Rummel

Rummel , family of German musicians:

(1) Christian (Franz Ludwig Friedrich Alexander) Rummel , pianist, conductor, and composer; b. Brichsenstadt, Bavaria, Nov. 27, 1787; d. Wiesbaden, Feb. 13, 1849. He went to Mannheim and studied violin with Heinrich Ritter and composition with Karl Jakob Wagner; also received advice from the Abbé Vogler. He began his career as a military bandmaster in 1806. He served during the Peninsular War (1808–13) and was made a prisoner of war, and later fought at the Battle of Waterloo. He settled in Wiesbaden as a teacher, and then organized and conducted the Court Orch. from 1815; after it was dissolved in 1842, it was absorbed into the theater orch., with Rummel serving as conductor; he also toured widely in Europe as a pianist. He wrote pieces for piano and orch., a Clarinet Concerto, military-band music, chamber works, numerous pieces for solo piano, and various transcriptions for piano. Several of his children became musicians, including the following:

(2) Josephine Rummel , pianist; b. Manzanares, Spain, May 12, 1812; d. Wiesbaden, Dec. 19, 1877. She studied piano with her father, then made tours of Europe. She also served as court pianist in Wiesbaden.

(3) Joseph Rummel , pianist, clarinetist, and composer; b. Wiesbaden, Oct. 6, 1818; d. London, March 25, 1880. He studied piano and clarinet with his father, then was in the service of the Duke of Oldenberg in Wiesbaden; was active in Paris (1847–70) and then in London. He wrote a vast amount of music, mainly for piano.

(4) August Rummel , pianist; b. Wiesbaden, Jan. 14, 1824; d. London, Dec. 14, 1886. He studied with his father, then settled in London, where he became well known as a pianist. Other members of the family were as follows:

(5) Franz Rummel , pianist, son of (3) Joseph Rummel; b. London, Jan. 11, 1853; d. Berlin, May 2, 1901. He studied with Louis Brassin at the Brussels Cons., winning first prize in 1872; toured in America 4 times (1878, 1886, 1890, 1898). He married a daughter of S. F. B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph.

(6) Walter Morse Rummel , distinguished pianist, son of (5) Franz Rummel; b. Berlin, July 19, 1887, d. Bordeaux, May 2, 1953. He studied piano with Leopold Godowsky and composition with Hugo Kaun. In 1908 he went to Paris, where he became acquainted with Debussy, and devoted himself to promoting his piano works, of which he became a foremost interpreter. He was married to the pianist Thérèse Chaigneau, with whom he appeared in duo-piano recitals (later divorced), and to Sarah Harrington (also divorced). His grandfather was S. F. B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire