Woldemar Bargiel

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Woldemar Bargiel (October 3, 1828 – February 23, 1897) was a German composer of classical music.

He was born in Berlin, and was the half brother of Clara Schumann. Bargiel’s father Adolph was a well-known piano and voice teacher while his mother Mariane had been unhappily married to Clara’s father, Friedrich Wieck. Clara was nine years older than Woldemar. Throughout their lives, they enjoyed a warm relationship. The initial opportunities which led to the success and recognition he enjoyed were due to Clara, who introduced him to both Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn. Bargiel received his first lessons at home and later with the well-known Berlin teacher of music theory Siegfried Wilhelm Dehn. Upon the suggestion of Schumann and the recommendation of Mendelssohn, Bargiel at age 16 went to study at the famous Leipzig Conservatory with two of the leading men of music: Ignaz Moscheles (piano) and Niels Wilhelm Gade(composition).

After leaving Leipzig in 1850, he returned to Berlin where he tried to make ends meet by giving private lessons. Eventually, Clara and Robert were able to arrange for the publication of some of his early works, including his First Piano Trio.

Subsequently, Bargiel held positions at the conservatories in Cologne and Rotterdam before accepting a position at the prestigious Hochschule fur Musik in Berlin where he taught for the rest of his life. Among his many students were Paul Juon and Leopold Godowsky. Besides teaching and composing, Bargiel served with Brahms as co-editor of the complete editions of Schumann’s and Chopin’s works. While Bargiel did not write a lot of music, most of what he composed was well thought out and shows solid musical craftsmanship. His chamber music—he wrote four string quartets, a string octet and three piano trios—represents an important part of his output.

[edit] Selected list of compositions

Opus 4 Six bagatelles for piano
Opus 6 Piano trio #1 in F major
Opus 7 Suite for piano, four hands
Opus 8 Three character pieces for piano
Opus 9 Three fantasy-pieces for piano
Opus 10 Violin sonata in F minor
Opus 15a Octet for strings in C minor (I.Adagio - Allegro appassionato; II.Andante sostenuto - Allegro - Tempo 1 - Tempo 2; III. Allegro)
Opus 15b String quartet #3 in A minor
Opus 16 Ouvertüre zu Prometheus
Opus 17 Suite for violin and piano
Opus 18 Ouvertüre zu einem Trauerspiel
Opus 20 Piano trio #2 in E-flat
Opus 21 Suite for piano (I. Praludium; II. Zwiegesang; III. Sarabande; IV. Marsch - Trio; V. Scherzo; VI.Finale)
Opus 22 Ouvertüre zu Medea
Opus 23 Sonata for piano in G, four hands
Opus 25 Thirteenth Psalm (for chorus and orchestra)
Opus 29 Gigue for piano four-hands
Opus 30 Symphony in C major
Opus 31 Suite in G minor for piano (I. Prelude; II. Elegy; III. Marcia fantastica; IV. Scherzo; V.Adagio; VI.Finale)
Opus 32 Eight fantasy pieces for piano
Opus 34 Sonata for piano in C (I. Allegro moderato, con passione; II. Andante, un poco con moto; III. Adagio maestoso - Allegro molto - Prestissimo)
Opus 35 Drei Frühlingslieder , for three-part women's chorus (at KB catalog in the Hague )
Opus 37 Piano trio #3 in B-flat
Opus 38 Adagio in G major for violin or violoncello and piano or orchestra
Opus 39 Frühlingslieder (for three-part chorus with piano)
Opus 43 Psalm 61 (for choir, baritone solo and orchestra)
Opus 47 String quartet #4 in D minor
Opus 48 Intermezzo for orchestra (arrangement of the slow movement of the opus 34 piano sonata)

[edit] References

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