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Scan 541
Grove's Dictionary of music and musicians, 1927
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1whence in 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 profession of music. His father 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 in 1861, continued his musical studies for a year under Hauptmann and Reinecke. Rudorff went to Stockhausen early in 1864, conducted those of the Choral 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 gave such satisfaction to Rudorff that he at first refused an appointment as professor in the new Hochschule at Berlin under Joachim's direction. He afterwards changed his mind, and from Oct. 1869 to 1910, when he retired, was 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 Hochschule. He retained the direction of this Society till 1890.
3He had talent for piano-playing, though an unfortunate nervousness prevented him from exercising it much in public. His tone was beautiful, his conception poetical, and he possessed considerable power of execution, never degenerating into mere display. He was an excellent teacher; but his greatest gifts were shown in composition. His musical style was founded throughout upon the romantic school of Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann, and especially of Weber. His partsongs 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 had an almost feminine horror of anything rough or common, and often carried this to such a pitch as seriously to interfere with simplicity and naturalness. He deeply imbibed the romantic charm of Weber's music, but the bold easy mirth which at times does not shrink from trivialities was unfortunately utterly strange to him. His early songs opp. 1 and 2 follow, it is true, closely in Schumann's steps, but they are among the most beautiful that have been written in his style.
5Rudorff's works are for the most part of great technical difficulty, and many of them are over-elaborated, a fact which has kept his works from being as well known as they deserve. The following is a list of his principal works:
7Op.
81. Variations for two PF.
92. Six songs.
103. Six songs from Eichendorff.
114. Six duets for PF.
125. Sextet for strings (played at the Popular Concerts in Apr. 1900 and Jan. 1903).
136. Four partsongs for mixed voices.
147. Romance for violoncello and orchestra.
158. Overture to 'Der blonde Eckbert' for orchestra.
169. Six partsongs for female voices.
1710. Eight Fantasiestücke for PF.
1811. Four partsongs for mixed voices.
1912. Overture to 'Otto der Schütz' for orchestra.
2013. Four partsongs for mixed voices.
2114. Fantasie for PF.
2215. Ballade for full orchestra.
2318. 'Der Aufzug der Romanze,' from Tieck, for soli, chorus and orchestra.
2420. Serenade for orchestra.
2522. Six three-part songs for female voices.
2624. Variations on an original theme for orchestra.
2725. Four six-part songs.
2826. 'Gesang an die Sterne,' by Rückert, for six-part chorus and orchestra.
2927. Six four-part songs.
3029. Two études for PF.
3130. Four partsongs for mixed choir.
3231. Symphony in B flat.
3338. Kinderwalzer for PF. duet.
3440. Symphony in G minor (1891).
3545. Romantic overture for orch.
3654. Pieces for PF. duet.
3755. Variations.
38Symphonic variations for orchestra.
39Scherzo capriccioso for orchestra.
41He also arranged Schubert's 4-hand fantasia in F minor (op. 103) for orchestra.
43P. S., with addns.
45BIBL.—Briefwechsel (see BRAHMS and JOACHIM).
47RUE, PIERRE DE LA, also known as Pierchon, Perisson, Pierson, Pierzon, Pierozon and Petrus Platensis (b. Picardy, mid. 15th cent.; d. Courtrai, Nov. 20, 1518), fellow-pupil of Josquin des Prés in the school of Okeghem. State records prove that he was in the service of the court of Burgundy in the years 1477, 1492, 1496, 1499, 1500 and 1502. In 1501 he was a prebend of Courtrai, and later held a similar benefice at Namur, which he resigned in 1510. He was in the service of Charles V. until 1512, when he entered that of Margaret of Austria, 'gouvernante' of the Netherlands.
49Writers on music have accorded him a position as a contrapuntal composer scarcely second to that of Josquin, and the magnificent copies of his masses made by order of the Princess Margaret of Austria, and now in the libraries of Vienna and Brussels, testify to the value set upon his works by those he served. Indeed, considering his great reputation, it is somewhat surprising that so little is known of the events of his life, and that so little of his music has been printed. Of the thirty-six masses now existing Petrucci printed five in the composer's lifetime ('Misse Petri de la Rue'; Venetiis, 1503), and a few more in later collections. Twenty-three remain in MS. Of motets, only twenty-five (though thirty-eight have been identified), and of secular pieces no more than ten, are to be found in the publications of the 16th century—a small result compared with the long catalogue of Josquin's printed works. Burney, Forkel and Kiesewetter give short examples from Pierre de la Rue's compositions. (See Q.-L. for list of works in MS.)
51J. R. S. B., with addns.
53BIBL.—E. DROZ and G. THIBAULT: Bibliographie des recueils de chansons du XVe siècle.
54REPRINTS.—H. EXPERT: 'Les Maîtres musiciens de la Renaissance française': Missa, 'Ave Maria' (vol. 8): 'Extraits des maitres
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