Johan Georg Heinrich Backofen
Encyclopedia
Johann Georg Heinrich Backofen (6 July 1768 in Durlach
– 10 July 1830? in Darmstadt
) was a German
clarinet
ist and composer.
In his time Backofen enjoyed great fame; he was not only known as a composer for, and virtuoso of the clarinet but also played the harp
, flute
and basset horn
.
His year of death is not known with certainty; a year of 1839 is found in some documents.
Pedigogical
Durlach
Durlach is a borough of the German city of Karlsruhe with a population of roughly 30,000.-History:Durlach was bestowed by emperor Frederick II on the margrave Hermann V of Zähringen as an allodial possession, but afterwards came into the hands of Rudolph of Habsburg.It was chosen by the margrave...
– 10 July 1830? in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
) 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...
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...
ist and composer.
In his time Backofen enjoyed great fame; he was not only known as a composer for, and virtuoso of the clarinet but also played the harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
, 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 basset horn
Basset-horn
The basset horn is a musical instrument, a member of the clarinet family.-Construction and tone:Like the clarinet, the instrument is a wind instrument with a single reed and a cylindrical bore...
.
His year of death is not known with certainty; a year of 1839 is found in some documents.
Selected works
- Deux valses et deux allemandes à deux et quatre mains pour le piano (2 Waltzes and 2 Allemandes for Piano 2- and 4-Hands), Op. 1 (published 1834)
- Concerto in B major for clarinet and orchestra, Op. 3 (Bonn, 1809?)
- 13 Variazioni sull' aria "Ey mein lieber Augustin" for harp, Op. 4 (Hamburg, 1801)
- Concertante for harp, basset horn and cello ad libitum, Op. 7 (Leipzig, 1800?)
- Concertante for harp, viola and cello ad libitum, Op. 8
- Quintet in F major for basset horn and string quartet, Op. 9
- Sinfonia concertante in A major for 2 clarinets and orchestra, Op. 10 (Leipzig, 1810?)
- 3 Duos concertants for 2 clarinets, Op. 13 (Leipzig, 1803)
- Quintet for clarinet and string quartet, Op. 15 (Leipzig, 1805?)
- Concerto in E major for clarinet and orchestra, Op. 16 (Leipzig, 1809?)
- Concerto in E major for clarinet and orchestra, Op. 24 (Leipzig, 1821?)
- Grand Duo for 2 flutes, Op. 37
- Concerto in F major for basset horn and orchestra
- Concerto in F major for horn and orchestra (Leipzig, c.1823)
- 3 Duets for 2 clarinets (C major, G major, F major)
- 3 Menuette for harp
- Sonata in F major for violin (or flute) and harp
- Sonata for harp (and violin ad libitum) (Leipzig, 1795)
- Sonata facile for violin (or flute) and harp (or piano)
- Thema mit Variationen (Theme and Variations) for harp
- 16 Variations sur l'air "Ah! vous dirai je maman" for harp
- Variations for bassett horn and orchestra
Pedigogical
- Harfenschule mit Bemerkungen über den Bau der Harfe und deren neuere Verbesserungen (Harp School) (Leipzig, 1801)
- Anweisung zur Klarinette (Neue teoretisch-prachtische Klarinett Schule) nebst einer kurzen Abhandlung über das Bassett-Horn (Leipzig, 1803)
External links
- Recording: Backofen: Clarinet Concertoshttp://www.amazon.com/Backofen-Concertos-Johann-Georg-Heinrich/dp/B0009JVOK2