Frederic Ernest Fesca

Friedrich Ernst Fesca (* February 15, 1789 in Magdeburg, † May 24, 1826 in Karlsruhe ) was a German violinist and composer of classical music.

• 3.2.1 operas
• 3.2.2 Religious
• 3.2.3 Klavierlieder
• 3.2.4 other vocal music

Life

Friedrich Fesca comes from a music-loving family. His father was the Magdeburg market judge Johann Peter August Fesca, who took an active part in the musical life of his city as a music lover. His mother was the singer Marianne Podleska, a student of Johann Adam Hiller.

On October 6, 1805 - aged 11 years - debuted Fesca as a violin virtuoso in his hometown with a ( lost ) 's Violin Concerto in E minor and occurred in the sequence at local concerts at the Masonic Lodge; about the same time he received his first theory lessons with Johann Friedrich Zachariae, later Friedrich Adolph Pitterlin (both defining figures in the musical life of Magdeburg ). Apparently Fesca began at this time with the composition of string quartets; because as Louis Spohr visited on one of his concert tours in 1804 Magdeburg and made an invitation to a " music game with Mr. chamber secretary Fesca " episode, he praised a quartet of Fesca junior: It " is working very well and is evidence of great talent ."

In Leipzig Fesca studied in 1805, inter alia, the choirmaster August Eberhard Müller, the violinist gave him the Gewandhaus Orchestra later. Here he joined on with cellist Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer, in time still rare public String Quartet recitals. After working briefly as a court musician of the Grand Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig von Oldenburg Fesca was from 1808 until the end of the Kingdom of Westphalia in 1813 solo violinist in the court orchestra Kassel. 1810/11 the first signs of lung disease became noticeable; this illness prevented him almost two long at public appearances. During this period including his symphonies 1 and 2, 1814, he joined as a violinist at the Grand Duke of Baden to Karlsruhe chapel, whose leader, he was in the following year. Because of his lung condition he had to severely restrict and 1821 to give up all his violin playing. He then devoted himself again reinforced his compositional activity, until he died in 1826 after a long period of suffering. His recent compositions include two overtures (op. 41 and 43), which he composed in 1825.

Fesca married in May 1812 in Kassel Charlotte Dingelstedt; Daughter of Johann Heinrich Dingelstedt horn players; the two had four children, all sons. My second son Alexander Ernst Fesca (1820-1849) was a composer and also died early pulmonary distress.

After Fescas death Friedrich Rochlitz wrote an obituary, which forms the basis of the Fesca - biography.

Reception

Fesca was by his contemporaries - valued primarily as a composer of string quartets - including Carl Maria von Weber. No other quartet composer of his time has been widely evaluated in of the leading general musical newspaper as he. The critics attested Fescas quartets an elaborate set of technology and ingenious thematic- motivic work, rich harmonies, and the inclusion of virtuosic elements while individual logo. Were measured Fescas quartets to those of Haydn and Mozart - Beethoven increasingly - as classical models and Louis Spohr, George Onslow and Andreas and Bernhard Romberg as equal contemporaries.

In addition to string quartets and quintets also Fescas - symphonies, operas and sacred compositions were well received by his contemporaries. Performances of his psalm settings are to be evidenced by the mid 19th century and Friedrich Rochlitz was: "In Fesca 's quartet music, which speaks to him most proper of his being but probably most clearly, although, according to our judgment, are the most successful of his spiritual compositions higher.

As with the string quartets were also in the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart after 1800 as a benchmark, initially very diverse repertoire. The fact that Spohr, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Andreas Romberg and Fesca a whole series of ambitious composer Mozart's Symphony 543 selected in E flat major, KV to the model, the contemporaries seemed obvious, provided by a " Copie not in the least the speech [can be ] here only as a Canova Greece enthusiastic magnificent relics, and their own Abspiegelungen decorated in its interior, produced independent works, so pull of the late singer's [ie Mozart's ] glorious sounds Others, and also Mr. F [ esca ] to. they receives the direction of the feelings and of taste, one chooses the form: and the similar and yet so dissimilar sister is here. " During this time, the musical tastes of the audience and the setting of the criticism, however, fundamentally changed due to the increasing popularization of Beethoven's symphonies. Many symphonies fell into oblivion, as Beethoven's symphonies

" Had [ ... ] enforced as unsurpassable pattern. Were the works of these composers in direct competition with the not yet established Beethoven's creations, as was the subsequent generation of composers worthy of mention Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838), George Onslow (1784-1853) and Friedrich Ernst Fesca (1789-1826), faced with the problem of developing a individual style, without departing from the standard set by Beethoven's music too far; a contemporary critic outlined the problem in 1829, as follows:

Approaching these tone poems of other composers of the Beethoven too much, so we reject them too easily as imitations, they are too far from those they do not respond normally. So If the ship is not in the Scylla, so it falls into the Charybdis.

