Louise Farrenc

Jeanne-Louise Dumont Farrenc (1804-1875), French pianist and composer, studied composition with Moscheles and Hummel, and with Reicha at the Paris Conservatoire. After marrying the famous flutist Aristide Farrenc, she taught at the Conservatoire for thirty years, the only woman to hold a permanent position there as an instrumentalist in the 19th century. One of the first women composers to gain wide regard throughout Europe, her symphonies were performed in Brussels, Paris, Copenhagen and Geneva, and she received critical acclaim from Robert Schumann and Hector Berlioz. One of Farrenc’s most successful works, the Nonetto (1849) is similar in structure and style to the Beethoven Septet and the Schubert Octet, this twenty-five minute work in E Flat Major is in four movements featuring prominent solo lines and variations for all of the instrumentalists. The premiere of the Nonetto in November, 1850, featured 19-year-old legendary violinist Josef Joachim, and catapulted Farrenc to near-celebrity status as a composer – so much so that she subsequently requested that the Paris Conservatoire put her salary in line with male professors, a request which was immediately granted!


Louise Farrenc — Nonetto

One of the first women composers to gain wide regard throughout Europe, Farrenc studied composition with Hummel and Reicha and received critical acclaim from Schumann and Berlioz. One of her most successful works, the Nonetto in Eb is similar to the Beethoven Septet and the Schubert Octet, featuring solo lines for all of the instruments. The premiere of the Nonetto featured legendary 19-year-old violinist Josef Joachim and catapulted Farrenc to near-celebrity status as a composer, so much so that the Paris Conservatoire agreed to put her salary in line with its male professors!

Suited for:

   

For Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Woodwind Quintet, 26 minutes.
MC-9601 . . . $56.00

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