Theodor Kullak
Theodor Kullak ( born September 12, 1818 in Krotoschin in Poznan, † March 1, 1882 in Berlin) was a German pianist, piano teacher and composer.
Youth and Education
Kullak received his first piano lessons at Albert Agthe in Poznan. At the age of 8 years, he caught the attention of Prince Anton Radziwill, which enabled him to perform with 11 years together with the singer Henriette Sontag. His piano playing pleased the king, and he received a purse of 30 gold pieces. Prince Radziwill made sure that Kullak received an education in Züllichau. In 1833 the Prince died. Now after the Father's will, he had to Berlin to study medicine and to earn his living through music lessons. The Count Gustav Adolf Wilhelm von Inge home led him to students and enabled so that he could take with Wilhelm Taubert piano lessons with Siegfried Dehn lessons in harmony.
More help came from highly placed persons. This time, put the top governess, Mrs. Hermine von Massow, for him. She succeeded King Friedrich Wilhelm IV to move to a gift of 400 thalers, so he could continue his musical studies. In 1842 he returned to his medical studies and traveled back to Vienna.
From 1842 to 1843 studied with Kullak Simon Sechter, Otto Nicolai and Carl Czerny in Vienna. After a successful concert tour in Austria, he became in 1843 a piano teacher of the princesses and the princes of the royal house in Berlin in 1846 and received the title of Royal Court Pianist, who was well endowed. He was the most respected piano teachers of his time in Berlin.
Teacher and composer
In 1850 he founded, together with Julius Stern and Adolf Bernhard Marx Stern'sche Conservatory. This he left in 1855 to found the New Academy of Music, which he headed until his death. She was dedicated to the pianist training and soon became the largest German private institute for music education. For teaching he also wrote serials, such as
- School of finger exercises and the Octave Playing
- Materials for elementary education ( 3 issues )
- The practical part to the method of Pianoforte game of Moscheles and Fétis (2 issues)
1880 celebrated the New Academy of Music its 25th anniversary with 100 teachers and over 1000 students. These included: Hans Bronsart of Schelldorf, Alfred Grünfeld, Erika Lie, Louis Maas, Martha Remmert, Emil favorite, Edward Baxter Perry, Nikolai Grigoryevich Rubinstein, neally Stevens, Constantin Sternberg, John Orth, August Hyllested, Adele From Ohe, William Sherwood, Hans Bischoff, Moritz Moszkowski, James Kwast, Theo Ysaÿe and Xaver and Philipp Scharwenka.
He was succeeded by his son Franz Kullak, who headed the Academy until its dissolution in 1890.
The music encyclopedias that time consistently report that Kullak, that is arrangements of songs and opera arias or entire scenes for Pianoforte regarded as the inventor of the so-called transcriptions.
Kullak wrote next about 130 very striking salon pieces, a piano sonata, a piano symphony, a piano concerto, and works for piano and violin.
- Theodor Kullak collection of his works
Discography
- Kullak, Theodor: Piano Concerto in C minor op.55 ( Hyperion Records in 1999; series: 'The Romantic Piano Concerto ' Vol 21)