Friedrich Daniel Rudolf Kuhlau, sometimes written asFrederick Kulav, (11 September 1786 – 12 March 1832) was a Danish pianist and composer during the lateClassical and earlyRomantic periods. He was a central figure of theDanish Golden Age and is immortalized in Danish cultural history through his music forElves' Hill, the first true work of DanishNational Romanticism and a concealed tribute to theabsolute monarchy.
During his lifetime, Kuhlau was known primarily as a concert pianist and composer of Danishopera, but was responsible for introducing many ofBeethoven's works, which he greatly admired, to Copenhagen audiences. Kuhlau was a prolific composer, as evidenced by the fact that although his house burned down, destroying all of his unpublished manuscripts, he still left a legacy of more than 200 published works in mostgenres.
Kuhlau was born on 11 September 1786 just south ofLüneburg in theUelzen district ofLower Saxony (Germany). At the age of seven, he lost his right eye when he slipped on ice and fell. His father, grandfather, and uncle were militaryoboists. Even though Kuhlau was born to a poor family, his parents managed to pay for piano lessons. In 1802 he moved toHamburg where he began learning thepiano with scholarC.F.G Schwencke.[1][2]
In 1804, Kuhlau made his debut and began working as a concert pianist. It was around this time that he began composing songs andchamber music to earn money. Many ofKuhlau's compositions throughout his life were for the flute, though he himself did not play the instrument. In 1810, he fled toCopenhagen to avoid conscription in theNapoleonic Army, which overwhelmed the many small principalities andduchies of northern Germany. In the same year, Kuhlau published his first piano and flute compositions. Kuhlau made a living inCopenhagen as a piano teacher and composer in 1811. He was later appointed as a non-salaried musician in the Danish Court in 1812. Kuhlau eventually became aDanish citizen in 1813. Following the success of his singspiel,The Robber's Castle, Kuhlau achieved a high-paying position as a singing teacher at the Royal Theater in 1816. Kuhlau's works between 1817 and 1820 failed to gain much prominence. His opera,The Magic Harp, was said to have failed due to a controversiallibretto. In 1821 and 1825, Kuhlau travelled toVienna where he befriendedLudwig van Beethoven. Beethoven's influence is evidential in Kuhlau's later works such as his singspiel,Elverhøj orElves' Hill, a work widely regarded as a tribute to theDanish Monarchy and an inspiring piece from theDanish Golden Age. In 1828, Kuhlau was awarded an honorary professorship.[3]
Kuhlau had his breakthrough in 1814 at theRoyal Danish Theatre withRøverborgen ("The Robbers' Castle"), asingspiel with a libretto byAdam Oehlenschläger.[4]
His next dramatic works, includingTrylleharpen (1817),Elisa (1820) andHugo og Adelheid (1827), lacking drama, failed miserably. WithLulu from 1824 he finally once again experienced success with one of his singspiels. He also wrote music for performances ofWilliam Shakespeare's plays.[5]
In 1828 he achieved his greatest success when he wrote the music forElverhøj. It won immediate popularity, especially for itsoverture and the final royal anthem, his setting ofKong Christian stod ved høien Mast (King Christian Stood by the Towering Mast). In the music, Kuhlau made very effective use of Danish and Swedish folk tunes. In 1976 the overture was rearranged by Danish composerBent Fabricius-Bjerre and used as the soundtrack in a scene in the filmThe Olsen Gang Sees Red. The scene depicts the Olsen Gang breaking into The Royal Theater of Copenhagen, making their way through bricked up walls using explosives and other means. The whole break-in is choreographed so it corresponds directly to the music. The scene is one of the most – if not the most – recognized in the history of Danish film.
Alongside his dramatic works, Kuhlau wrote several compositions for flute and a large number of works for piano. Particularly his short pieces,sonatinas, for piano, enjoyed great popularity both in Denmark and abroad.
Beethoven, whom Kuhlau knew personally, exerted the greatest influence upon his music. Kuhlau's C major Piano Concerto, Op. 7 from 1810 displays a strong influence from Beethoven'sPiano Concerto No. 1 in C major, written 14 years earlier. All three movements of the work are strongly reminiscent of the corresponding movements in Beethoven's work, making it a musicalpastiche.
In addition to the above-mentionedpiano concerto were astring quartet and several works for piano that included all the current genres of the day:sonatas,sonatinas,waltzes,rondos andvariations. He also created several works for strings with piano (threequartets and twoquintets, and severalviolin sonatas), works ofincidental music and severaloperas. However, his most-often recorded and played works are several piano sonatinas and numerous works forflute. It is because of these flute works that he was nicknamed "the Beethoven of the flute" during his lifetime.
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