George Templeton Strong (composer)

George Templeton Strong (born May 26, 1856 in New York City , † June 27, 1948 in Geneva ) was an American composer who spent much of his life in Europe.

Life

George Templeton Strong was the son of lawyer George Templeton Strong ; he was also an amateur organist and president of the New York Philharmonic Society (and his diaries, published in 1952, document, among other things, the New York musical life of his time). Although his parents encouraged his musical training, they rejected his wish to become a professional musician. Nevertheless, from 1879 he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory , among others with Salomon Jadassohn and Richard Hofmann , and worked as a violist in the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra . Strong's mother (Ellen Caroline Ruggles, 1825–1891) was the godchild of Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein , Franz Liszt's long-time partner . Through this connection I made contact with Liszt, whom Strong frequently visited in Weimar and dedicated his symphonic poem Undine op 14 to him. Liszt noted in the score: "Franz Liszt accepts the dedication of this excellent work with thanks".

In 1886 Strong moved to Wiesbaden . At the invitation of his fellow composer friend Edward MacDowell , who had also studied in Germany, he took over a professorship for counterpoint and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music in 1891 . However, two years later he returned to Europe, where he settled on Lake Geneva and lived there until his death in 1948 at the age of 92. In addition to composition, he increasingly devoted himself to painting. Together with the conductor Ernest Ansermet , with whom he became friends there (and who also premiered his works), he also took part in the musical life of Geneva and gave young musicians free lessons.

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Strong's catalog of works includes 3 symphonies (No. 2 in G minor, Op. 50, premiered in 1893, is called Sintram or The Fight of a Man Against the Forces of Evil ) as well as symphonic poems (such as Die Nacht and Le Roi Arthur ), Piano works, chamber music and vocal compositions. His tendency towards watercolor painting , which increased during his Swiss years , was also expressed in work titles such as the song cycle Three Watercolors for Voice and Orchestra (1931) and the wind quintet Cinq Aquarelles (1933).

Strong belonged to the circle around Liszt and Wagner , but without being an opponent of the supporters of Schumann and Brahms . His music remained in the context of late romanticism and shows u. a. Echoes of that of Joachim Raff, who also belongs to the Liszt Circle . Although he welcomed the works of Mahler , Strauss and Ravel , more modern trends of the 20th century, such as Stravinsky , he rejected.

Sources and further information

literature

• Blume, Friedrich (Ed.): Music in the past and present , 1st edition, 1949–1986
• Finscher, Ludwig (Hrsg.): The music in history and present , 2nd edition, 1994ff.

Web links

• Biography at naxos.com (English / German / French)
• Work introduction 2nd symphony
• Introductions to the Night / Le Roi Arthur