composer
Julius Röntgen, a prolific composer, was born on May 9, 1855 in Leipzig (Germany). He was the son of the violin player Engelbert Röntgen and the pianist Pauline Klengel. He ...
related works
String Trio Nº 4 (Walzer Suite) / Julius Röntgen
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
String Trio (violin, viola, cello)
Scoring:
vn vla vc
Ambivalence : for soprano saxophone and trumpet / Petra Strahovnik
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
sax-s tpt
Echomorphes : for flute and vibraphone / Christos Anastassiou
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
fl vib
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
composition
Duett : for violin and viola / Julius Röntgen
Description:
German-born Julius Röntgen (1855-1932) composed at an early age, long before his arrival in the Netherlands in 1878. There he would continue to work as a composer, pianist, conductor and pedagogue until his death, thus becoming a “Dutch" composer.
In 1864, at the urging of his father Engelbert Röntgen, concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, he notated his first piece of music. Gradually several youthful works came into being, such as several organ pieces and in 1869 the three-movement Duett for violin and viola. It caused a stir when it was played at the Rheinisch Musikfest, which took place that year. None other than legendary violinist Joseph Joachim (for whom Brahms wrote his violin concerto) played the Duett with father Engelbert Röntgen. This was reported in the Times by a Scottish musician, Sir Herbert Oakeley, who attended and described the amazement caused by the young Julius Röntgen's talent. According to Oakeley, Joachim had found it plausible that Julius could become one of the "great masters”.
This work, which comes from the archive of Julius Röntgen located at the Netherlands Music Institute/Haags Gemeentearchief, remained unpublished until now. On the initiative of Gerard Wiarda, conductor of several amateur orchestras who also plays the violin and viola himself, this piece is now being published in print for the first time. Wiarda also took care of the correction of the music printing.
Frits Zwart, June 2022