Hanuš Wihan
Encyclopedia
Hanuš Wihan was a renowned Czech cellist, considered the greatest of his time. He was strongly associated with the works of Antonín Dvořák
, whose Rondo in G minor, Op. 94, the short piece Silent Woods, Op. 68, and most particularly the Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
were all dedicated to him. He was the founder and later cellist of the Czech String Quartet
, which was world-famous throughout its 40-year existence.
and studied with František Hegenbarth (1881–87) at the Prague Conservatory
from the age of 13, finishing his studies with Karl Davydov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory
. He became a teacher at the Mozarteum in Salzburg
at 18. He joined the private orchestra of a Russian patron in Nice
and Lugano
, then went to Benjamin Bilse’s orchestra in Berlin
(the forerunner of the Berlin Philharmonic) for a year, where the leader was his compatriot Karel Halíř
; then to Prince Schwarzenburg’s orchestra in Sondershausen
, where he became a close friend of Franz Liszt
, and to the court orchestra in Munich
, in which Franz Strauss
was the first horn. He remained in Munich for eight years, joining the circles of Hans von Bülow
, Richard Wagner
(who hired him to play at the Bayreuth Festival
) and Franz Strauss's son Richard
. Richard Strauss dedicated to Wihan his String Quartet in A, Op. 2 and Cello Sonata in F, Op. 6 (which Wihan premiered in Nuremberg
on 8 December 1883). He also wrote the Romance for Cello and Orchestra for Wihan, but did not dedicate it to him; Wihan premiered it on 15 February 1884 in Baden-Baden
.
By this time Hanuš Wihan was married to Dora (née Weis), a pianist from Dresden
. Dora fell in love with Richard Strauss, who was five years younger than her. There is no evidence that the affair was consummated or was ever going to be, but Wihan was very jealous by nature and it led to Dora's and Hanuš's marriage breaking up. He then returned to his alma mater in Prague.
He had a highly successful career as a virtuoso and teacher, succeeding his teacher Hegenbarth in 1888, and toured widely as a soloist and a chamber musician, particularly in Russia from 1894. Tchaikovsky
heard him perform in a concert in Prague in 1888 and offered to help arrange some appearances in Russia. He also frequently sought advice from Karl Davydov, and maintained regular correspondence with both Davydov and Tchaikovsky.
In 1891 Hanuš Wihan formed the Bohemian String Quartet
with violinists Karel Hoffmann
and Josef Suk
, and violist Oskar Nedbal
– all pupils of Antonín Bennewitz
– and his own cello pupil Otakar Berger. He did not play with them at first, but instilled in them his own ideas and managed their appearances. In 1892 the name Czech String Quartet was adopted. Wihan filled the void when Otakar Berger fell ill in 1893 and joined the ensemble permanently after Berger's death in 1897. The Quartet toured in many European countries, became strongly associated with Bedřich Smetana
's String Quartet No. 1 in E minor From My Life
, and Sergei Taneyev
in Russia was particularly impressed, played with them on various occasions, and dedicated his 4th String Quartet to them.
In 1892 Wihan went on a five-month tour of Czech towns with Antonín Dvořák
and Ferdinand Lachner, during which Dvořák wrote the Rondo in G minor, which Wihan premiered in Chrudim
. The trio also premiered Dvořák's Dumky Trio
(1891).
Wihan had asked Dvořák to write a cello concerto for him, but the composer had always maintained a concerto was not the best way of displaying a cello's strengths, as it would be swamped by the orchestra. However, in 1894-95, Dvořák wrote the Cello Concerto in B minor
in New York
, with Hanuš Wihan's playing in mind. Wihan made various suggestions for improvement, some of which Dvořák accepted. But he would not accept Wihan's suggested cadenza for the final movement as it clashed with his idea of the movement as a tribute to his seriously ill sister-in-law. It was intended that Wihan would perform the premiere of the work in London on 19 March 1896, but his contractual obligations with the Czech String Quartet clashed with the only possible date for the premiere. There was no truth to a rumour that the two men had any sort of falling out over the matter. Wihan did perform the concerto in The Hague
(under Willem Mengelberg
, or Dvořák), Amsterdam
and Budapest
(the last under the composer's baton), and he took part in the premiere of Dvořák's G major Quartet, Op. 106, that year. Dvořák's original score, before it was altered with Wihan's suggested changes, has been described as "much more musical", and this version has been performed from time to time.
Wihan had been playing with the Czech String Quartet for some years, and in the latter stages of his career he reduced his appearances as soloist and chamber musician and appeared with the Quartet exclusively. In 1906 Lionel Tertis
worked with the Quartet, and noticed Wihan's habit of spitting on the floor during rehearsals. He retired in 1914, but arranged to be paid 20 per cent of the Quartet's earnings until his death. He was replaced in the Quartet by Ladislav Zelenka. In 1919, on the reorganization of the Prague Conservatory, he was appointed professor of chamber music and professor of the cello, and retained these posts until his death the following year. His pupils included Artur Krása, Otakar Berger, Jan Burian, Julius Junek, Rudolf Pavlata, Maximilian Škvor, and Bedřich Vaska.
In 1985 the Wihan Quartet
was established in memory of Hanuš Wihan by members of the Prague Academy.
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
, whose Rondo in G minor, Op. 94, the short piece Silent Woods, Op. 68, and most particularly the Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
Cello Concerto (Dvorák)
The Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191, by Antonín Dvořák was the composer's last solo concerto, and was written in 1894–1895 for his friend, the cellist Hanuš Wihan, but premiered by the English cellist Leo Stern.- Structure :...
were all dedicated to him. He was the founder and later cellist of the Czech String Quartet
Bohemian Quartet
The Bohemian Quartet were a Czech string quartet of international repute that was founded in 1891 and disbanded in 1934.- Origins :The Quartet was founded in Budapest by three pupils of Antonín Bennewitz and a pupil of Hanuš Wihan ; Bennewitz and Wihan were both teachers at the Prague Conservatory...
, which was world-famous throughout its 40-year existence.
Biography
Hanuš Wihan was born in Police nad MetujíPolice nad Metují
Police nad Metují is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. Metuje flows through the town.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Police nad Metují is twinned with the following towns: Świdnica, Poland- External links :*...
and studied with František Hegenbarth (1881–87) at the Prague Conservatory
Prague Conservatory
Prague Conservatory, sometimes also Prague Conservatoire, in Czech Pražská konzervatoř, is a Czech secondary school in Prague dedicated to teaching the arts of music and theater acting.- Instruction :...
from the age of 13, finishing his studies with Karl Davydov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory is a music school in Saint Petersburg. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.-History:...
. He became a teacher at the Mozarteum in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
at 18. He joined the private orchestra of a Russian patron in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
and Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
, then went to Benjamin Bilse’s orchestra in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
(the forerunner of the Berlin Philharmonic) for a year, where the leader was his compatriot Karel Halíř
Karel Halír
Karel Halíř was a Czech violinist who lived mainly in Germany...
; then to Prince Schwarzenburg’s orchestra in Sondershausen
Sondershausen
Sondershausen is a town in Thuringia, Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was incorporated by Sondershausen....
, where he became a close friend of 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 to the court orchestra in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, in which Franz Strauss
Franz Strauss
Franz Joseph Strauss was a German musician. He was a composer, a virtuoso horn player and accomplished performer on the guitar, clarinet and viola...
was the first horn. He remained in Munich for eight years, joining the circles of Hans von Bülow
Hans von Bülow
Hans Guido Freiherr von Bülow was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. He was one of the most famous conductors of the 19th century, and his activity was critical for establishing the successes of several major composers of the time, including Richard...
, Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
(who hired him to play at the Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
) and Franz Strauss's son Richard
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
. Richard Strauss dedicated to Wihan his String Quartet in A, Op. 2 and Cello Sonata in F, Op. 6 (which Wihan premiered in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
on 8 December 1883). He also wrote the Romance for Cello and Orchestra for Wihan, but did not dedicate it to him; Wihan premiered it on 15 February 1884 in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
.
By this time Hanuš Wihan was married to Dora (née Weis), a pianist from 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....
. Dora fell in love with Richard Strauss, who was five years younger than her. There is no evidence that the affair was consummated or was ever going to be, but Wihan was very jealous by nature and it led to Dora's and Hanuš's marriage breaking up. He then returned to his alma mater in Prague.
He had a highly successful career as a virtuoso and teacher, succeeding his teacher Hegenbarth in 1888, and toured widely as a soloist and a chamber musician, particularly in Russia from 1894. Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
heard him perform in a concert in Prague in 1888 and offered to help arrange some appearances in Russia. He also frequently sought advice from Karl Davydov, and maintained regular correspondence with both Davydov and Tchaikovsky.
Bohemian Quartet
The Bohemian Quartet were a Czech string quartet of international repute that was founded in 1891 and disbanded in 1934.- Origins :The Quartet was founded in Budapest by three pupils of Antonín Bennewitz and a pupil of Hanuš Wihan ; Bennewitz and Wihan were both teachers at the Prague Conservatory...
with violinists Karel Hoffmann
Karel Hoffmann
Karel Hoffmann was a Czech violinist and music pedagogue, a founding member and first violinist of the Bohemian Quartet. In 1926–1927 he was appointed the rector of the Prague Conservatory.- Biography :...
and Josef Suk
Josef Suk (composer)
Josef Suk was a Czech composer and violinist.- Life :Suk was born in Křečovice. He studied at Prague Conservatory from 1885 to 1892, where he was a pupil of Antonín Dvořák and Antonín Bennewitz. In 1898, he married Dvořák's eldest daughter, Otilie Dvořáková , affectionately known as Otilka...
