Scan 59
Groves Dictionary Of Music And Musicians,vol.3, 1907
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1Sept. 19, 1903), one of the most gifted disciples of Schumann, a composer of 'genre pieces' for the pianoforte, had his musical training at Leipzig, under C. F. Becker, from 1838. Having completed his schooling at Leipzig and Dresden, he took the post of organist at Winterthur in Switzerland in 1843, which town in 1862 he left for Zürich, where he acted as conductor and teacher. In 1873 he became director of the Musikschule at Würzburg, but after two years he threw up that appointment and settled at Leipzig, until 1883, when he moved to Dresden as a teacher of ensemble in the Conservatorium. In 1890 he moved once more to Hamburg, where he died.
3Kirchner's works extend to over 100 opus numbers. Except a string quartet, op. 20, a 'Gedenkblatt,' a 'Serenade' and 'Novelletten,' op. 59, for piano, violin and violoncello, some violin pieces, op. 63, and eight pieces for violoncello, op. 79, and a number of Lieder, they are all written for pianoforte solo or duet, are mostly of small dimensions, and put forth under suggestive titles such as Schumann was wont to give to his lesser pieces. The stamp of Schumann's original mind has marked Kirchner's work from the first; yet though sheltered under Schumann's cloak, many minor points of style and diction are Kirchner's own, and decidedly clever. At best, his pieces are delicate and tender, frequently vigorous, now and then humorous and fantastic; at worst, they droop under a taint of lachrymose sentimentality. They are always carefully finished and well shapen, never redundant, rarely commonplace. Among his early publications, 'Albumblätter,' op. 9, became popular as played by Madame Schumann; and among his later, "Still und bewegt,' op. 24, and particularly 'Nachtstücke,' op. 25, deserve attention.
5KIRKMAN. The name borne by a family of eminent harpsichord and subsequently pianoforte makers. (1) JACOB KIRCHMANN (afterwards KIRKMAN) (d. 1778), a German, came to England early in the 18th century, and worked for Tabel, a Flemish harpsichord maker, who had brought to London the traditions of the RUCKERS (q.v.) of Antwerp. Another apprentice of Tabel was SHUDI (q.v.) (properly Tschudi), who became Kirkman's rival, and founded the house of Broadwood. Tabel would have been quite forgotten but for these distinguished pupils, and for the droll anecdote, narrated by Dr. Burney, of Kirkman's rapid courtship of Tabel's widow, and securing with her the business and stock-in-trade. He proposed at breakfast-time, and married her (the Marriage Act being not then passed) before twelve o'clock the same day, just one month after Tabel's demise. Jacob Kirkman was organist of St. George's, Hanover Square; he wrote several sets of pieces for organ and pianoforte, and published them himself at the sign of the King's Arms in Broad Street, Carnaby Market, now No. 19 Broad Street, Soho. Dr. Burney places the arrival of Jacob Kirkman in England in 1740, but he rented a house in Great Pulteney Street East from June 1739 to the end of 1749 (the rate-book of St. James's is missing for 1750). An interesting advertisement apropos of the date appeared in the Daily Gazetteer for May 8, 1739:
7'Whereas Mr. Hermann Tabel late of Swallow Street, the famous Harpsichord maker, dead, hath left several fine Harpsichords to be disposed of by Mr. Kirkman, his late Foreman; this is to acquaint the Curious, that the said Harpsichords, which are the finest he ever made, are to be seen at the said Mr. Kirkman's the corner of Pulteney Court in Cambridge Street, over against Silver Street, near Golden Square.'
9Shudi was probably established by that time in Meard's Street, Dean Street, Soho, whence he removed in 1742 to the premises in Great Pulteney Street. There is no reason, however, to doubt the same generally excellent authority that Kirkman's death took place about 1778, and that he left nearly £200,000.
11Burney, in Rees's Cyclopædia, gives Jacob Kirkman's harpsichords high praise, regarding them as more full in tone and durable than those of Shudi. These instruments retained certain features of the Antwerp model as late as 1768, preserving André Ruckers's keyboard of G,—f''' (nearly five octaves), with lowest G# wanting. This, as well as the retention of the rosette in the sound-board, may be seen in the Kirkman harpsichord of that year which belonged to the late C. K. Salaman, and in which we find King David playing upon the harp, between the letters I and K. Dr. Burney met with no harpsichords on the Continent that could at all compare with those made in England by Jacob Kirkman and his almost life-long competitor, Shudi.
13Jacob Kirkman, having no children by his marriage, was succeeded by his nephew (2) ABRAHAM, whose son, (3) JOSEPH, followed him. The piano was introduced in Kirkman's workshops in the time of Abraham Kirkman, as there is record of a square piano inscribed Jacob and Abraham Kirchmann, which was dated 1775. A grand piano dated 1780 was also theirs, and the manufacture of both kinds of instrument went on side by side for some years, as there was a single harpsichord in the possession of the firm, dated 1778, and the double harpsichord, in the possession of Mr. J. A. Fuller Maitland, is dated 1798; it is inscribed 'Josephus Kirkman.' His son, (4) JOSEPH, died at the advanced age of 87 in 1877, his second son, (5) HENRY, to whom the business owed its extension, having died some years before. The ware-rooms were for many years in Soho Square. In 1896 the business was amalgamated with that of COLLARD (q.v.). The Kirkmans were the English agents for Signor Caldera's attachment known as the Melopiano.
15KIRMAIR, FRIEDRICH JOSEPH (d. Gotha,
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