A Great Composer That I Had Never Heard Of

A Great Composer That I Had Never Heard Of

I enjoy sharing great classical music that I love and sharing what little knowledge that I have about the music and the composers. Trust me, I am not saying that with modesty, but it is the truth, because I am just a fan of classical music and not a professional musicologist or a a virtuoso of any instrument, so there is so much more that I do not know about classical music than I know.

That is why, whenever I hear on one of the classical music stations that I listen to, some new [for me] great classical music from a composer that I have never heard of, I love that. So, it happened the other night [September in 2020] when I was listening to my local classical music station, Houston Public Media Classical, and heard this very nice symphony that sounded like one of Haydn’s [104] symphonies; but it wasn’t from the great classical composer, Franz Joseph Haydn, it was from a composer I have never heard of, Vojtěch Matyáš Jírovec aka Adalbert Gyrowetz. Have you heard of him?

From Wikipedia: “Vojtěch Matyáš Jírovec (Adalbert Gyrowetz) (20 February 1763 – 19 March 1850) was a Bohemian [born in Czechia]. He mainly wrote instrumental works, with a great production of string quartets and symphonies; his operas and singpiele numbered more than 30, including Semiramide (1791), Der Augenarzt (1811), and Robert, oder Die Prüfung (1815).”

That is amazing to me this classical composer composed mostly instrumental works, symphonies and operas [I am assuming some of the most difficult pieces to write in the classical genre]. Also, from Wikipedia, this composer who [shame on me] I had never heard of, met both Mozart and Haydn, the composer he idolized. Also, “Gyrowetz was an important part of Viennese musical society well into the 1820s and even arranged the piano reduction of Rossini’s Zelmira in 1822. He was one of the pallbearers at Beethoven’s funeral in 1827.”

Wow!

Listen to his symphony in D Major [the piece I heard on Houston Public Media Classical] and see if this doesn’t sound like a Haydn symphony or even a young Mozart early symphony. It is scored in the usual 4 movements: 1. Adagio-Allegro; 2. Andante Poco Adagio; 3. Minuetto-Allegro; and 4. Presto.

Then I have his Piano concerto in F Major with 3 movements: 1. Allegro; 2. Andante con variazoni; and 3. Rondo, Allegro.

Then I have the Rondo of his wonderful trio, called Grand Trio Concertante for Cello, Clarinet and Piano.

The final video is his Symphony in C Major, with 4 movements: 1. Adagio-Allegro Molto; 2.Andante; 3.Minuetto-Allegro; and 4. Allegro ma non Troppo.

Please turn up the volume and enjoy some wonderful classical music from Adalbert Gyrowetz.

Adalbert Gyrowetz: Symphony in D Major: