Daniel Steibelt – Aubade

Daniel Steibelt was very capable and skilful pianist as well as original and prolific composer. His works were quite popular among the public, and if it weren't for one incident, he could have gone in history as an unsurpassed musician. Of course, there were quite a few other virtuosi in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but it is hard to tell outright who of them was the best – in such situations contest is the only way to know.

Owing to Steilbelt's own overconfidence and moxie, he participated in one such; however, overall idea to measure swords with Beethoven was a primordial fizzle: the latter worsted Steibelt with little to no effort having played a few bars off his piece with one finger while managing to sight-read sheet music from an upturned paper. Thanks Heaven, this incident didn’t impact Steibelt insomuch as to put the kibosh on a music career (he didn't go further refusal to play in the presence of Ludvig van), and we can’t help but rejoice. Here is one of Steibelt's umpteen pieces, called Aubade. Enjoy!

Toccata, Op.108 – Kalkbrenner

No doubt that it was Andy Warhol who invented pop art; however it doesn’t mean that he was a pioneer in everything. Take his Factory – a home, or rather rookery, for a lot of ostensibly gifted persons, – well, a similar facility existed in the nineteenth century in Paris already. The Factory for Aspiring Virtuosos was run by Friedrich Kalkbrenner and as such was essential in making its owner enormously wealthy. Nevertheless Kalkbenner’s activity was not limited to counting money – this prominent pianist and composer was the first to play fast-moving octaves with both hands. If you’re in search for a challenging piece to diversify the repertoire, you absolutely shouldn’t come by his Toccata, Op.108 – for showcasing one’s mastery it is a very good choice.

Duet No.2 for Two Cellos – Offenbach

Jacques Offenbach is deservedly considered one of the most talented composers of the nineteenth century, and not only composers – as a cellist he too was notably skillful: after listening to his playing Luigi Cherubini (a person also highly regarded as a composer – Beethoven mentioned him as the greatest composer of his time) started giving him lessons despite it was deprecated (Foreigners couldn't apply to the Paris Conservatoire, and Offenbach was born in Germany). Offenbach played with Franz Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, and Felix Mendelssohn and is especially known for his operettas – a form he was one of the originators of. No matter what, he also composed in other genres, and many are not familiar with his smaller works. Here is his Duet No.2 for Two Cellos (Parts), Op.51. Watch amazing performance of a piece below:

Eduard Franck's music

Even though Eduard Franck looks a bit like Pierre Richard, his music is neither gimmick nor joke. It’s not that humor is under a ban in classical music – comic operas have been around for a while – but this genre wasn’t Franck’s favorite; he was focused on chamber and orchestral music mainly. As a pianist, Franck also was keeping a stiff upper lip: he played as well as his contemporaries in the person of Schumann and Mendelssohn. His music was critically-acclaimed in due time but he was unable to gain notoriety of other Romantic composers. Still anyone with interest towards era should like Franck’s music. Download one of his pieces here: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op.42.

Berwald's Piano Quintet

If you were to ask me to remind any asteroids named after well-earned composers, I would name but a few. With concert halls it is much harder, and it is cuddlesome to realize that Franz Berwald has one in his native town – this Swedish composer was unable to make two ends meet during his life, but at least in 1976, after construction of Berwaldhallen began, justice was done. We all know that great minds do many things at once – among composers there were chemists and ornithologists (Alexander Borodin and Olivier Messiaen respectively), let us say. Berwald, in turn, was an expert and innovator in the field of orthopedic surgery. Nevertheless, the main love of his life was music, and it is really noticeable. Find a score of one of Berwald's pieces here: Piano Quintet No.2 in A Major, Op.6.

Music of Komitas Vardapet

One of the most influential figures in Armenian classical music, Komitas Vardapet was a composer, choir singer, pianist, flutist, and musicologist. He was immensely gifted – let us say, he was chosen by a local priest to be sent to study at the seminary after singing a hymn without knowing the Armenian language (it was deprecated in Kütahya, his native town, back then). One of his performances made Claude Debussy deeply flurried – French composer said to Vardapet he adores his music genius. Among other admirers were also Gabriel Faure and Camille Saint-Saëns. Unfortunately, Vardapet is a victim of the Armenian Genocide and died in a psychiatric clinic, broken-down and desolated by inhumanity he had seen. Many of his manuscripts were destroyed and lost, but those that left are integral part of classical music. Here is Dances for Piano.

Melody in F Major by Anton Rubinstein

Anton Rubinstein was a very interesting and versatile person: he had lots of energy and hence managed to perform, compose, give lessons and many more – Rubinstein is the founder of the first Saint Petersburg Conservatory, let us say. Also he had Tchaikovsky among his pupils and in some period was friends with The Five – a group of composers who initially considered Rubinstein to be a reactionary. However, there were also those who otherwise thought he is too progressive – mixed opinions prove that his works are rather unique and all-sufficient. Melody in F Major is his well-known piece and a good introduction to his legacy. Download it here: Melody in F Major, Op.3.

Etude No.6 by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst

Back in days tours were different: this is now an artist plays no more than one concert in a town, probably because it brings the greatest revenue. In this modern world people don’t want to see the same performance twice, and nothing can be done about it. However, in the nineteenth century things seemed to be different, and young Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, a Czech-Jewish composer, violinist, and Paganini’s stalker, at short notice managed to attend nearly dozen concerts of his idol without ever leaving Vienna. Paganini was a source of inspiration for him, and Ernst even rented rooms next to him just to hear his idol rehearsing. And, believe it or not, it paid off: Ernst is now known as one of the finest composers of polyphonic music, and I believe that any violinist should get acquainted with his works. Download his Etude No.6 here: 'The Last Rose of Summer'.