Jan Brandts Buys
Encyclopedia
Jan Willem Frans Brandts Buijs (Zutphen, 12 September 1868 Salzburg
, 7 December 1933) was a Dutch
-Austria
n composer
who came from a long line of Dutch organist
s and composer
s of protestant church music
.
His father was an organ player in the town of Zutphen in the Netherlands, where Jan was born. He studied at the Raff Conservatory in Frankfurt
and in 1893 settled in Vienna where he got to know Johannes Brahms
, who, along with Edvard Grieg
, praised his early works. His piano concerto
won an important international prize and such famous artists as Lilli Lehmann
often included his songs on the same program with those of Franz Schubert
.
pieces, chamber music
, orchestral music , sonds, pieces for choir and cantata
s, opera
s and many arrangements - such as piano arrangements of all the symphonies of Schubert
and Beethoven
).
However, his reputation today mainly rests on his comic operas and operetta
s, such as The Tailors of Schonau and The Man in the Moon, which gained considerable international acclaim. Of the ten chamber music works he wrote, only the Romantische Serenade (Romantic Serenade), composed in 1905, was performed with any regularity before disappearing shortly after his death.
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...
, 7 December 1933) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who came from a long line of Dutch organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
s and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s of protestant church music
Church music
Church music may be defined as music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclestiacal liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. This article covers music in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. For sacred music outside this...
.
His father was an organ player in the town of Zutphen in the Netherlands, where Jan was born. He studied at the Raff Conservatory in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and in 1893 settled in Vienna where he got to know Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
, who, along with Edvard Grieg
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
, praised his early works. His piano concerto
Piano concerto
A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
won an important international prize and such famous artists as Lilli Lehmann
Lilli Lehmann
Lilli Lehmann, born Elisabeth Maria Lehmann, later Elisabeth Maria Lehmann-Kalisch was a German operatic soprano of phenomenal versatility...
often included his songs on the same program with those of Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
.
Work
Brandts Buys' oeuvre comprises piano pieces, organOrgan (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
pieces, chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, orchestral music , sonds, pieces for choir and cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s and many arrangements - such as piano arrangements of all the symphonies of Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
and Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
).
However, his reputation today mainly rests on his comic operas and operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
s, such as The Tailors of Schonau and The Man in the Moon, which gained considerable international acclaim. Of the ten chamber music works he wrote, only the Romantische Serenade (Romantic Serenade), composed in 1905, was performed with any regularity before disappearing shortly after his death.
External links
- Brandts Buys: Romantische Serenade for String Quartet, Op.25 Soundbites and information.