INTRODUCTION
 

MOTTO
 

 

"Who can possibly determine with conviction whether a musician of the second rank
will not be among the first tomorrow."

ARTURO TOSCANINI

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Dear music lover!

You are obviously not one of those who still confuses Norbert Burgmüller with his brother Friedrich, the composer of some charming etudes and entertaining pieces for piano. Perhaps you want to discover more about Norbert Burgmüller than what is available in encyclopedias or histories of music. If so, the following pages provide both a first impression and additional useful information.They have served their purpose if they arouse your curiosity, and stimulate you to learn more about Burgmüller, to listen to his music or even to play it - in short, to enter more deeply into his world.
Because of ignorance and complacency, much of Burgmüller's music remains little known. But among his compositions - including the Two symphonies, the Piano Concerto, the Fourth String Quartet, the Piano Sonata and Rhapsody, the Clarinet Duo, and nearly a dozen songs - can be found music comparable in value to that of Schumann and Mendelssohn, his famous contemporaries. The position of Norbert Burgmüller in German music history of  the early 19th Century resembles that of Georg Büchner in the literary history of the day.
The primary purpose of these pages is to create a place in today's repertoire for Norbert Burgmüller's most important works. If you find this site of value, please bring it to the attention of your friends and
acquaintances.
Most of the chapter headings are self-explanatory.But several need some clarification.The Current News  section will (like most other sections)be updated when needed. It contains references
to new publications, research projects, and up-coming concerts and recordings. The section on Critical opinion offers a selection of comments and press reviews from Burgmüller's time to the
present. Recollections  is a compilation of of personal reminiscences of the composer. The Poetry
section presents a selection of poems (of varying quality, but nonetheless typical) dealing with
Burgmüller. The Gallery  contains portraits of Burgmüller, images of places associated with him,
examples of his handwriting, and reproductions of publications and copies of his work. The section of Musical Friends is a survey of musicians with whom he came in contact in Kassel and Düsseldorf.
The section Friends discusses the poets from Burgmüller's circle, while Düsseldorf Painters supplies in addition examples of the work of artists acquainted with Burgmüller .
The Concert Hall still is in the beginning stages: Thus far, there are reproductions of scenes of
concert life in Düsseldorf, as well as the complete score of the Rhapsody in b minor op.13. Actual examples in sound are limited to references to commercial recordings. If a number of copyright questions are resolved, content will be expanded. Impressum provides some background about the  creator of this Website. Under Links you'll find reference to the few Burgmüller references on the WWW as well as some other intersting links.
The Forum  has been created to give all visitors the opportunity,to express their views on Burgmüller. Content is open - suggestions, impressions, references, unknown material or other discoveries - here is the place for anything of interest. If you wish to write about Burgmüller and are at a loss for a place
for publication, assistance can be found here.

All new information is most welcome, especially additional biographical material,
possible locations of lost works, information about Friedrich Burgmüller's legacy,
annotations of performances of Norbert Burgmüller's works, as well as
sources for early editions and manuscripts.