Underrated Classical Musicians 2/25/20

When Beethoven was asked who was the best composer of his time other than him, he named Cherubini. This was a rare display of generosity from Beethoven from someone who was not particularly generous back to Beethoven. When Cherubini, thought the greatest composer of Paris, arrived in Vienna to present one of his own operas, he went to hear Beethoven's Fidelio (though admittedly, Beethoven was not a natural opera composer and Cherubini was), Cherubini was not complimentary. He later said that the general demeanor of Beethoven was that of 'an unlicked bear cub.'

Far more generous to Beethoven was Johann Nepomuk Hummel, and Hummel's generosity was mostly paid back in scorn. So gifted a musician was Hummel that he was admitted to be Mozart's pupil at eight years old, free of charge. When Hummel was nine, Mozart gave him his solo debut at one of Mozart's own concerts. He then toured Europe as Mozart did, studying not only with Mozart but with Haydn, Salieri, and Clementi. If you asked a knowledgeable Viennese music lover in 1800 who would be the greatest composer of the next twenty years, the smart money would have been on Hummel. But when Hummel heard Beethoven for the first time, he apparently considered giving up composition altogether.

While Beethoven was slaving away at getting his compositions exactly right, it was Hummel who made piano arrangements of Beethoven's symphonies, making a boat-load of money for them both. But apparently, Beethoven neither liked Hummel's arrangements nor Hummel's music, and they of course had a falling out, as so many people did with the 'unlicked bear cub.' And yet, when Beethoven died, it was Hummel whom Beethoven asked to play piano at his funeral. Clearly, as many bones as Beethoven picked with the details of Hummel's musicianship, about its foundation Beethoven had no dispute.

It was also at Beethoven's funeral that the clearly quite agreeable Hummel met another manic musical genius whose music earned Beethoven's favor at the very end of their lives: Franz Peter Schubert.

So well did Schubert and Hummel get along that when Schubert wrote his unforgettable final three sonatas, they all were dedicated as a set to Hummel, and yet by the time Hummel heard of the dedication, Schubert too was dead, barely 30 years old.

Hummel was clearly highly esteemed in his way by Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. Was he their equal? No, but against nearly any other composer he would be an equal, and has the unfortunate luck of having to write his music in the same style as the very greatest of the great.

This piano concerto was beloved of both Chopin and Schumann, and clearly had enormous influence on both of their own piano concertos. We will come back to Hummel again, and probably compare his music to the next generation's, upon whom he had a truly enormous influence.