Johann Sebastian Bach
Jules Conus (February 1, 1869 - January 3, 1942) was from Moscow, Russia and was the son of the pianist Eduard Conus. He was a Russian violinist and composer. His brothers, George Conus and Lev Conus, were also musicians. They all studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Sergei Taneyev and Anton Arensky. He taught at the Moscow Conservatory until 1895 until he had to emigrate to France due to the Russian Revolution, where his son, Serge Conus, was born. They moved to New York where he was a concertmaster of an orchestra. Boris, another of his sons, would go off to marry the daughter of Sergei Rachmaninoff. Conus returned to Moscow in 1939, and would, later on, pass away in 1942.
Violin Concerto in E Minor, Opus 1
The Violin Concerto in E Minor, Opus 1 was composed in 1889, and premiered at Moscow with Conus himself as the soloist. The piece was then followed by another premier in London with Fritz Kreisler in 1904. It rose to fame, however, when Jascha Heifetz included it in his repertoire and did a recording with the RCA Symphony Orchestra under Izler Solomon’s baton in 1952 Written in a ‘French’ style, the concerto still keeps its Russian themes alive. It is an unusual concerto, as the first movement is interrupted in the middle by the second movement, only going back to the recapitulation after. The long cadenza is then followed by an extensive coda to the finish.
Julius Conus
Cesar Franck
Born in December 10, 1822 in Liege, Belgium, Cesar Franck is considered one of the most important in the latter half of 19th century in symphonic, chamber, orchestra, and piano music. His stage works, unfortunately, were unsuccessful, but at least his choral works were recognized, though not by much.
Franck was keyboard of extraordinary ability, along with being an organist at several major churches with his organ compositions standing at the apex of Romantic organ repertoire. He was highly religious, with most of his compositions based on biblical texts and church services.
In 1872, he became a professor at the Paris Conservatory, a music school which had rejected him once because of his race, but reluctantly accepted him after repeated insistence of getting in.
During his time, a group named 'la bande a Franck' formed, consisting of young composers - d'Indy, Duparc, and Dukas. The young composers admired his post-Romantic style, innovative harmonies and melodies, and skilled contrapuntal style. Franck steered French composition to orchestra and chamber music, breaking the tradition of conservative opera over French music.
His music is influenced by Liszt and Wagner, especially with his quick modulation and shifting harmonies along with his musical characteristic of homophonic writing.
Franck died in November 8, 1890 in Paris, Fance. By the turn of the century, he was considered a leading figure associated with "Old School" French music while Debussy represented the "progressive" force.
Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano
Composed around 1886, the sonata is known for its balanced violin and piano parts and cyclic form (possessing a theme or motif that recurs across multiple movements in the work), written for the Belgian violinist, Eugene Ysaye on the occasion of his marriage, with which the violinist performed at the celebration. The public premier was then held in Brussels at the end of the year.
Despite writing very little chamber works, the sonata became a concert favorite with its songlike melodies, and played often by Ysaye in salons during his career, stating that he played it 'con amore' as it was a wedding gift. This work is also an interesting piece, as unlike other sonatas, this one has 4 movements.
The first movement (Allegretto ben moderato) is a soulful character, with the piano and violin echoing each other throughout the piece, which is then contrasted by the turbulent second movement (allegro). The third movement (Recitativo-Fantasia) is mournful, yet seemingly spontaneous with a fantasia-like air with its minor-mode melodies. the last movement (allegretto poco mosso) is a delightful back and forth between the piano and violin, soaring in the upper registers in passionate dialogue, with phrases from one part recurring on the other.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) is one of the greatest composers of Western music. Born in Eisenach, Germany, his parents died when he was 9 years old, thus sending him to live with his brother. At the time, he learned the keyboard and studied composition by himself.
Bach's music is distinct, his mastery with harmony and counterpoint was without rival. His music is 'absolute music', which means the music can exist apart from its intended instrument. Although his music was not acknowledged during his lifetime, it is now a strong foundation for many musicians today.
Sonata for solo violin No.1 in G minor - Fugue
The Sonata in G minor is the first work in Bach's 6 Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, it is the shortest and one of the most frequently played in the lot. The set was completed in 1702 but published in 1802. Today, the 6 works are a standard requirement for all violinists.
The sonatas are in a typical fashion of -slow-fast-slow-fast structure. The fugue, in particular, is a cheery dance-like theme. It was later transcribed for flute.