[ ... ] Custom mold designs and original styles personnel [ were ] their importance is not recognized in accordance with [ ... ]. "

Schubert's Great Symphony in C Major was known in 1839; also this work to the public taste changed strong and sustainable; Works that had been written 1813-1839, fell largely into oblivion.

Also Fescas early death helped that his works were quickly forgotten.

In the late 1990s the first time works of Fesca released on CD: his three symphonies and three flute quartets were recorded and published by the classical label cpo.

Works

A complete thematic and bibliographic catalog of works contains the thesis of Markus Frei - Hauenschild.

Instrumental music

Symphonies

Other orchestral music

• Andante and Rondo for Horn and Orchestra in F major, Op 39 (1825 /26)
• Overture in D major, Op 41 (1825 /26)
• Overture in C major, Op posth 43 ​​(1826 )

String Quartets

• E-flat, F sharp minor, B- flat major, Op 1 (prior to 1814, first edition 1815)
• B minor, G minor, E major, Op 2 (prior to 1814, first edition 1815)
• A minor, D major, E flat major, Op 3 (No. 2 before 1814, first edition 1816)
• C minor, Op 4 (1815; ? Erstdruck 1816)
• F minor, E minor, Op 7 (1816, first edition 1817)
• D minor, Op 12 (1817; ? Erstdruck 1818/19 )
• B flat major, Op 14 (1819 )
• D major, Op 34 (1824 )
• C major, Op 36 (1825 )

String Quintets

• D major, Op 8 (1817 )
• E-flat major, Op 9 (1817 )
• E- flat major, Op 15 (1829 )
• B flat major, Op 20 (1821 )

Flute Quartets

• Flute Quartet in D major, Op 37 (1825 )
• Flute Quartet in G major, Op 38 (1825 )
• Flute Quartet in F major, Op 40 (1825 /26)
• Flute Quartet in D major, Op 42 (1826 )

Other chamber music

• Flute Quintet in C major, Op 22 (1820 /21)
• Potpourri for Horn and String Quartet in F major, Op 29 (1823 /24)
• Potpourri for Violin and String Trio in C major, Op 6 [ a] (1818 )
• Potpourri for Violin and String Trio in B flat major, Op 11 (1818 )
• Potpourri for Violin and String Trio in A major op 23 (1821 )

Vocal music

Operas

• Cantemire op.19 (UA in 1820 in Karlsruhe, first edition 1822)
• Omar and Leila op.28 (UA 1824 in Karlsruhe, first edition 1824)

Sacred Music

• Our Father for soloists (SATB) and chorus ( SATB), Op 18 (1820 )
• The ninth psalm for soloists ( SATB), chorus ( SATB) and orchestra, Op 21 (1821 )
• A set from the 13th Psalm for four voices ( SATB) and Piano, Op 25 (1822 /23)
• The 103rd Psalm for four Simngstimmen ( SSAT ), Chor ( SATB) and orchestra, Op 26 (1823 )

Piano songs

• The Catharr song for voices and piano WoO 6 (1823 /24)
• 6 songs for voice and piano, Op 5 (1816 /17)
• 6 songs for voice and piano, Op 17 (1822 )
• 6 songs for voice and piano, Op 24 (1822 )
• 5 Songs for a two Singstimmenund and Piano, Op 27 (1822 /23)
• 6 songs for voice and piano, Op 30 (1823 /24)
• 5 Songs for Voice and Piano, Op 32 (1824 )

Other vocal music

• Arie your lofty powers of heaven for soprano and orchestra, placed in op 28 (1825 )
• Italian scene for soprano and orchestra, Op 33 (1825 /26)

• Singing to the holy Caecilia for four voices ( SATB) WoO 5 (1823 )
• 4 songs for four voices ( SATB) Opus 16 (1819 )
• Joke gorgeous table song for four male voices ( TTBB) op.31 (1823 /24)
• 6 table songs for four male voices ( TTBB), Op 35 (1825 )