A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Rudorff, Ernst
RUDORFF, Ernst, was born in Berlin Jan. 18, 1840; his family was of Hanoverian extraction. At the age of five he received his first musical instruction from the daughter of Professor Lichtenstein and god-daughter of C. M. von Weber, an excellent pianist and of a thoroughly poetical nature. From his twelfth to his seventeenth year he was a pupil of Bargiel in PF. playing and composition. A song and a PF. piece composed at this period he afterwards thought worthy of publication (Op. 2, No. 1; Op. 10, No. 4). For a short time in 1858 he had the advantage of PF. lessons from Mme. Schumann, and from his twelfth to his fourteenth year learned the violin under Louis Ries. At Easter, 1857, he entered the first class of the Friedrichs Gymnasium, whence at Easter, 1859, he passed to the Berlin university. During the whole of this time his thoughts were bent on the musical profession. When Joachim visited Berlin in 1852 Rudorff had played before him, and had made such a favourable impression that Joachim advised his being allowed to follow the musical profession. His father was at first opposed to this, but at length consented that he should go at Michaelmas, 1859, and attend the Conservatorium and the University at Leipzig. After two terms of theology and history he devoted himself exclusively to music, and on leaving the Conservatorium at Easter, 1861, continued his musical studies for a year under Hauptmann and Reinecke. The summer of 1862 he passed at Bonn, and returned to Berlin without any fixed employment beyond that of cultivating his musical ability. Stockhausen was then conductor of a choral society at Hamburg. Rudorff went to him early in 1864, conducted those of the Society's concerts in which Stockhausen himself sang, and finally made concert tours with him. In 1865 he became professor at the Cologne Conservatorium, and there in 1867 he founded the Bach Society, whose performance at their first concert in 1869 caused a great sensation, and gave such satisfaction to Rudorff himself that he at first refused an appointment as professor in the new Hoch Schule at Berlin under Joachim's direction. He afterwards changed his mind, and since Oct. 1869 has been first professor of PF.-playing and director of the piano classes in that institution, besides conducting part of the orchestral practices, and in Joachim's absence directing the public performances. In the summer of 1880, on Max Bruch's appointment as director of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society, Rudorff succeeded him as conductor of the Stern Singing-Society in Berlin, but without resigning his post at the High School.
The surroundings among which Rudorff grew up were in many respects most favourable. His father, a pupil of Savigny and a distinguished professor at the Berlin University, was not only deeply learned but was endowed with a poetical mind and a natural gift for music. His mother, a granddaughter of J. F. Reichardt, and a friend of the Mendelssohns, was devoted to music. Among the relations of the family were Tieck, H. Steffens, and K. von Raumer; while Achim von Arnim, Schleiermacher and the brothers Grimm were intimate friends of his father's and constantly in the house. The influence of such characters as these on a boy of intellect and susceptibility is obvious, and they may be said to have formed him both morally and intellectually. He himself has made some not unsuccessful attempts at literature, of which his essay 'On the Relation of Modern Life to Nature' (Preuss. Jahrbücher, 1880, p. 261) is a good example.