, and violist Oskar Nedbal
Oskar Nedbal
Oskar Nedbal was a Czech violist, composer, and conductor of classical music.-Life:Nedbal was born in Tábor, in southern Bohemia. He studied the violin at the Prague Conservatory under Antonín Bennewitz...
– all pupils of Antonín Bennewitz
Antonín Bennewitz
Antonín Bennewitz was a Czech violinist, conductor and teacher. He was in a line of violinists that extended back to Giovanni Battista Viotti, and forward to Jan Kubelík and Wolfgang Schneiderhan....
– and his own cello pupil Otakar Berger. He did not play with them at first, but instilled in them his own ideas and managed their appearances. In 1892 the name Czech String Quartet was adopted. Wihan filled the void when Otakar Berger fell ill in 1893 and joined the ensemble permanently after Berger's death in 1897. The Quartet toured in many European countries, became strongly associated with Bedřich Smetana
Bedrich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
's String Quartet No. 1 in E minor From My Life
String Quartet No. 1 (Smetana)
String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, written in 1876, is a four-movement Romantic chamber composition by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana.- Background :...
, and Sergei Taneyev
Sergei Taneyev
Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev , was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of composition, music theorist and author.-Life:...
in Russia was particularly impressed, played with them on various occasions, and dedicated his 4th String Quartet to them.
In 1892 Wihan went on a five-month tour of Czech towns with Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
and Ferdinand Lachner, during which Dvořák wrote the Rondo in G minor, which Wihan premiered in Chrudim
Chrudim
Chrudim is a city in eastern Bohemia, in the Pardubice region of the Czech Republic.The oldest archaeological findings which provide first signs of the settlement in this area date back to the 5th millennium BC. Various cultures succeeded one on another in the territory of today’s town of Chrudim...
. The trio also premiered Dvořák's Dumky Trio
Piano Trio No. 4 (Dvorák)
The Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor is a piece by Antonin Dvořák for piano, violin and cello...
(1891).
Wihan had asked Dvořák to write a cello concerto for him, but the composer had always maintained a concerto was not the best way of displaying a cello's strengths, as it would be swamped by the orchestra. However, in 1894-95, Dvořák wrote the Cello Concerto in B minor
Cello Concerto (Dvorák)
The Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191, by Antonín Dvořák was the composer's last solo concerto, and was written in 1894–1895 for his friend, the cellist Hanuš Wihan, but premiered by the English cellist Leo Stern.- Structure :...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, with Hanuš Wihan's playing in mind. Wihan made various suggestions for improvement, some of which Dvořák accepted. But he would not accept Wihan's suggested cadenza for the final movement as it clashed with his idea of the movement as a tribute to his seriously ill sister-in-law. It was intended that Wihan would perform the premiere of the work in London on 19 March 1896, but his contractual obligations with the Czech String Quartet clashed with the only possible date for the premiere. There was no truth to a rumour that the two men had any sort of falling out over the matter. Wihan did perform the concerto in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
(under Willem Mengelberg
Willem Mengelberg
Joseph Willem Mengelberg was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.- Biography :...
, or Dvořák), Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
(the last under the composer's baton), and he took part in the premiere of Dvořák's G major Quartet, Op. 106, that year. Dvořák's original score, before it was altered with Wihan's suggested changes, has been described as "much more musical", and this version has been performed from time to time.
Wihan had been playing with the Czech String Quartet for some years, and in the latter stages of his career he reduced his appearances as soloist and chamber musician and appeared with the Quartet exclusively. In 1906 Lionel Tertis
Lionel Tertis
Lionel Tertis, CBE was an English violist and one of the first viola players to find international fame.Tertis was born in West Hartlepool, the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, and initially studied the violin in Leipzig and at the Royal Academy of Music in London...
worked with the Quartet, and noticed Wihan's habit of spitting on the floor during rehearsals. He retired in 1914, but arranged to be paid 20 per cent of the Quartet's earnings until his death. He was replaced in the Quartet by Ladislav Zelenka. In 1919, on the reorganization of the Prague Conservatory, he was appointed professor of chamber music and professor of the cello, and retained these posts until his death the following year. His pupils included Artur Krása, Otakar Berger, Jan Burian, Julius Junek, Rudolf Pavlata, Maximilian Škvor, and Bedřich Vaska.
In 1985 the Wihan Quartet
Wihan Quartet
The Wihan Quartet is a Czech string quartet currently in residence at the Trinity College of Music, London. The quartet was founded at the Prague Academy of Musical Arts in 1985 by Leoš Čepický , Jan Schulmeister , Jiří Žigmund and Aleš Kaspřík...
was established in memory of Hanuš Wihan by members of the Prague Academy.
Sources
- Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., 1954