(b Schwabach, 9 May 1814; d Cieplice, 10 Oct 1889). German pianist and composer. He was a pupil of Hummel and Sechter and became court pianist in St Petersburg. Though he performed publicly less than any other celebrated pianist (he ceased touring in 1838), he was hailed by Schumann, Liszt and others as one of the greatest players, and in technique represents a link between Hummel and Liszt. He used arpeggio figuration in an individual way. His works include two sets of 12 studies, opp.2 and 5, and the Concerto in F minor op.16.
Henselt, Adolf von (ä'dôlf fən hĕn'zəlt), 1814-89, German pianist and composer. One of the most brilliant performers of his time, he gave up his concert career in 1838 to become court pianist and teacher in St. Petersburg. He composed a concerto, salon pieces, and studies for the piano.
George Martin Adolf von Henselt was reportedly one of the most gifted virtuoso players of the early Romantic era. Held by Robert Schumann to be the equal of Hummel and Liszt, he composed of a few pieces, including two piano concertos and some chamber music that has become popular in recordings.
His teachers were Hummel in Weimar for piano and Sechter in Vienna for music theory. He apparently was a perfectionist, practicing ten hours a day and playing on a silent keyboard when he traveled. In 1836, at the age of 22, he undertook a concert tour. It is said that in an early performance he forgot his place in one of his own compositions and never forgot the humiliation he felt. Whether or not this was the reason, he was practically paralyzed by stage fright when in concert situations. However, he was able to play in smaller groups or before friends, although even that made him nervous. He was said to have a technique that reconciled elements from the schools of Hummel and Liszt. From Hummel, he got a seamless legato and from Liszt the power to make rich sonorities. When he visited London in 1867, he played a private performance at the Broadwood piano establishment.
After his first concert tour, he visited Russia. After a concert there, he was made court pianist, teacher to the imperial children, and later, musical inspector of the imperial girls' schools. He remained in those positions for the rest of his life, rarely appearing in public. His compositions show some lyrical gift, considerable craftsmanship, and not much originality. Along with the two concertos, he is known for a piano trio, a duo for piano and horn, and some salon pieces. He also produced a number of effective transcriptions. ~ Joseph Stevenson, Rovi
Henselt was born at Schwabach, in Bavaria. At the age of three he began to learn the violin, and at five the piano under Josepha von Fladt. On obtaining financial help from King Ludwig I of Bavaria he went to study under Johann Nepomuk Hummel in Weimar for some months, and thence in 1832 to Vienna, where, besides studying composition under Simon Sechter (the later teacher of Anton Bruckner), he made a great success as a concert pianist.
In order to improve his health he made a prolonged tour in 1836 through the chief German towns. In 1837 he settled at Breslau, where he had married Rosalie Vogel, but in the following year he migrated to Saint Petersburg, where previous visits had made him persona grata at Court. He then became court pianist and inspector of musical studies in the Imperial Institute of Female Education, and was ennobled in 1876. He usually spent his summer holidays in his former homeland Germany. In 1852 and again in 1867 he visited England, though in the latter year he made no public appearance.
Statue of von Henselt in his hometown of Schwabach
Saint Petersburg was his home practically until his death, which occurred during a stay at Warmbrunn, Germany (now in Poland), due to cardiac disease. The characteristic of Henselt's playing was a combination of Franz Liszt's sonority with Hummel's smoothness. It was full of poetry, remarkable for the great use he made of extended chords, and for his perfect technique. Indeed, his cantabile playing was unequalled: Liszt once commented on the lengths to which Henselt had gone to achieve his famous legato, saying, "I could have had velvet paws like that if I had wanted to." Henselt's influence on the next generation of Russian pianists is immense. It is in Henselt's playing and teaching that the entire Russian school of music had its genesis, developing from the seeds planted by John Field. Sergei Rachmaninoff held him in very great esteem, and considered him one of his most important influences.
However, despite his relatively long life, Henselt ceased all composition by the age of thirty. The reasons are unclear. Chronic stage fright, bordering on paranoia, caused him to withdraw from concert appearances by age thirty-three.
Natalia Keil-Zenzerova "Adolph von Henselt. Ein Leben für die Klavierpädagogik in Rußland." (Frankfurt 2007) ISBN 3-631-53925-8http://www.peterlang.de In German & Russian
Hyperion records CDA67495 “Etudes” op.2 & op.5; Piers Lane, pianist. Liner notes by Richard Beattie Davis.
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