Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann

Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann was born and died in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the son of composer August Wilhelm Hartmann (1775–1850) and Christiane Petrea Frederica Wittendorff (1778–1848), and the grandson of composer Johann Hartmann (1726-1793), who had originally emigrated to Denmark from Silesia. J.P.E. Hartmann himself was largely self taught. Complying with his father's wishes (who wanted to protect him from the uncertainties of a musician's life), he studied the law and worked as a civil servant from 1829 to 1870, whilst pursuing an extensive musical career. By 1824, he became organist at the Garnisons Kirke in Copenhagen, and in 1832, made a first major impression on audiences with the opera Ravnen.[3] The opera received a long and positive review from Robert Schumann. The libretto was by Hartmann’s lifelong friend Hans Christian Andersen with whom he later cooperated on numerous other works, cantatas, songs, incidental music or operas (among others his popular opera Liden Kirsten, a Danish pendant to the Bartered Bride, which was performed by Liszt in Weimar, and which remains today the most often played Danish opera). Hartmann also cooperated with other important Danish writers of his time, such as Henrik Hertz on his opera Korsarerne or with Adam Øhlenschlæger, writing incidental music and overtures to several of his plays, as well as music in the form of both songs and also melodramas for some of his poems (e.g. Guldhornene), and cooperating in writing numerous cantatas.

In 1836, Hartmann made a study tour to Germany and France, where he made the acquaintance of Frédéric Chopin, Gioachino Rossini, Luigi Cherubini, Gaspare Spontini and Louis Spohr. In his early musical life, Spohr and the Danish composer Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse were Hartmann's most important mentors, as well as Heinrich Marschner. Further journeys to Germany followed in the next few years, during which he met Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms and other renowned composers of the time. He also founded the Copenhagen Music Society (Musikforeningen) in 1836, remaining its chairman until the end of his life. In 1843, he transferred from Garnisons Kirke to play the organ for Copenhagen's cathedral, the Vor Frue Kirke, and became the director of the Student Choral Association. He held both these posts until his death.[4] His proverbially gentle character made him very popular, his compatriots organising year on year numerous impressive feasts to celebrate his birthday.

In 1867, after having taught several subjects at the Danish Academy of Music which originally was founded in 1825 by Giuseppe Siboni (1780–1839), Hartmann helped co-establish and also direct the Royal Danish Academy of Music (Københavns Musikkonservatorium) with Niels Gade (1817–1890) and Holger Simon Paulli (1810–1891).[5][6][7]

In 1829, he married Emma Sophie Amalie Zinn (1807–1851), herself a composer. One of their sons, Emil Hartmann (1836–1898) also became a renowned composer, while their son Carl Christian Ernst Hartmann (1837–1901) became a sculptor. Two of their daughters married composers; Emma Sophie (b. 1831) married Niels Gade and Clara (b. 1839) married August Winding (1835–1899).[8][9][10] Many important later Danish artists, such as the composer Niels Viggo Bentzon and the director Lars von Trier descend from Hartmann.

J. P. E. Hartmann by August Saabye 1905, Sankt Annæ Plads, Copenhagen

Hartmann's works are characterized by artistic seriousness, dramatic vitality, and in particular, by national coloring. The Nordic elements, which can be discerned in the themes based on folksongs, modulations, and the tendency towards rather dark sounds, emerged strongly after the 1830s. Hartmann united these Romantic influences with a strong control over both form and theme, acquired through his Classical training.[11]

Hartmann's life covered the whole 19th century and his very varied output makes it difficult to slot him in one category. His early works, such as Flute Sonata or a Piano Quartet were still written in Beethoven's lifetime and are naturally in the style of the Viennese classicist period. Influences from the then prevailing German models - Weber, Spohr or Marschner - can also be detected. Much of his later work belongs to the generation of Robert Schumann or Felix Mendelssohn. Still his style continued developing over the years. Later compositions, such as the monumental A-Minor piano sonata or some Overtures (Yrsa) bear some similarities with Brahms. And there are pre-modernist accents in many of his latest pieces pointing notably to Carl Nielsen. His work had a strong influence on Scandinavian composers of later generations such as Edvard Grieg, Peter Erasmus Lange-Mueller or Carl Nielsen. His ever increasing originality gave him the nickname of being the «old man prodigy» («Vidunderolding»). Overall, his music displays great diversity, going from humour and poetry to drama and tragedy.[12]

• "Hartmann 3) Johann Peter Emilius" in Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, Leipzig and Vienna: Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, 1885–92, 4th ed., vol. 8, pp. 185–86. (in German)
• William Behrend, J.P.E. Hartmann: En Levnedskildring, Gyldendal, 1918, 93 pages
• Viggo Bitsch, J.P.E. Hartmann, Olsens Boghandel, 1954
• Lothar Brix, Die Klaviermusik von Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann: Ein Beitrag zur musikalischen Romantik in Skandinavien, Dissertation, Göttingen, 1971
• Dan Fog, Hartmann-Katalog: Fortegnelse over J.P.E. Hartmanns trykte Kompositioner, København, Dan Fog Musikforlag, 1991, 189 pages
• Angul Hammerich, J.P.E. Hartmann, Biografiske Essays, G.E. Gads forlag, 1916, 184 pages
• Richard Hove, J.P.E. Hartmann, København, Dansk Musiktidskrift, 1934, 172 pages
• Inger Soerensen, Hartmann, et Dansk komponistdynasti, Gyldendal, 656 pages
• Inger Soerensen, JPE Hartmann og Hans Kreds, 4 volumes, Museum Tusculanum Forlag, 1999-2002, 2452 pages
• Inger Soerensen, JPE Hartmann, Thematic-Bibliographic Catalogue of his Works, 2 volumes, Dansk Center for Musikudgivelse, 1019 pages

• Free scores by Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Valkyrien; ballet, by J.P.E. Hartmann, 1861 publication, Danish, digitized by BYU on archive.org