Gade, Niels Wilhelm

Preface

Gade, Niels Wilhelm

Violin Concerto in D minor Op. 56 (Piano Reduction/Solo)

Niels Wilhelm Gade is an impressive example of the cultural exchange that took place between Denmark and Germany in the nineteenth century. He was born in Copenhagen on 22 February 1817, the only child of a cabinet and instrument maker named Søren Nielsen Gade (1790-1875). At the age of fourteen he began an apprenticeship with his father, only to give it up half a year later to study composition. At fifteen he became a private pupil of Frederik Thorkildsen Wexschall (1798-1845), the concertmaster of the royal orchestra in Copenhagen. In addition to his violin lessons, he also studied theory and composition with Andreas Peter Berggreen (1801–1880), who kindled his interest Denmark’s native folksong (this would later have a formative impact on his music). His international breakthrough came about in 1840 with his official op. 1, Efterklange af Ossian (Echoes of Ossian). In 1843-44 he settled in Leipzig, where he soon entered the circle surrounding Felix Mendelssohn and the Schumanns. He then resumed his European tour from March to August 1844. While staying in Rome, he received an offer to teach at Leipzig Conservatory and to join Mendelssohn as co-director of the Gewandhaus Concerts – an appointment that placed him among the leading conductors of his day. After Mendelssohn’s death in 1847, he became the sole director of the Gewandhaus Concerts, but he returned to Copenhagen at the end of the 1847-48 season…

For more information on the piece:

Read the preface to the full score / das Vorwort zur Partitur lesen > HERE