Peter Arnold Heise
Encyclopedia
Peter Heise was a Danish composer
, best known for the opera
Drot og Marsk
(King and Marshal).
Heise's parents tried to press him into becoming a lawyer
, but he scored highly in music at school, so he changed direction. He began writing songs at the age of 19. As a young man he collected several hundred
folk songs directly from ordinary people. He used these tunes in Tornerose (Sleeping Beauty) and
Bergliot (A Danish historical romance). He studied under Niels Wilhelm Gade
, who was a major influence on his style. From 1857 to 1865 he was a teacher and organist at Sorø
Academy. He did a setting of Hans Christian Anderson's poem Jylland mellem tvende Have (Jutland between two seas) in 1860.
The opera Drot og Marsk
tells the story of the murder of a medieval king, and contains some folk ballads. It shows a Wagnerian
influence. His setting of the Shakespeare song When I was and a little tiny boy and Five Erotic songs are also in print. Many of his songs, usually for soprano and piano, concern dreams, folk-tales and the Middle Ages. Although his instrumental works are almost uniformly excellent, because of the tremendous popularity of his songs, they were overlooked. Among his chamber music works are 6 string quartet
s, a piano trio
, a piano quintet
, and a number of instrumental sonatas
His Piano Quintet in F Major, composed in 1869, was widely regarded as the best Danish piano quintet. Unfortunately, the work remained in manuscript for 140 years. However, in 2009, the world premiere edition of the parts to the Quintet was published by Edition Silvertrust
. They have also reprinted his Cello Sonata
(1867) and his Two Fantasy Pieces for Cello and Piano.
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...
, best known for the 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...
Drot og Marsk
Drot og Marsk
Drot og marsk is an opera by the Danish composer Peter Heise. The libretto, by Christian Richardt, is based on Johannes Carsten Hauch's play Marsk Stig . The opera was first performed at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen on September 25, 1878.-Roles:-Synopsis:The opera is based on the true story of...
(King and Marshal).
Heise's parents tried to press him into becoming a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, but he scored highly in music at school, so he changed direction. He began writing songs at the age of 19. As a young man he collected several hundred
folk songs directly from ordinary people. He used these tunes in Tornerose (Sleeping Beauty) and
Bergliot (A Danish historical romance). He studied under Niels Wilhelm Gade
Niels Wilhelm Gade
Niels Wilhelm Gade was a Danish composer, conductor, violinist, organist and teacher. He is considered the most important Danish musician of his day.-Biography:...
, who was a major influence on his style. From 1857 to 1865 he was a teacher and organist at Sorø
Sorø
Sorø is a town in Sorø municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand in east Denmark. The population is 7,805 . The municipal council and the regional council are located in Sorø....
Academy. He did a setting of Hans Christian Anderson's poem Jylland mellem tvende Have (Jutland between two seas) in 1860.
The opera Drot og Marsk
Drot og Marsk
Drot og marsk is an opera by the Danish composer Peter Heise. The libretto, by Christian Richardt, is based on Johannes Carsten Hauch's play Marsk Stig . The opera was first performed at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen on September 25, 1878.-Roles:-Synopsis:The opera is based on the true story of...
tells the story of the murder of a medieval king, and contains some folk ballads. It shows a Wagnerian
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
influence. His setting of the Shakespeare song When I was and a little tiny boy and Five Erotic songs are also in print. Many of his songs, usually for soprano and piano, concern dreams, folk-tales and the Middle Ages. Although his instrumental works are almost uniformly excellent, because of the tremendous popularity of his songs, they were overlooked. Among his chamber music works are 6 string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
s, a piano trio
Piano trio
A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music...
, a piano quintet
Piano quintet
In European classical music, a piano quintet is a work of chamber music written for piano and four other instruments, most commonly piano, two violins, viola, and cello . Among the most frequently performed piano quintets are those by Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, César Franck, Antonín Dvořák...
, and a number of instrumental sonatas
His Piano Quintet in F Major, composed in 1869, was widely regarded as the best Danish piano quintet. Unfortunately, the work remained in manuscript for 140 years. However, in 2009, the world premiere edition of the parts to the Quintet was published by Edition Silvertrust
Edition Silvertrust
Edition Silvertrust is a U.S. publisher of chamber music. Founded by R.H.R. Silvertrust, Editor of The Chamber Music Journal and President of The International Cobbett Association for Chamber Music Research....
. They have also reprinted his Cello Sonata
Cello sonata
A cello sonata is usually a sonata written for cello and piano, though other instrumentations are used, such as solo cello. The most famous Romantic-era cellos sonatas are those written by Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven...
(1867) and his Two Fantasy Pieces for Cello and Piano.
External links
- Peter Heise Piano Quintet, Cello Sonata and Fantasy Pieces soundbites and discussion of works.