Russian musician Johann Leopold Fuchs (1783-1853): the view of a modern researcher
Abstract
The article focuses on Johann Leopold Fuchs – a distinguished, but undeservedly forgotten Russian musician of the first half of the 19th century. A native of Germany, who spent more than 50 years in Russia, he considered it to be his second homeland and “wanted to be helpful mainly to Russian artists.” Fuchs proved himself as a talented teacher, composer and author of music theory manuals. He taught such outstanding musicians, composers and music educators as M. Glinka, F. Tolstoy, M. Rezvoy, Y. Arnold, and M. Vielgorsky. Fuchs is the author of the first composition guide “A Practical Guide to Music Composition” (1830). Published in Russia, the work, due to its Russian translation, was a great contribution to the development of Russian-language terminology of music theory.
In Russia, life and career of J.L. Fuchs remain little studied. An illustrative example is the incorrect information about his date and place of birth found in the Encyclopedia of Music. Until recently, nothing was known about the musician’s life. However, a thorough investigation carried out by a German researcher Robert Weissmann has made a difference. The article is the first attempt to introduce the evidence found by Weissmann into the Russian-language academic discourse. Together with the materials obtained by the author of the article, it helps bring a new, broader focus on the personality of the outstanding musician, as well as to highlight the dramatic impact Fuchs made on Russian music culture of the first half of the 19th century.
Keywords: Johann Leopold Fuchs, terminology of music theory, music textbooks of the 19th century, music pedagogy of the 1800-1850s
For citation: Presnyakova I. A. Russian Musician Johann Leopold Fuchs (1783-1853): The View of a Modern Researcher [Electronic source]. In: Sovremennye problemy muzykoznaniya / Contemporary Musicology, 2019, No. 1, pp. 67–85. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.56620/2587-9731-2019-1-067-085
References
Arnold YU.К. Vospominaniya / vyp. 2. [Memories / vol. 2.]. Moscow: [type. Lissner and Roman], 1892.
Arnold YU.К. Kratkoe rukovodstvo k izucheniyu pravil kompozicii / sochinenie K.G. Arnol'da [t. e. YU.K. Arnol'da] [A brief guide to the study of the rules of composition / composition of K.G. Arnold [i. e. Yu.K. Arnold]. SPb .:]. St. Petersburg: u K. F. Gol'ca [at K.F.Golts], [1841].
Dyorfel'dt Anton Antonovich [Dörfeldt Anton Antonovich] // Russkij biograficheskij slovar'. T. 6 / izd. pod nablyudeniem predsedatelya Imperatorskogo Russkogo Istoricheskogo Obshchestva A. A. Polovcova [Russian biographical dictionary. V. 6 / ed. under the supervision of the chairman of the Imperial Russian Historical Society A. A. Polovtsov]. St. Petersburg: tip. Tovarishchestva «Obshchestvennaya pol'za» [type. Partnership "Public Benefit"], 1905. P. 325–326.
Drobisсh F. Nachal'nye svedeniya v prakticheskoj muzyke, izdannyya F. Drobishem, dlya kazennyh zavedenij [Initial information in practical music, published by F. Drobisch, for public institutions]. St. Petersburg: tip. Imp. Akad. Nauk [type. Imp. Acad. of science], 1836.
Hess de Calvet G.G. Teoriya muzyki ili Razsuzhdenie o sem iskustve, zaklyuchayushchee v sebe istoriyu, cel', dejstvie muzyki, general-bas, pravila sochineniya (kompozicii), opisanie instrumentov, raznye rody muzyki i vse chto otnositsya k nej v podrobnosti. CH. 1 [Music Theory or Discourse on this Art, comprising history, purpose, action of music, generalbass, composition rules (composition), description of instruments, different kinds of music and everything related to it in detail. Part 1]. Kharkiv: v Universitetskoj tipografii [in the University Printing], 1818.
Gunke I.К. Polnoe rukovodstvo k sochineniyu muzyki: otd. 1–3 / novoe dop. Izdanie [A complete guide to composing music: Dep. 1–3 / new add. edition]. Moscow: Bernard, 1865.
Malinina L.YU. Fuks Iogann Leopol'd [Fuchs Johann Leopold] // Muzykal'naya ehnciklopediya. T. 5 [Musical Encyclopedia. Vol. 5]. Moscow: Sovetskaya ehnciklopediya: Sovetskij kompozitor [Soviet Encyclopedia: Soviet Composer], 1981. Columns 998-999.
