Jaromír Weinberger


Jaromír Weinberger was a Bohemian-born Jewish subject of the Austrian Empire, who became a naturalized American composer.

Biography

Weinberger was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary, into a family of Jewish origin. He heard Czech folksongs from time spent at his grandparents' farm as a youth. He started playing the piano aged 5, and composing and conducting aged 10. He began musical studies with Jaroslav Křička, and later teachers included Václav Talich and Rudolf Karel. He became a student at the Prague Conservatory at age 14, as a second-year student, where he studied composition with Vítězslav Novák and. Later, at Leipzig, he studied with Max Reger, who influenced Weinberger on the use of counterpoint. In September 1922, Weinberger moved to the United States where he took up a position as an instructor at Cornell University. Between 1922 and 1926 he was professor of composition at the Ithaca Conservatory, New York.
When he returned to Czechoslovakia he was appointed director of the National Theater in Bratislava, and later received appointments in Eger, Hungary, and Prague. In 1926 Weinberger completed Schwanda the Bagpiper, which became highly successful, with thousands of performances in hundreds of theatres including the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. His operetta Frühlingsstürme was first performed at the Theatre in Admiralspalast in Berlin on January 19, 1933, with Jarmila Novotná and Richard Tauber in the leading roles. Mary Losseff took over from Novotná in February, but the show was closed down by the Nazi government in March. His subsequent European works include the Passacaglia for orchestra and organ, Six Bohemian Dances for violin and piano, the opera The Outcasts of Poker Flat and a grand oratorio Christmas, though none of them matched the success of Schwanda the Bagpiper.
In 1939, after extensive travels to the United States, Bratislava and Vienna, he left Czechoslovakia to escape the Nazis and settled in New York state, teaching there and in Ohio. He wrote a number of works on commission from American orchestras. He became an American citizen in 1948.
In January 1949, Weinberger moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. In later life, he developed cancer of the brain. This, together with money worries and the neglect of his music, prompted him to take a lethal sedative overdose in August 1967. His wife, Jane Lemberger Weinberger, died on July 31, 1968.
In 2004 Czech pianist Tomáš Víšek and cellist František Brikcius organized a tour celebrating Weinberger's work.

Major works

Weinberger composed over 100 works, including operas, operettas, choral works, and works for orchestra. Until recently, the only one which remained even on the fringe of the repertoire was the opera Schwanda the Bagpiper, a worldwide success after its première in 1927. The opera is still performed occasionally, and the Polka and Fugue from it is often heard in a concert version. The artists of the Walt Disney studio considered making it into a segment for Fantasia 2000, but instead chose Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, in the form of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier". Recent revivals of Frühlingsstürme and Wallenstein indicate a renewed interest in his distinctive work.
Weinberger used a varied musical language. His studies in Prague and Leipzig stressed formal control and contrapuntal mastery; following the example of his teachers, Křička, Novák and Reger, Weinberger's works exhibit control, but are also playful. This combination received both praise and criticism.

List of works

;Opera and operetta
;StageÚnos Evelynion, Pantomime in 1 act ; libretto by František LangerKocourkov, Puppet Show ; libretto by František SmažíkSaratoga, Ballet ; libretto by the composer
;OrchestralLustspiel, Overture ; with popular song "Pepíku, Pepíku" as the main themeThree pieces for small orchestra Don Quijote Scherzo giocoso Kocourkov Overture to a Marionette Play Polka and Fugue from the opera Schwanda the Bagpiper Furiant from the opera Schwanda the Bagpiper White Mountain Ouverture Dance rondo Vánoce for orchestra and organ Neckerei for chamber orchestra ; also for piano6 Czech Songs and Dances ; also for violin and pianoOverture to a Chivalrous Play Passacaglia for orchestra and organ Chant hébraïque Valdštejn, Suite from the opera Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree, Variations and Fugue on an Old English Tune Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 4 Movements from Washington Irving's Sketch Book Song of the High Seas for chamber orchestra and organ Prelude and Fugue on a Southern Folktune ; also known as Prelude and Fugue on "Dixie"A Bird's Opera, Symphonic Suite Česká rapsódie Lincolnova symfonie Préludes Réligieux et Profanes ; composed in 8 parts, part 4 is titled Hymne an St. WenzeslausAus Tirol, Folkdance and Fugue A Waltz Overture
;Concert bandHomage to the Pioneers, Triumphant March Mississippi Rhapsody Prelude to the Festival, Concert March Afternoon in the Village
;ConcertanteThe Devil on the Belfry for violin and orchestraConcerto for Timpani with 4 trumpets and 4 trombones
  • Concerto for alto saxophone and orchestra The Raven for cello, bass clarinet, harp and string orchestra
;Chamber music
  • String QuartetColloque sentimental, Prelude after the Poem by Paul Verlaine for violin and piano Une cantilène jalouse for violin and piano 3 Pieces for violin and piano 6 Czech Songs and Dances violin and piano ; also for orchestra10 Characteristic Solos for snare drum with piano
  • Sonatina for bassoon and piano
  • Sonatina for clarinet and piano
  • Sonatina for flute and piano
  • Sonatina for oboe and piano Der Rabe for cello and piano
;OrganBible Poems Sonata 6 Religious Preludes Meditations, 3 Preludes Dedications, 5 Preludes
;Piano
  • Sonatina
  • Sonata, Op.4 Étude in G major on a Polish Chorale "Z dymem pożarów" Rytiny, 5 Preludes and Fugues Drei Klavierstücke Spinett-Sonate Neckerei ; also for orchestraDupák, Folk Tune Five-Eighths, Etude
;VocalHatikvah for voice and piano Písně s průvodem klavíru for low voice and piano Psalm 150 for high voice and organ ; Biblical textThe Way to Emmaus for high voice and organ ; Biblical textEcclesiastes, Cantata for soprano, baritone, mixed chorus, organ and bells, premiered May 13, 1947 by the John Harms Chorus in New York's Town Hall.Of Divine Work, Anthem for mixed chorus ; Biblical text from EcclesiastesFive Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn for soprano and piano Ave, Rhapsody for chorus and orchestra Tři písně for children's chorus and pianoVolnost for 4 voices; words by Josef Václav SládekDvě písně for voice and piano