Arnold Krug
Encyclopedia
Arnold Krug was born in Hamburg
on October 16, 1849 and died there on August 14, 1904. He was a German
composer
and music teacher. Gustav Jenner
was among his many students.
, who was himself a pianist and composer. Later, he was sent to the Leipzig Conservatory where he studied with Carl Reinecke
and then went on to Berlin
, where continued with Friedrich Kiel
and Eduard Franck
. After completing his studies, he taught in Berlin at the Stern conservatory
for several years before returning to Hamburg where he remained for the rest of his life, working primarily as a music teacher and choral director.
in D Major
, Op.
68.
This string sextet was known as the “Prize Sextet” because Krug won the Stelzner Prize
for chamber music with this composition. The Prize Sextet was originally for 2 Violins, Viola, Violotta, Cello and Cellone, but the publisher of the work (Fritz Kistner) wisely hedged his bets and produced an edition for the standard combination of 2 Violins, 2 Violas and 2 Cellos in addition to the so-called Stelzner version. Of this work, Wilhelm Altmann, the famous chamber music critic, has written:
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
on October 16, 1849 and died there on August 14, 1904. He was a German
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...
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...
and music teacher. Gustav Jenner
Gustav Jenner
Gustav Uwe Jenner, , was a German composer, conductor and musical scholar whose chief claim to fame is that he was the only formal composition pupil of Johannes Brahms.Jenner was born in Keitum on the island of Sylt...
was among his many students.
Musical career
He began his music studies with piano lessons from his father Diederich KrugDiederich Krug
Diederich Krug was a German pianist and composer. He was born in Hamburg and studied under Jakob Schmitt. He wrote a large number of pieces for piano, around 350 in all, which were popular with amateur pianists. Typical examples are gathered in the Pianoforte-Album which appeared as No...
, who was himself a pianist and composer. Later, he was sent to the Leipzig Conservatory where he studied with Carl Reinecke
Carl Reinecke
Carl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke was a German composer, conductor, and pianist.-Biography:Reinecke was born in Altona, Hamburg, Germany; until 1864 the town was under Danish rule. He studied with his father, Johann Peter Rudolph Reinecke, a music teacher...
and then went on to 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...
, where continued with Friedrich Kiel
Friedrich Kiel
Friedrich Kiel was a German composer and music teacher.Writing of the chamber music of Friedrich Kiel, the famous scholar and critic Wilhelm Altmann notes that it was Kiel’s extreme modesty which kept him and his exceptional works from receiving the consideration they deserved...
and Eduard Franck
Eduard Franck
Eduard Franck was born in Breslau, the capital of the Prussian province of Silesia. He was the fourth child of a wealthy and cultivated banker who exposed his children to the best and brightest that Germany had to offer. Frequenters to the Franck home included such luminaries as Heine, Humboldt,...
. After completing his studies, he taught in Berlin at the Stern conservatory
Stern conservatory
The Stern Conservatory was a private music school in Berlin with many notable tutors and alumni.-History:It was originally founded in 1850 as the Berliner Musikschule by Julius Stern, Theodor Kullak and Adolf Bernhard Marx. Kullak withdrew from the conservatory in 1855 in order to create a new...
for several years before returning to Hamburg where he remained for the rest of his life, working primarily as a music teacher and choral director.
Prize Sextet
While he wrote works in several different genres, including symphonies, orchestral overtures, operas, piano works, and chamber music, it is his choral works which received the most attention. However, today he is primarily remembered for his String SextetString sextet
In classical music, a string sextet is a composition written for six string instruments, or a group of six musicians who perform such a composition. Most string sextets have been written for an ensemble consisting of two violins, two violas, and two cellos....
in D Major
D major
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....
, Op.
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
68.
This string sextet was known as the “Prize Sextet” because Krug won the Stelzner Prize
Alfred Stelzner
Alfred Stelzner was a composer and designer of string instruments.Alfred Stelzner was born in Hamburg, Germany and educated in music, physics and mathematics. He produced string instruments of his own design in Wiesbaden and then in Dresden. Two instruments of his invention were the violotta and...
for chamber music with this composition. The Prize Sextet was originally for 2 Violins, Viola, Violotta, Cello and Cellone, but the publisher of the work (Fritz Kistner) wisely hedged his bets and produced an edition for the standard combination of 2 Violins, 2 Violas and 2 Cellos in addition to the so-called Stelzner version. Of this work, Wilhelm Altmann, the famous chamber music critic, has written:
“If not a masterpiece of the highest order from start to finish, Krug’s Sextet nonetheless comes away with high honors. He uses his themes skillfully and his sonorities are quite successful. The first movement, Allegro, begins with a short but powerful introduction which gives the impression of storms ahead. Instead, the main melody is quite genial and broad. Later, Krug cleverly weaves the introduction into the second theme and uses it as part of the coda. The second movement, Adagio tranquillo, is characterized by a calm, deeply felt melody, which is interrupted by an urgent and highly dramatic middle section. There is no scherzo, but the lively first theme to the finale, Allegro, seems to fill this gap. A quieter and more lyrical second theme provides excellent contrast.”
External links
- Arnold Krug String Sextet, Op.68 Sound-bites and short biography.