Richard Mühlfeld
Richard Bernhard Hermann Mühlfeld (born February 28, 1856 in Salzungen , † June 1, 1907 in Meiningen ) was the best-known and most successful German clarinetist of his time. He also performed as a violinist .
Life
Richard was the fourth son of the Salzung city musician Leonhard Mühlfeld and grew up in a musical family in which he received early lessons on the violin , piano and clarinet . He also sang in the Salzung church choir. Mühlfeld was a self-taught clarinet, which was nothing unusual until the end of the 19th century.
From 1873 Richard belonged to the ducal Meiningen court orchestra, initially as second violinist. He was soon employed as a clarinetist and often took the place of first clarinetist. He did his three years of military service as principal clarinet in the regimental band. During this time he was given leave of absence from military service in the winter months to support the court orchestra.
Richard Mühlfeld played with other members of the Meiningen court orchestra in 1876 under Hans Richter in the “opening ring” of the Bayreuth Festival . Richard Wagner liked the musical performance of Mühlfeld and advised him to quote: “Young friend, always blow like today and the whole world is open to you”. From 1884 Richard Mühlfeld belonged to the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra as principal clarinet for 12 years, where he played under conductors such as Hermann Levi , Felix Mottl and Richard Strauss .
In October 1879 Mühlfeld was hired as the first clarinetist in the court orchestra. Hans von Bülow's engagement as director of the Meiningen court orchestra in 1880 was beneficial for him, developing it into an elite orchestra and making it known far beyond the state borders of the Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen . Mühlfeld took part in the Meininger Hofkapelle's numerous guest tours through the German Empire and large parts of Europe.
In 1881 he married Minna Seyfert and had two children with her. Duke Georg II appointed Richard Mühlfeld as chamber virtuoso in 1883 and as music director in 1890. During this time his solo appearances increased.
From 1891 a closer personal and musical friendship developed between Mühlfeld and Johannes Brahms , who had worked closely with the Meininger Hofkapelle since 1881. For Brahms Mühlfeld was the “best master of his instrument” and then wrote the pieces Trio for clarinet, violoncello and piano in A minor op. 114 and the clarinet quintet in B minor op. 115 for Mühlfeld , which were published on November 24, 1891 by Brahms himself were premiered in Meiningen. Mühlfeld achieved his international breakthrough with the first public performance of the quintet on December 12, 1891 at the Berlin Singakademie . There followed annually recurring concert tours to Vienna, Berlin and London, among others. In the British capital he became a concert favorite. In 1894, Brahms wrote the two sonatas for clarinet and piano for Mühlfeld in F minor, E flat major op.120 . The two musicians performed these together at 20 concerts until the beginning of 1895. Since the clarinet was out of fashion at this time, Brahms and Mühlfeld helped this instrument to a renaissance, which is now increasingly finding its place in orchestras again.
Within 31 years, Richard Mühlfeld performed 645 concerts in 138 locations, which his brother and Meiningen music chronicler Christian Mühlfeld recorded. In addition to his activities in the orchestra, he led a Meiningen men's choir and worked as a piano teacher.
From 1904 Mühlfeld complained of various severe health problems until he finally died on June 1, 1907 after a gradual kidney failure and a stroke . He was buried in the Meiningen Park Cemetery.
literature
- Christian Mühlfeld: The Ducal Court Chapel in Meiningen - Biographical and Statistical Manuscript , Meiningen 1910.
- Gerd Sannemüller : A musician friendship. Johannes Brahms and Richard Mühlfeld. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung , March 1, 2003, p. 78
- Herta Müller: Richard Mühlfeld - the Brahms clarinetist , Brahms Studies Vol. 13, Tutzing 2002.
- Maren Goltz and Herta Müller, the Brahms clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld , Balve 2007
Footnotes
- ^ Brückner & Renner, 96 pages, Volume 23 of 'New Contributions to the History of German Antiquity'. The book was published in 2007: Maren Goltz, Herta Müller et al., The Brahms Clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld: Introduction, transmission and commentary on the documentation by Christian Mühlfeld , Verlag K & K, ISBN 978-3-930643-46-2 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Muhlfeld, Richard |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mühlfeld, Richard Bernhard Hermann |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German clarinetist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 28, 1856 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Salzungen , Thuringia |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 1, 1907 |
| Place of death | Meiningen |