Peter Hänsel
Encyclopedia
Peter Hänsel was a German
-Austria
n violin
ist and classical composer
of almost exclusively chamber music. He has been recently viewed not only as the principal representative of the true quartet school of Joseph Haydn
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
, but also the composer responsible for incorporating French
and Polish
influences into the Viennese classical style, thus serving as mediator between Germany, France and Poland.
Like his contemporary Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770–1827), he was one of Haydn's composition pupils during the 1790s. He died in Vienna shortly before his 61st birthday.
, Hänsel traveled to Russia
and joined the orchestra of Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin in St. Petersburg, which at the time was under the direction of master Giuseppe Sarti
. In 1788 he returned to Warsaw after the completion of his contract. In the spring of 1791 he was concert master at the Princess Izabela Lubomirska in Vienna, where he was employed from 1796 with a fixed annual salary. Hänsel took lessons with Joseph Haydn in 1802, maintaining a relatively conservative compositional style throughout his career. After learning as much as he could from Haydn he then traveled to Paris
where he lived from 1802 to 1803, later returning to Vienna.
He created a comprehensive volume of 58 string quartet
s, 6 string trio
s, 4 quintet
s, 3 quartets with flute
and clarinet
, 9 violin duets, also Variations, Polonaises, Rondo
s, Marches
and numerous other musical pieces for keyboard and strings.
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...
-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 violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and classical 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...
of almost exclusively chamber music. He has been recently viewed not only as the principal representative of the true quartet school of Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, but also the composer responsible for incorporating French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
influences into the Viennese classical style, thus serving as mediator between Germany, France and Poland.
Like his contemporary Ludwig van 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...
(1770–1827), he was one of Haydn's composition pupils during the 1790s. He died in Vienna shortly before his 61st birthday.
Life and works
After a musical apprenticeship with his uncle in 1787 in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Hänsel traveled to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and joined the orchestra of Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin in St. Petersburg, which at the time was under the direction of master Giuseppe Sarti
Giuseppe Sarti
Giuseppe Sarti was an Italian opera composer.-Biography:He was born at Faenza. His date of birth is not known, but he was baptised on 1 December 1729. Some earlier sources say he was born on 28 December, but his baptism certificate proves the later date impossible...
. In 1788 he returned to Warsaw after the completion of his contract. In the spring of 1791 he was concert master at the Princess Izabela Lubomirska in Vienna, where he was employed from 1796 with a fixed annual salary. Hänsel took lessons with Joseph Haydn in 1802, maintaining a relatively conservative compositional style throughout his career. After learning as much as he could from Haydn he then traveled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he lived from 1802 to 1803, later returning to Vienna.
He created a comprehensive volume of 58 string quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
s, 6 string trio
Trio
- Musical ensembles and forms :*Trio , three people performing music in some way*Piano trio *String trio *Trio *Clarinet-violin-piano trio...
s, 4 quintet
Quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
s, 3 quartets with flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, 9 violin duets, also Variations, Polonaises, Rondo
Rondo
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...
s, Marches
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
and numerous other musical pieces for keyboard and strings.
Literature
- Constantin von Wurzbach: Hänsel, Peter. In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich. Vol. 7, Publisher Zamarski LC, Vienna 1856-1891, p. 182.