Odoevsky V.F. Muzykal'no-literaturnoe nasledie [Musical and literary heritage]. Moscow: Muzgiz, 1956.
Rode P., Kreutzer R., Baliot P. Skripichnaya shkola, sochinennaya Rode, Krejcerom i Bal'otom, sostavlennaya Bal'otom i prinyataya dlya ucheniya Muzykal'nym konservatoriem v Parizhe. Novyj perevod s nemeckago [The violin school composed by Rode, Kreutzer and Baliot, compiled by Baliot and adopted for teaching by the Conservatory of Music in Paris. New translation from German]. St. Petersburg: V Muz. magazine N. Peca (Klever) [In Mus. Pez's Store (Clover)], 1840.
Rubets A.I. Biograficheskij leksikon russkih kompozitorov i muzykal'nyh deyatelej [Biographical lexicon of Russian composers and music figures]. St. Petersburg: A. Bitner, 1886.
Fuchs J.L. Novaya metoda, soderzhashchaya glavnye pravila muzykal'noj kompozicii i rukovodstvo k prakticheskomu primeneniyu ih; s kratkim izlozheniem osnovanij dvojnogo kontrapunkta, kanona i fugi s primerami i uprazhneniyami / per. s nemeckogo G.K. Arnol'da (tekst parallel'no na russkom i nemeckom yazykah) [A new method containing the main rules of musical composition and a guide to their practical application; with a brief summary of the grounds of double counterpoint, canon and fugue with examples and exercises / trans. from German G.K. Arnold (text in parallel in Russian and German)]. St. Petersburg: Klever [Clover], [1841–1844].
Fuchs J.L. Prakticheskoe rukovodstvo k sochineniyu muzyki v pol'zu samouchashchihsya i v oblegchenie uchitelej s prilozheniem osobennyh pravil dlya sochinitelej russkogo cerkovnogo penya i dvuh notnyh tetradej, iz koih pervaya zaklyuchaet v sebe primery i zadachi, a vtoraya – reshenie zadach / [per. s nemeckogo M. Rezvogo] [A practical guide to composing music in favor of self-taught and facilitating teachers with special rules for writers of Russian church singing and two musical notebooks, of which the first contains examples and tasks, and the second is solving problems / [trans. from German by M. Rezviy]]. St. Petersburg: Tip. K. Krajya [Type. K. Kraya], 1830.
Stafford U. Istoriya muzyki / soch. g. SHtafforda; s primech., popravkami i pribavl. g. Fetisa; per. s fr. E. Voronova [History of Music / Comp. by Mr. Stafford; with notes, amendments and additions of Mr. Fetis; trans. from French by E. Voronova]. St. Petersburg: Guttenbergova tip. [Guttenberg type.], 1838.
Steinpress B.S. Peterburgskij muzykant Leopol'd Fuks [Petersburg musician Leopold Fuchs] // Ocherki i ehtyudy [Essays and Studies]. Moscow: Sovetskij kompozitor [Soviet composer], 1980. P. 197–204.
Weißmann R. „…für Russland aber von bedeutendem Nutzen“: Neue Beiträge zu Leben und Werk des Johann Christian Leopold Fuchs
(1783–1853) ["... but of considerable use for Russia": New contributions to the life and work of Johann Christian Leopold Fuchs (1783-1853)] [Electronic resource]. URL: https://www.gko.uni-leipzig.de/fileadmin/user_upload/musikwissenschaft/pdf_allgemein/arbeitsgemeinschaft/1303_weissmann.pdf.
Weißmann R. Johann Leopold Fuchs (1785–1853) und die Kompositionslehre in Russland [Johann Leopold Fuchs (1785-1853) and composition studies in Russia] // Europa in der Frühen Neuzeit: Festschrift für Günter Mühlpfordt. Bd.7: Unbekannte Quellen, Aufsätze zu Entwicklung, Vorstufen, Grenzen und Fortwirken der Frühneuzeit in und um Europa / hrsg. von Erich Donnert [Europe in the Early Modern Period: Festschrift for Günter Mühlpfordt. Volume 7: Unknown sources, essays on the development, precursors, limits and advances of the early modern period in and around Europe / ed. by Erich Donnert]. Köln: Wien [u.a.]: Böhlau, 2008. P. 929-948.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56620/2587-9731-2019-1-067-085
Copyright (c) 2019 Inga A. Presnyakova
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/