Fantasy Pieces for Oboe and Piano
Encyclopedia
Carl Nielsen
's Fantasy Pieces for Oboe and Piano (Fantasistykker for obo og klavier), Opus 2, were composed shortly after the composer had taken up the post of second violinist in the Royal Danish Orchestra
in 1889. The two pieces which make up the opus were first performed at the Royal Orchestra Soirée in Copenhagen
on 16 March 1891. The oboist was Olivo Krause
(to whom they are dedicated) and the pianist Victor Bendix
.
notes that the first fantasy piece, "Andante" (later "Romance") was completed on 30 November 1889, and that "Intermezzo", was finished on 9 March 1890. From the same source, it appears that the Romance was originally intended to be for oboe and organ. In the summer of 1890, Nielsen had sent his manuscript to Orla Rosenhoff who had instructed him at the Conservatory. Rosenhoff responded: "Here and there a little adjustment has been made in the piano part; you will easily discover what I refer to, but could with the same ease restore the original if you do not agree with me about the changes."
Changes were indeed made to the piano part. Nielsen, who was in Dresden
on a grant when he read the proofs in the autumn of 1890, commented in his diary entry for 18 September: "Have spent the day reading proofs of my oboe pieces. At one place in the second piece some A’s had to be deleted, so now it says a bort, a bort (A away, A away). The joke that I have aborted my own brainchild suggests itself rather strongly." Just four days later, Nielsen explains that he the pianist Victor Bendix
played the fantasy pieces at a social gathering in Dresden: "First we played Bendix’s trio (I played the violin). Beautiful piece of music! Then B. and I played my two oboe pieces. This was in reality the greatest triumph I have had so far." Nielsen no doubt played the oboe part on the violin.
Mr Olivo Krause performed the not entirely easy oboe part with a full, beautiful tone, and Mr Victor Bendix played the piano part tastefully and finely." Politiken also praised the young composer's "decided compositional talent" while Berlingske Tidende highlighted Nielsen's "close knowledge of the peculiarities of the oboe as a solo instrument" and mentioned "the lively applause" at the end.
The pieces were performed on several other occasions during Nielsen's lifetime. Hans Sitt
's transcriptions of the Romance for violin and orchestra and for violin and piano were also popular. On at least one occasion Nielsen appeared as the violinist and in 1926 he conducted the orchestral work in Aarhus
, Silkeborg
and Odense
.
Carl Nielsen
Carl August Nielsen , , widely recognised as Denmark's greatest composer, was also a conductor and a violinist. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age...
's Fantasy Pieces for Oboe and Piano (Fantasistykker for obo og klavier), Opus 2, were composed shortly after the composer had taken up the post of second violinist in the Royal Danish Orchestra
Royal Danish Orchestra
The Royal Danish Orchestra is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The Danish name for the orchestra indicates its original function as an ensemble geared to supplying the music for court events...
in 1889. The two pieces which make up the opus were first performed at the Royal Orchestra Soirée in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
on 16 March 1891. The oboist was Olivo Krause
Olivo Krause
Olivo Vilhelm Eduard Oscar Krause was a Danish oboist and composer who had studied under Edmund Neupert and Agnes Adler. A member of the Royal Danish Orchestra from 1882, he became first soloist in 1893 when he also played as a soloist at the Bayreuth Festival. In 1915, he founded and played in...
(to whom they are dedicated) and the pianist Victor Bendix
Victor Bendix
Victor Emanuel Bendix was a Jewish Danish composer, conductor and pianist. His teachers included Niels Gade....
.
Background
In her list of Nielsen's compositions, Emilie Demant HattEmilie Demant Hatt
Emilie Demant Hatt was a Danish artist, writer, and ethnographer...
notes that the first fantasy piece, "Andante" (later "Romance") was completed on 30 November 1889, and that "Intermezzo", was finished on 9 March 1890. From the same source, it appears that the Romance was originally intended to be for oboe and organ. In the summer of 1890, Nielsen had sent his manuscript to Orla Rosenhoff who had instructed him at the Conservatory. Rosenhoff responded: "Here and there a little adjustment has been made in the piano part; you will easily discover what I refer to, but could with the same ease restore the original if you do not agree with me about the changes."
Changes were indeed made to the piano part. Nielsen, who was in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
on a grant when he read the proofs in the autumn of 1890, commented in his diary entry for 18 September: "Have spent the day reading proofs of my oboe pieces. At one place in the second piece some A’s had to be deleted, so now it says a bort, a bort (A away, A away). The joke that I have aborted my own brainchild suggests itself rather strongly." Just four days later, Nielsen explains that he the pianist Victor Bendix
Victor Bendix
Victor Emanuel Bendix was a Jewish Danish composer, conductor and pianist. His teachers included Niels Gade....
played the fantasy pieces at a social gathering in Dresden: "First we played Bendix’s trio (I played the violin). Beautiful piece of music! Then B. and I played my two oboe pieces. This was in reality the greatest triumph I have had so far." Nielsen no doubt played the oboe part on the violin.
Reception
The first public performance of the fantasy pieces was at the Royal Orchestra Soirée on 16 March 1891. The oboist was Olivo Krause and the pianist Victor Bendix. Aftenbladet was enthusiastic: As for new pieces, what was on offer last night was Carl Nielsen’s Fantasy Pieces for Oboe and Piano. In this the young, talented composer has revealed no mean knowledge of the peculiarities of the oboe as well as great technical skill in the structure of the composition. It is not ordinary, hackneyed motifs that Mr Carl Nielsen uses; calmly and steadily he goes his own way. For that reason one can safely pin great hopes on the future of the young artist.Mr Olivo Krause performed the not entirely easy oboe part with a full, beautiful tone, and Mr Victor Bendix played the piano part tastefully and finely." Politiken also praised the young composer's "decided compositional talent" while Berlingske Tidende highlighted Nielsen's "close knowledge of the peculiarities of the oboe as a solo instrument" and mentioned "the lively applause" at the end.
The pieces were performed on several other occasions during Nielsen's lifetime. Hans Sitt
Hans Sitt
Jan Hanuš Sitt, known as Hans Sitt, , was a Bohemian-German violinist, violist, teacher, and composer. During his lifetime, he was regarded as one of the foremost teachers of violin...
's transcriptions of the Romance for violin and orchestra and for violin and piano were also popular. On at least one occasion Nielsen appeared as the violinist and in 1926 he conducted the orchestral work in Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
, Silkeborg
Silkeborg
Silkeborg is a city in central Denmark. Located in Silkeborg municipality in Jutland, the city has a population of 42,724 . The development of Silkeborg as a modern city may be traced to the foundation of the paper mill by Michael Drewsen on the Gudenaa in 1844...
and Odense
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
.