Frederick Niecks
Encyclopedia
Frederick Niecks was a German
musical scholar and author, who was resident in Scotland
for the bulk of his life. He is best remembered now for his biographies of Frédéric Chopin
and Robert Schumann
.
, son of a conductor and teacher; his grandfather was also a professional musician. He studied music under his father and later under Leopold Auer
and others (violin) and Julius Tausch (piano and composition). At age 13 he made his debut playing Charles Auguste de Bériot's Violin Concerto No. 2, then joined the Musikverein orchestra until the age of 21.
In 1868 he expressed a desire to move to Great Britain, and Alexander Mackenzie invited him to settle in Scotland
, where he became viola player in Mackenzie's string quartet in Edinburgh
and an organist and teacher in Dumfries
. In 1879 he became a regular contributor to The Musical Times
.
In 1884 he published a Concise Dictionary of Musical Terms, in two editions. In 1888 he published his magnum opus, Frédéric Chopin
as Man and Musician, with a German edition coming out in 1889. This was the first comprehensive biography of Chopin.
In 1891 he was appointed Reid Professor of Music at the University of Edinburgh
, which post he held until 1914. His activities there included leading a string quartet, presenting an annual series of historical concerts, in addition to his lecturing and teaching duties. His published musical papers included The Flat, the Sharp and the Natural; The Teaching of Musical History; A History of Programme Music from the 16th Century to the Present Time; and The Nature and Capacity of Modern Music.
He was created a Doctor of Music by the University of Dublin
in 1898. In 1907, aged 62, he married the daughter of Sir John Struthers, Secretary of the Scottish Education Department.
In 1914 on the outbreak of World War I
he was required to return to Germany. He was succeeded as Reid Professor by Donald Tovey.
He later returned to Edinburgh, where he died in 1924, aged 79. His widow Christina Niecks edited his biography of Robert Schumann
and published it posthumously the year after his death. She died in 1944; she bequeathed to the Edinburgh University Library her collection of Chopiniana, including letters written by Chopin, Franz Liszt
and Clara Schumann
.
Nevertheless, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute is currently engaged on translating Niecks' biography of Chopin into Polish.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
musical scholar and author, who was resident in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
for the bulk of his life. He is best remembered now for his biographies of Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
and Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
.
Biography
Friedrich Maternus Niecks was born in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, son of a conductor and teacher; his grandfather was also a professional musician. He studied music under his father and later under Leopold Auer
Leopold Auer
Leopold Auer was a Hungarian violinist, teacher, conductor and composer.-Early life and career:...
and others (violin) and Julius Tausch (piano and composition). At age 13 he made his debut playing Charles Auguste de Bériot's Violin Concerto No. 2, then joined the Musikverein orchestra until the age of 21.
In 1868 he expressed a desire to move to Great Britain, and Alexander Mackenzie invited him to settle in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where he became viola player in Mackenzie's string quartet in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and an organist and teacher in Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
. In 1879 he became a regular contributor to The Musical Times
The Musical Times
The Musical Times is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom. It is currently the oldest such journal that is still publishing in the UK, having been published continuously since 1844. It was published as The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular until...
.
In 1884 he published a Concise Dictionary of Musical Terms, in two editions. In 1888 he published his magnum opus, Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
as Man and Musician, with a German edition coming out in 1889. This was the first comprehensive biography of Chopin.
In 1891 he was appointed Reid Professor of Music at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, which post he held until 1914. His activities there included leading a string quartet, presenting an annual series of historical concerts, in addition to his lecturing and teaching duties. His published musical papers included The Flat, the Sharp and the Natural; The Teaching of Musical History; A History of Programme Music from the 16th Century to the Present Time; and The Nature and Capacity of Modern Music.
He was created a Doctor of Music by the University of Dublin
University of Dublin
The University of Dublin , corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin , located in Dublin, Ireland, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it...
in 1898. In 1907, aged 62, he married the daughter of Sir John Struthers, Secretary of the Scottish Education Department.
In 1914 on the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was required to return to Germany. He was succeeded as Reid Professor by Donald Tovey.
He later returned to Edinburgh, where he died in 1924, aged 79. His widow Christina Niecks edited his biography of Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
and published it posthumously the year after his death. She died in 1944; she bequeathed to the Edinburgh University Library her collection of Chopiniana, including letters written by Chopin, Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
and Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
.
Reputation
Niecks's reputation as a Chopin scholar in the 19th century was strong, but diminished somewhat in his latter years. The Monthly Musical Record wrote in 1915: "His whole professional life has been one long big accident" … including "the manner in which he first came to be regarded as the greatest living authority on Chopin". It has been claimed that his work contains "half-truths, hearsay, misinformation, omissions, hints and puns", which inaccuracies have been copied and perpetuated by other writers.Nevertheless, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute is currently engaged on translating Niecks' biography of Chopin into Polish.