where he continued to work as a teacher and composer until he died on July 2, 1862. As a piano virtuoso, Mayer belonged to the Field School . His carefully studied, accomplished technique was characterized by a clean play full of sublime evenness.
Musical works
There are 351 piano works, including two concerts (op. 70 and 89) as well as rondos, fantasies, etudes, salon and character pieces.
- Waltz de concert Op. 6
- Premium Concert Polka , Op. 9
- 6 exercises op.31
- Variations sur un air russian No. 1 op. 40
- Variations sur un air russian No. 2 op. 41
- Rondino op. 42
- 6 Études op.55
- 3 Études op.61
- Scherzo op.63
- Impromptu No. 2 op. 65
- Valse-étude No. 4 op. 69
- Nocturne op.81
- Valse-étude op. 83
- Caprice-Valse No. 1 op. 85
- Capriccio No. 3 op.87
- Études op.93
- Divertissement No. 1 op. 95
- Valse-étude No. 6 op.116
- Galop militaire op.117
- 3 Études caractéristiques op. 127
- Souvenir de Naples op.128
- Immortelles op. 140
- 40 Études op.168
- La Dernière rose . Fantaisie varié op.169
- 6 Novelletten op. 179
- 6 Novelletten op. 183
- Novelistic op. 184
- Elisa polka op. 187
- Triolino-étude op. 190
- Mazurka gracieuse op. 224
- Chant bohémien op. 292
- Grande Étude d'octave op. 331
- Le Regret op. 332
literature
- Moritz Fürstenau : Mayer, Charles . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 21, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1885, p. 88 f.
Web links
- Sheet music and audio files by Charles Mayer (composer) in the International Music Score Library Project
Individual evidence
- ^ Library of Congress
- ↑ A. Prosniz: Handbook of the piano literature. Vol. 2 (Leipzig & Vienna, 1907).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mayer, Charles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mayer, Carl; Meyer, Charles |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German composer and pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 21, 1790 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Koenigsberg |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 2, 1862 |
| Place of death | Dresden |