Hiller, Ferdinand (von) 1811 - 1885
Author: Ueda, Yasushi
Last updated：May 13, 2011
Author: Ueda, Yasushi
Ferdinand Hiller: A Comprehensive Musician
In the nineteenth century, it was almost impossible for pianists to be exclusively interested in piano music. Even Chopin, lauded as the "poet of the piano," enjoyed chamber music, attended operas, and composed chamber music and songs himself. To varying degrees, pianists of the time were uniformly immersed in the diverse music resonating around them, becoming musicians who possessed a balanced mastery of performance technique, musical erudition, compositional skill, and pedagogy. In terms of this balance, no contemporary pianist surpassed Hiller. The vectors of Hiller's creativity extended far in all directions. As a performer, he was ranked alongside the greatest virtuosos of his time, such as Chopin, Liszt, and Alkan; as a conductor, he toured various parts of Europe; as a composer, he explored all genres, including piano works, symphonies, operas, chamber music, and songs; and as an educator, he took the lead in founding the Cologne Conservatory and became its director. Even the reliable Belgian musicologist Fétis did not hesitate to extol Hiller as the greatest German musician of his time in his own biographical dictionary of musicians. Yet, ironically, it is precisely because of Hiller's rich creativity and extensive scope of activity, which cannot be fully described in a single word, that his image remains unfocused. Although Hiller is known today primarily as a friend of Chopin, this may be why opportunities to evaluate this giant as a composer are still rare.
Born on October 24, 1811, into a wealthy Jewish family in Frankfurt, Hiller first studied under Aloys Schmitt, a renowned local pianist and composer. The child prodigy, who attracted attention at the age of 10 by playing a Mozart concerto, became acquainted with young piano talents such as Mendelssohn and Moscheles. Driven by ambition, Hiller visited Weimar and honed his skills under Hummel. Under Hummel, an improvising pianist tutored by Mozart and a prolific composer across all musical genres, Hiller acquired a broad education that extended beyond piano performance. Hiller dedicated his momentous first published work, the Piano Quartet, to his teacher Hummel.
In 1828, seeking further growth, he moved to Paris. Hiller, who at a young age earned the moniker "Hiller the Erudite," initially took a stable position as an organ teacher at the Royal School of Classical and Religious Music in Paris, but he soon dedicated himself to composition and performance, aiming for independence as a virtuoso. By the early 1830s, he joined the ranks of leading figures in piano music who graced the Parisian piano scene, including Kalkbrenner, Chopin, Liszt, Alkan, and Heller. In particular, he became close friends with Chopin, Alkan, and Heller, who were close in age, and with whom he could freely discuss music. They dedicated works to each other, showing mutual respect. It was not only his contemporaries who admired him. Even senior figures representing sacred music and opera composition, such as the Parisian musical authorities Cherubini and Halévy, Meyerbeer and Rossini, did not stint on their encouragement for Hiller. It is said that the piano he played, whether at Rossini's private soirées or in major Parisian halls, sometimes produced melodies like songs, and at other times rich timbres like an orchestra. In addition to solo piano, he actively participated in chamber music performances with prominent Parisian string players. This experience would undoubtedly bear great fruit in his own chamber music compositions. Furthermore, as a conductor, he took to the stage of the Paris Conservatoire hall, conducting his own symphonies and choral works, showcasing his diverse musical abilities.
In 1836, Hiller brought an end to his approximately seven-year stay in Paris to conduct the Cäcilienverein in his hometown of Frankfurt. This marked a turning point, as his activities took on an increasingly international character. The following year, his opera Romilda was staged at La Scala in Milan, though it proved unsuccessful, and in Leipzig, his oratorio The Destruction of Jerusalem was performed with the assistance of Mendelssohn. The latter oratorio was well-received in various cities in Germany and neighboring countries. In 1841, he traveled to Italy again, married during his stay in Florence, and later had children. Visiting Rome again, Hiller met Father Baini, renowned as the foremost authority on Palestrina research in his time, and with his cooperation, actively participated in the local musical scene, including staging historical Italian choral repertoire there.
Returning to Germany from his Italian travels, Hiller moved to Leipzig, where he served as conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra from 1843 to 1844, replacing Mendelssohn. However, that position did not last long, and he then moved to Dresden, where Schumann lived, and became the conductor of the Music Academy. It was at this time that Schumann and Hiller became close friends. Schumann, who held Hiller in high regard, dedicated his Piano Concerto to him. In 1850, he entrusted the directorship of the Academy to Schumann and assumed the position of Music Director for the city of Cologne. In this city, where he would spend the rest of his life, Hiller founded the Cologne Conservatory, modeled after the Leipzig Conservatory established by Mendelssohn. It was a monumental undertaking that only Hiller, with his profound insight and knowledge in all aspects of music—composition, instrumentation, piano performance, and music history—could accomplish. Immediately, excellent musicians and educators, including Reinecke, gathered around him, and it soon grew into a major music school in Europe during the latter half of the century. It continues to exist today as a renowned German conservatory. While living in Cologne, he occasionally visited Paris in winter to see old friends like Alkan and present his own works in public. However, the Franco-Prussian War, which erupted in 1870, tore apart his beloved Paris and his homeland.
While serving as director of the Cologne Conservatory, Hiller traveled to various places to perform piano and conduct. He played a central role in planning the large-scale Rhine Music Festival, where prominent musicians gathered, and was also invited to conduct at music festivals in many major German cities. He built an unparalleled reputation through a vast number of concert tours both within and outside Germany, and in particular, his reputation as a performer of classical repertoire, especially Mozart, became established. In the latter half of the 19th century, when avant-garde musicians like Liszt and Wagner, who strongly emphasized their unique personalities, were active, some critics and musicians regarded Hiller's repertoire as conservative and considered him an unoriginal musician lacking a distinct compositional style. However, given that the creation of the "conservative vs. avant-garde" dichotomy in the German music scene of the latter half of the century was largely intertwined with political backgrounds, if we simply succumb to past negative discourses and dismiss Hiller as a mediocre composer without even listening to his works, it would lead to a significant misunderstanding of Hiller's true essence. This is because, while Hiller was spiritually rooted in classicism, his actual compositional style was extremely flexible and diverse, as he thoroughly understood and freely utilized styles from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as contemporary styles, sometimes weaving brilliant and unique sounds into older forms. This chameleon-like creative approach has, paradoxically, made it difficult to assign Hiller a consistent evaluation. The same can be said for his teacher Hummel, who freely manipulated 18th and 19th-century styles. The young Hiller must have seen in Hummel a reflection of his future self: a comprehensive musician possessing all the qualities of a scholar, improviser, pianist, and composer.
In 1884, Hiller fell gravely ill and retired from musical activities, passing away the following year on June 11th in Cologne, where he had taught. After his death, perhaps due to his excessively rich talent, he was rapidly relegated to oblivion within just a few decades.
Author : Saitoh, Noriko
Last Updated: August 1, 2008
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Author : Saitoh, Noriko
A German composer who also worked as a pianist and conductor. In addition to instrumental works, he composed operas, oratorios, and choral works. He studied under A. Schmitt and Hummel, and served as conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig and director of the Cologne Conservatory. He is known for his close friendships with Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz, Schumann, and the Mendelssohns.
Works(89)
Concerto
concerto (2)
Piano Solo
sonata (3)
pieces (17)
etude (5)
inpromptu (6)
caprice (6)
character pieces (3)
Various works (9)
Piano Ensemble
character pieces (2)
Reduction/Arrangement (2)
Various works (4)
Chamber Music
Chamber music (9)