Kiel, Friedrich

Kiel, Friedrich, German composer and pedagogue; b. Puderbach, Oct. 7, 1821; d. Berlin, Sept. 13, 1885. He began to play the piano as a child, and attended the Soest teacher’s training college where his musical talent was encouraged. After the family moved to Schwarzenau in 1827, the boy found a mentor in Prince Karl of the noble Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg family, who taught him violin. He played in the Prince’s court orch. before pursuing training in composition with Gaspar Kummer in Coburg. In 1840 he returned to his mentor’s court orch. as concertmaster. In 1842 he returned to Berlin, where he studied piano, counterpoint, and composition on a royal grant with Wilhelm Dehn. After completing his studies in 1844, he devoted himself mainly to teaching piano. From 1866 to 1870 he taught at the Stern Cons., and then at the Hochschule für Musik. From 1882 he also gave a master class at the Akademie der Künste. In 1979 the Friedrich-Kiel-Gesellschaft was founded with the purpose of propagating his music.

Works

orch.: Overture (n.d.); Piano Concerto (n.d.). chamber: 7 piano trios (1850–71); 2 piano quartets (1866, 1867); 2 string quartets (1868); 2 piano quintets (1874); piano pieces.vocal: 2 Requiems (1860, rev. 1878; 1881); Missa solemnis (1865); Te Deum (1866); 2 oratorios (Christus, 1872; Der Stern von Bethlehem, 1884).

Bibliography

E. Prieger, F K. (Leipzig, 1904); E. Reinecke, F. K. (diss., Univ. of Cologne, 1937); H. Zimmermann, Untersuchungen zum Kompositionsunterricht im Spannungsfeld von Traditionalismus und Neudeutscher Schule, dargestellet am Beispiel der Lehrtätigkeit F. K.s (1821–1885) (diss., Univ. of Siegen, 1987); D. Jürgens, Die Messkompositionen F. K.s (Regensburg, 1993).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire