Gustav Lange

This article is about a German composer. For the Norwegian musician, see Gustav Fredrik Lange. For the Estonian politician, see Gustav Lange (politician).

Gustav Lange (13 August 1830 – 20 July 1889) was a German composer known mainly for his melodious salon music for the piano.

Life

Lange was born in Schwerstedt, near Erfurt, Prussian Saxony, in 1830. He received initial musical training from his father on the piano and organ, followed by conservatory studies in piano, organ, thorough bass, and composition – probably at the Royal Institute for Church Music in Berlin.^[1] His teachers included August Wilhelm Bach, Eduard Grell, and Albert Löschhorn.

He lived for many years in Berlin and died at Wernigerode in 1889.

Music

Encouraged by the success of some 1860s compositions, Lange produced a large number of works, most of which were light and popular piano pieces of which he wrote around 500. Edelweiss op. 31 and Blumenlied op. 39 (alternatively known as Flower Song in English) are perhaps two of his best-known works today.

A contemporary English source says: "Many of these pieces are very pleasing and pretty in character, but they are not marked by any very striking features".^[2]

Selected compositions (piano)

Lamentation d'une jeunne fille op. 10 Farewell! op. 15 Prière à la Madonne op. 17 Fête militaire op. 18 Le Retour de soldat op. 19 Sehnsuchtsklänge op. 20 Die Libelle op. 24 Jägerfahrt op. 26 Dolorosa op. 28 Edelweiß op. 31 Blumenlied op. 39 Fischerlied op. 43 Langage d'amour op. 45 Au bivouac op. 47 Fleurs fanées op. 48 Minnelied op. 51 Einsame Tränen op. 52 Hortensia op. 53 Dein Eigen op. 54 Liebesahnung op. 75 Heidenröslein op. 78 Aus Herzensgrunde op. 85 Blumenmärchen op. 93 Immortellen op. 94 Mein Sohn, wo willst du hin so spät? Op.165 (Arrangement of Felix Mendelssohn's Winterlied (No.3) from 6 Gesänge, Op.19a for single piano) Drei Fantasie-Transkriptionen über Opernarien von G. Meyerbeer op. 207 Offenbach-Fantasien op. 208 Valse mélancholique op. 210 Zwei Waldidyllen op. 211 Vier Lieder von Anton Rubinstein frei übertragen op. 212 Fantasie-Transkriptionen über drei Lieder von Franz Abt op. 213 Paraphrase über die Schlummerarie aus der Oper 'Die Stumme von Portici' von D.F.E. Auber op. 214 Paraphrase über die Romanze der Ines aus der Oper 'Die Afrikanerin' von G. Meyerbeer op. 215 Fantasie-Polonaise nach Motiven von B. Bilses beliebter Königs-Polonaise op. 216 Drei Fantasie-Transkriptionen über Lieder und Arien von W.A. Mozart op. 217

Die Maccabäer op. 237 Das goldene Kreuz op. 254 Der Landfriede op. 255 Sérénade irlandaise op. 409 Melitta op. 417 Almröschen op. 418 Im Ahnenschloss op. 419 Blumenklage op. 420 Begegnung auf der Alm op. 421 Les Pages de la Reine op. 422 Aus der Kindheit frohen Tagen op. 427 Frohes Wandern op. 428 Die Lotosblume op. 429 Marguerite op. 430 Lieb' Mütterlein op. 431 Marcella op. 432 L'Adieu op. 433 Gitanella op. 434 La Danse au Tyrol op. 435 Après le travail op. 436 Plaisirs de l'automne op. 437 Im Zwielicht op. 445 Von Zweig zu Zweig op. 447 Graziosa op. 448 Sérénade du gondolier op. 451 La jeunne fille de Pologne op. 453 Liebesreigen op. 455 Gavotte favorite op. 457 Heckenrosen op. 462 Les Grenadiers du Roi op. 464 Marche des Mineurs op. 474 Calme-toi! op. 475 La Petite flatteuse op. 480 Jour de répos op. 485 Fleur printanière op. 487 Danse des fleurs op. 489 Folâtrerie op. 491 Les Mois de roses op. 493

References

1. It is not exactly clear at which conservatory he studied. Lange's article in the German Wikipedia mentions a conservatory at Erfurt, but this was not founded before 1911. The nearest to Erfurt would have been at Leipzig. The French Wikipedia mentions the following names of teachers, and these were all involved as teachers at the Berlin institute.
2. Brown, James Duff: Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (Paisley and London: Alexander Gardner, 1886; reprint Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlag, 1970), p. 374.

External links

• Works by or about Gustav Lange at the Internet Archive
• Free scores by Gustav Lange at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)