Joesph Joachim

Samuel Oliver-Sherry
This presentation will take the form of two
short parts
PART 1: Biography
• Examining Joachim’s legacy within nineteenth century musical life
• Outlining his relationship with the Schumann’s and members of their
circle
PART 2: Music (N.B: this section will contain sound examples.)
• Showcasing the music written and dedicated to Joachim, both violin
and non-violin repertoire.
• Focusing on two short case studies of works dedicated to Joachim by
both Robert and Clara Schumann
 Early Career
28.06.1831:
• Born to Julius and Fanny Joachim in Köpcsény, Hungary (now known as Kittsee, in Austria)
• Seventh of eight children

1836:
• Studies violin with Polish violinist Stanisław Serwaczyński, the concertmaster of the opera in Pest (where family moved three years earlier)
• Said to be the best violinist in Pest (Joachim’s parents told not to choose an ordinary teacher)

1839:
• Continued his studies at the Vienna Conservatory, most significantly with Joesph Bohm who introduces chamber music to him

1843:
• Taken by his cousin to live and study in Leipzig
• Début performance in the Gewandhaus: Joachim played the Otello Fantasy by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst.

27.05.1844:
• Played the solo part in Beethoven's Violin Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Society in London
• Philharmonic had a policy against performers so young, but Joachim’s clear maturity and talent granted exception
• Beethoven’s concerto had previously been seen as poor and second-rate, but Joachim is solely responsible for bringing it to public
popularity that it is known for today.
Members of Schumann’s circle before he meets them
Felix Mendelssohn:
• In the journal Neue Zeitschrift für Musik Robert Schumann
was highly enthusiastic about Felix Mendelssohn, who
had become director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus
orchestra in 1835
• As Joachim moves to Leipzig in 1843, he became a protégé
of Mendelssohn, who arranged for him to study theory
and composition with Moritz Hauptmann and violin with
Ferdinand David.
• Mendelssohn conducted his first performance of the
Beethoven Violin Concerto in London (1844), and
expected great outcomes of the concert – he wrote of
the "frenetic applause" as soon as Joachim stepped in
front of the orchestra, as well as how the "cheers of the
audience accompanied every [...] part of the concerto.“
• Joachim had great respect for Mendelssohn also, calling
his violin concerto “the most inward, the heart's jewel”
in describing four of the great Austro-German concertos
(alongside Beethoven, Brahms and Bruch).
Franz Liszt:
• Liszt took residence in Weimar in 1848,
and was determined to re-establish the
town's reputation as the Athens of
Germany, particularly in a cultural sense.
• Joachim was amongst the first of his young
avant-garde disciples, vocally opposed to
the conservatism of the Leipzig circle. He
served as concertmaster, and embraced
the new “psychological music”.
• In 1852, however, he moved to Hanover,
marking his dissociation from these
musical ideals that now included
composers like Berlioz and Wagner. His
break with Liszt became final in 1857,
when he wrote to him essentially saying
that he couldn’t sympathise with his
style anymore.
 The Schumanns and Joachim
• In 1853, Joachim was invited to perform Beethoven’s violin
concerto at the Lower Rhine Music Festival, by a
committee headed by Robert Schumann. He was very
successful, heralded as the most renowned musician in
Germany, but left a lasting impression on Robert
Schumann and his wife Clara, who were deeply impressed
and formed a close connection with Joachim in the years
to come.
• In December 1854, Joachim became the first person who
visited Robert at the Endenich asylum where he had been
since February. After Robert's mental breakdown in 1854
and death in 1856, Joachim and Clara Schumann
remained lifelong friends sharing musical views (such as
expressing the music over the performer, for instance)
and frequently performing together.
Initial meetings
and Robert’s
death
• Their first recital tour together was October–November
1857, where they took to the German cities of Dresden,
Leipzig, and Munich.
• St. James's Hall, opened in 1858, hosted a series of
"Popular Concerts" of chamber music, of which
programmes from 1867 through 1904 are preserved. 18
of these feature Clara and Joachim, alongside other
esteemed musicians like J. B. Zerbini (viola) and Alfredo
Piatti (cello). These concerts will have included works