As a musician he certainly ranks among the most distinguished of living Germans. He has much talent for PF.-playing, though an unfortunate nervousness prevents him from exercising it much in public. His tone is beautiful, and his conception poetical, and he possesses considerable power of execution, never degenerating into display. He is a very good teacher, and numbers Miss Janotha among his pupils. But his greatest gifts are shown in composition. His musical style is founded throughout upon the romantic school of Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann, and especially of Weber. There prevails to a considerable extent in Germany a foolish inclination to undervalue that great genius on account of some weak points in his music; indeed, among the younger generation of German composers, Rudorff is the only one in whom we can trace his direct influence, and we owe to him the first edition of the score of 'Euryanthe' (Berlin, Schlesinger, 1866). In addition to these the genius of Bach has influenced him powerfully. Rudorff however is no antiquated Romanticist. There is in Germany at present a widespread effort to throw off the romantic style which characterised the first half of the century. The leader of this movement is Brahms, who has lately almost openly abandoned the romantic style. This is not the case with Rudorff; his sentiment is that of the Romanticists. But he agrees with Brahms in endeavouring to combine the sentiment of the romantic school with classical form. In this he has succeeded better in instrumental than in vocal music. Rudorff's sentiment is much too complicated to admit of his producing any really satisfactory compositions of a kind for which he nevertheless has a predilection, viz. unaccompanied part-songs. His part-songs interest by their elegance and thoughtfulness, but few, if any, leave a pleasant impression on the mind. This is true also of his solo songs. He has an almost feminine horror of anything rough or common, and often carries this to such a pitch as seriously to interfere with simplicity and naturalness. He has deeply imbibed the romantic charm of Weber's music, but the bold easy mirth which at times does not shrink from trivialities is unfortunately utterly strange to him. His melodies are intricate, and so artificially treated as to avoid natural development. Or they are so ingeniously harmonised as to give to what is really simple an appearance of singularity; and thus, owing to his vivid and passionate sentiment, his compositions often seem overstrained or extravagant. To this criticism, however, his earliest songs (op. 2 and 3) are not open. True, they follow closely in Schumann's steps, but they are among the most beautiful that have been written in his style.
But it is through his instrumental music that Rudorff will be longest known. He has produced a number of remarkable and distinguished works; PF. pieces, a sextet for strings, a romance for violoncello, etc., two overtures, a serenade, and variations on an original theme, all for orchestra; a ballad for orchestra and a piano fantasia composed about the same time are less happy. His first overture—in many respects the most charming thing he has written—fails here and there in respect to structure, but in his later orchestral works he shows a complete mastery over forms, from the simplest to the most complicated. That the sense of form should be so strong in a nature of so rich and wide a subjectivity is characteristic of this composer. In general his talent leads him to create that which is elegant, dreamy and tender, rather than that which is manly, powerful, and impetuous. The choral work with orchestral accompaniment, 'Der Aufzug der Romanze,' fails at the beginning and end in those broad decided forms which are necessary to the style of the composition; but the middle part, which treats of spring and love, is of singular beauty. Through the 'Gesang an die Sterne' there breathes that solemn devotion to nature which was first illustrated in music by Beethoven.
Rudorff's works are for the most part of great technical difficulty. This is principally because the composer, we will not say over-loads them with detail, but over-elaborates them. This has kept his works from being as well known as they deserve. But he is sure to make a name in the future, even though he should never compose again. Rudorff is however in the prime of life, and there is happily no prospect of his laying down his pen. The following is a list of his published works:—
Op. 1, variations for 2 PFs.; op. 2, six songs; op. 3, six do. from Eichendorff; op. 4, six duets for PF.; op. 5, sextet for strings; op. 6, four part-songs for mixed voices; op. 7, romance for cello and orchestra; op. 8, overture to 'Der blonde Ekbert' for orchestra; op. 9, six part-songs for female voices; op. 10, eight Fantasiestücke for PF.; op. 11, four part-songs for mixed voices; op. 12, overture to 'Otto der Schütz' for orchestra; op. 13, four part-songs for mixed voices; op. 14, fantasie for PF.; op. 15, ballade for full orchestra; op. 16, four songs; op. 17, four do.; op. 18, 'Der Aufzug der Romanze,' from Tieck, for solos, chorus and orchestra; op. 20, serenade for orchestra; op. 22, six 3-part songs for female voices; op. 24, variations on an original theme for orchestra; op. 25, four 6-part songs; op. 26, 'Gesang an die Sterne,' by Rückert, for 6-part chorus and orchestra; op. 27, six 4-part songs; op. 27, No. 1 étude for PF.; No. 2 concert étude for do. He has also arranged Schubert's 4-hand fantasia in F minor (op. 103) for orchestra. [App. p.778 "To list of works add Symphonic variations and a Scherzo capriccioso for orchestra."]