such as piano quartets and piano trios, but on occasions
where Ferdinand Ries (violin) is listed, some string
quartets without Clara will have been performed.
• Over her career, Schumann gave over 238 concerts with
Joachim in Germany and Britain, more than with any
other artist. The two were particularly noted for their
playing of Beethoven's violin sonatas.
Clara and
Joachim’s
performances
• Like Clara Schumann among pianists, he represented a
new species of ‘ascetic’ violinist, subordinating himself to
the composer rather than glorying in his virtuoso
technique. This philosophy drew him inevitably to
chamber music.
• Joachim's solo repertory remained relatively restricted. As
a soloist he concentrated on just a handful of works:
Bach’s solo sonatas, the violin concertos of Beethoven,
Mendelssohn, Brahms, Viotti, and Spohr, and his own
works.
• It was Joachim who initiated entire recitals devoted to
string quartets, and in them he presented the entire
classical repertory, from Haydn to Brahms.
Chamber music
 Johannes Brahms
Relationship Advice
• In the same festival as what introduced Joachim to the Schummans, Joachim met the • Brahms greatly valued Joachim's opinion
then publicly unknown 20-year-old Johannes Brahms: Joachim wrote very favourably of his new compositions. Early on,
of him (“his compositions already betoken such power as I have seen in no other Brahms already played and composed
musician of his age”), and strongly recommended him to the Schumanns, who were for the piano but he felt deficient in
equally as impressed. orchestration: in 1854 sent a score of
• Joachim and Brahms (mostly) remain strong allies throughout their careers until the first movement to his Piano
Brahms’ death in 1897. Many notable moments of their friendship include: Concerto No.1 in D Minor (his first
orchestral work) to Joachim, requesting
• 1860: Brahms and Joachim jointly wrote a manifesto against the "progressive"
his advice, which he responded to very
music of the 'New German' School such as Liszt, Wagner, etc. favourably (“I beg for some severe
• Good Friday, 10.04.1868: Joachim and his wife joined in the celebration of one of criticism”). The final manuscript of the
Brahms' greatest triumphs, the first complete performance of his German concerto published four years later
Requiem at the Bremen Cathedral. In addition to this work, Amalie Joachim sang shows many alterations in the
"I Know that My Redeemer Liveth" and Joseph Joachim played Robert handwriting of Joachim
Schumann's Abendlied. • In 1878 while writing his violin concerto,
• 1884: Joesph and Amalie Joachim separated after he became convinced she was Brahms consulted Joachim (the
having an affair with the publisher Fritz Simrock. Brahms wrote a sympathetic dedicatee, more on this later),
letter to Amalie, which she later produced as evidence in Joachim's divorce encouragement and technical advice.
proceeding against her. This led to a cooling of Brahms' and Joachim's friendship, Brahms asked Joachim to write the
which was not restored until some years later, when Brahms composed the cadenza for the concerto, as he did.
Double Concerto as a peace offering. Joachim continued to promote Brahms’s
• 1895: both Brahms and Joachim were present at the opening of the new Tonhalle at music and was responsible for the first
Zürich, Switzerland; Brahms conducted and Joachim was assistant conductor. performances of many of Brahms’s
• 1899: Joachim makes a speech at the unveiling of Brahms’ new statue in Vienna chamber works, introducing them also
to England.
 After Brahms’ death
22.04.1899:
• A concert in honour of Joachim was given by his former students of violin and viola playing, as well as cellists who had
studied quartet playing with him.
• The total of some 140 string players was impressive, as were their instruments (made by Stradivari, Guarneri, Bergonzi,
Amati, etc.)

1899:
• Joachim was invited to become president of the newly established Oxford & Cambridge Musical Club in London. He
remained club president until his death.
• He had already received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Cambridge University in 1877.

1903
• Joachim recorded five sides for The Gramophone & Typewriter Ltd (G&T), a fascinating and valuable source of information
about nineteenth century styles of violin playing to this day.
• These illustrations document his subtle command of rubato, his long-arched phrasing, and his sparing use of vibrato.
• He is the earliest violinist of distinction known to have recorded, followed by Pablo de Sarasate.

1907
• Dies at the age of 76, in Berlin
●
Concertos for violin ●
●
R. Schumann: Violin
Concerto in D Minor, WoO
23
●
M. Bruch: Violin Concerto
No.1 in G Minor, Op.26
M. Bruch: Violin Concerto
No.3 in D Minor, Op.58
●
A. Dvorak: Violin Concerto
in A Minor, Op.53
●
J. Brahms: Violin Concerto
in D Minor, Op.77
Works for violin and ●
Notable others
piano
●
Various: F-A-E Sonata M. Bruch: Symphony No.2
in F Minor, Op.36
●
C. Schumann: Three R. Schumann: Symphony
Romances, Op.22 No.4 in D Minor, Op.120
●
P. de Sarasate: Spanish J. Brahms: Concerto for
Dances, Op.21 Violin & Cello, Op.102
●
F. Ries: Suite No.1 for J. Brahms: Piano Sonata
Violin and Piano, Op.26 No.1 in C Major, Op.1
●
A. Rubenstein: Nine F. Liszt: Hungarian
Salon Pieces, Op.11 Rhapsody No.12 in C#
Minor
M. Bruch: Damajanti, Op.78
 • Joachim met Brahms for the first time earlier that year (1852) on a
tour in Göttingen.
• It is unclear as to exactly why this work is dedicated to Joachim, but
Why piano music? a few theories point towards:
• Its extreme virtuosity and brilliant character, akin to much
of Joachim’s showpieces.
• Beethoven’s heavy influence: Joachim was partly
responsible for maintaining his legacy though
rediscovering the Violin Concerto and championing the
string quartets
• The first movement of this piece heavily resembles the
Hammerklavier Sonata, both in terms of virtuosity and
texture.
• However, it is most likely that Brahms dedicated this piece to him as
he very much aided its publication. When he met the then-
unknown 20-year-old composer, Joachim instantly recommended
Johannes Brahms: Piano Sonata in C Major, Op.1 him to Schumann.
Peter Rosen, piano • As such, this piece (with his second sonata) was sent to Breitkopf &
Härtel with a letter of recommendation from Robert Schumann,
and this work shows signs of an effort to impress in its symphonic
grandeur, technical demands, and dramatic character
• Both Schumann and Joachim were the first to praise Brahms in the
enthusiastic manner that would greet his later music.
• Unlike the Brahms, however, there are several
reasons why Joesph Joachim is a good fit as a
dedication for Liszt’s twelfth Hungarian
Why piano music?
Rhapsody:
• Joachim was Hungarian! He would go on
arrange all 21 of Brahms’ Hungarian
Dances for violin and piano, as well as
this piece later (but not the others), and
up until that point Liszt had dedicated all
of his Hungarian Rhapsodies to different
important Hungarians in a vast array of
disciplines – the only non-Hungarian to
be dedicated was Hans von Bulow
(no.14).
• This is much more akin to the showpieces
and technical brilliance that Joachim
displayed in his own repertory and
compositions. Liszt’s Hungarian Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.12 in C# minor
Rhapsodies are very much capriccioso in Evgeny Kissin, piano
character, very much appealing to
nineteenth century performance standard
at the time, and the virtuosity of this
 Clara Schumann: Three Romances, Op.22

• After the Niederrheinische • 29th May: ‘Today I once

Musikfest of 1853, in
which Clara Schumann
heard Joachim play (as
well as a joint rehearsal
of Robert’s Violin Sonata,
Op. 105 the day after), a
sudden renewal of • 22nd June: ‘Composing
compositional interest
and inspiration came
over her.
• There had been a five-year
gap between Op.19
(Three Partsongs, 1848)
and Op.20 (Variations on
a theme by Robert, • A little more than one
1853), and her diary
entries reflect these
struggles to return to
composition
more began … for the
first time for years, to
compose again … but I
find it very difficult. –
The break has been too
long.’ “The rest of us were applauded, and after Robert’s concerto the
orchestra presented me with a laurel-wreath, but Joachim won a
brings me great joy … victory over us all with the Beethoven concerto – he played it
Nothing can surpass with a finish, a depth of poetic feeling, his whole soul in every
note, so ideally, that I never heard violin-playing like it, and I can
producing [music]
truly say that I have never received so indelible an impression
oneself, and be it only
from any virtuoso.”
for these hours of self-
forgetting, where one
breathes solely in tones.’
week later she
completed the third of
her Op. 22 Romances.
• In bar 35 of the first romance, in D-Flat Major, there is a subtle allusion to the first motive of Robert
Schumann’s violin sonata in A Minor, the piece that they had rehearsed together the day after the
festival in 1853. This melancholy sighing motive, to be played solely on the G-string, results in a
powerful climax of expression, coinciding with one of two perfect authentic cadences in this piece.
• However, this also alludes to Joachim’s own personal violin technique and preference: his favourite
“sul G” timbre was perhaps still in Schumann’s mind when composing this allusion, allowing her to
bring Joachim into this particular ‘conversation’ as well as both Schumanns.

Clara Schumann, Three Romances, Op.22 No.1 Robert Schumann, Violin Sonata, Op.105 Mov.1
Janine Jansen, violin (1:16) Ara Malikian, violin
Clara Schumann, Three Romances, Op.22 No.2 Clara Schumann, Three Romances, Op.22 No.3 Joesph Joachim, Drei Stucke, Op.2 No.1
Janine Jansen, violin (0:36) Clara-Jumi Kang, violin (3:10) Daniel Hope, violin (1:30; 4:00)

• The last two romances, however, are more nuanced when considering performative allusions to Joachim.
This time, however, it alludes to a performance of Clara Schumann with Joachim of Joachim, his own
Romance in B-Flat Major, Op. 2 No.1.
• In Op. 22 No. 2, bar 27, Schumann explores an expressive diminished-seventh leap, E ♭–F♯, which also features
prominently in Joachim’s romance.
• In No.3, while the key centre of B-Flat is shared among the two works, the final passages of both Romances present a
cascading line in quaver-notes from E♭–C–A–F–E ♭ in the high register of the violin, with only a minor difference of a
G♭ present in Schumann’s descent.

• These are merely ‘moments of familiarity’, an in-joke by performers performing these pieces back-to-
back. However, for us it highlights their close interaction in 1853 which evidently allowed a true
partnership to emerge.
 ●
182 ●
Robert Schumann, Romanze in F minor, fragment, for piano solo (Schumann, Thematisch-
9 Bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis F2)
183
Clara and Joesph’s goals in
●
●
Clara Wieck, Romance variée in C major, Op. 3, for piano solo
3
composing Op. 22 and Op. 2 seem to ●
183 ●
Robert, Romanze in B♭ major, Albumblätter, Op. 124 No. 11 (published 1854), for piano solo
5
be quite similar, in that both bypass ●
183 ●
Clara, Romanze in A♭ major, second movement of Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 7
the most famous violin romance 5
●
183
model referenced in standard 6
●
Clara, Romance in B major, Pièces caractéristiques, Op. 5 No. 3, for piano solo

dictionaries: ●
183
8
●
Robert, Romanze in D minor, Scherzo, Gigue, Romanze und Fughette, Op. 32 No. 3 (published 1839)

• rondo form ●
183 ●
Robert, Romanze in G minor, Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26 No. 2
9
• pastoral and topical connotations ●
183 ●
Clara, Trois Romances in E♭ minor, G minor and A♭ major, Op. 11, for piano solo (published
9 1840);
• an orchestral accompaniment ●
183 ●
Robert, Drei Romanzen in B♭ minor, F♯ major and B major, Op. 28, for piano solo (published
9 1840)
Schumann and Joachim instead ●
184 ●
Robert, Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120, Romanze in A minor (revised 1851)
1
allowed the romance to be less ●
184 ●
Robert, Romanze in A minor, Fantasiestücke, Op. 88 No. 1, for violin, cello and piano (published
formally standardized, freer in its 2 1850)
●
184
harmonic language and rich in 8
●
Robert, Kleine Romanze in A minor, Album für die Jugend, Op. 68 No. 19, for piano

various subtle ‘conversational’ ●

184
9
●
Robert, Adagio [orig. Romanze] und Allegro in A♭ major, Op. 70, for horn and piano
musical nuances, ●
184 ●
Robert, Drei Romanzen in A minor, A major and A minor, Op. 94, for oboe (violin) and piano
9 (published 1851)
This was pivotal in proving that ●
185 ●
Joachim, Romanze in C major, for violin and piano
several decades separated it from its ●
0
185 ●
Robert, Drei Fantasiestücke [Romanzen] in C minor, A♭ major and C minor, Op. 111, for
French eighteenth-century origin. 1 piano (published 1852)
●
185 ●
Joachim, Drei Stücke, Op. 2, ‘Romanze’ No. 1 in B♭ major, for violin and piano
2
● ●