View source for Joachim Raff

{{Short description|German-Swiss composer and pianist (1822–1882)}}
{{Infobox person
| name            = Joachim Raff
| image           = Joseph Joachim Raff cph.3a02067.jpg
| image_upright   = 1.1
| caption         = Raff in 1878, published in [[John Knowles Paine]]'s ''Famous Composers'', Vol. 2, 1891
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1822|05|27|df=y}}
| birth_place     = [[Lachen, Switzerland]]
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1882|06|25|1822|05|27|df=y}}
| death_place     = [[Frankfurt]], German Empire
| occupation      = {{ubl | Composer | Pianist | Music teacher }}
| organizations   = 
| works           = [[List of compositions by Joachim Raff|List of compositions]]
}}
'''Joseph Joachim Raff''' (27 May 1822{{spaced ndash}}24 or 25 June 1882) was a Swiss [[composer]], [[pedagogue]] and [[pianist]].<ref name=grove>James Deaville. [https://doi-org.lonlib.idm.oclc.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.22816 'Raff, (Joseph) Joachim'], in ''Grove Music Online'' (2001)</ref>

==Biography==
Raff was born in [[Lachen, Switzerland|Lachen]] in [[Switzerland]].<ref>M. Römer. ''Joseph Joachim Raff (1822–1882)'', Wiesbaden (1982)</ref> His father, a teacher, had fled there from [[Württemberg]] in 1810 to escape [[Conscription|forced recruitment into the military]] of that southwestern German state  that had to [[French invasion of Russia#Grande Armée|fight for Napoleon in Russia]]. Joachim was largely self-taught in music, studying the subject while working as a schoolmaster in [[Schmerikon]], [[Schwyz]] and [[Rapperswil]].<ref name=grove/> He sent some of his piano compositions to [[Felix Mendelssohn]] who recommended them to [[Breitkopf & Härtel]] for publication. They were published in 1844 and received a favourable review in [[Robert Schumann]]'s journal, the ''[[Neue Zeitschrift für Musik]]'', which prompted Raff to go to [[Zürich]] and take up composition full-time.<ref name=obit>{{cite journal|title=Joachim Raff: obituary|journal=[[Musical Times]]|date=1 July 1882|pages=392–3|url=http://www.raff.org/life/critics/obits/obit_2.htm|location=London|jstor=3358442}}</ref>

In 1845, Raff walked to [[Basel]] to hear [[Franz Liszt]] play the piano. After a period in [[Stuttgart]] where he became friends with the conductor [[Hans von Bülow]], he worked as Liszt's assistant at [[Weimar]] from 1850 to 1853. During this time he helped Liszt in the [[orchestration]] of several of his works, claiming to have had a major part in orchestrating the [[symphonic poem]] ''[[Tasso, Lamento e Trionfo (Liszt)|Tasso]]''. In 1851, Raff's [[opera]] ''König Alfred'' was staged in Weimar, and five years later he moved to [[Wiesbaden]] where he largely devoted himself to composition.<ref name=grove/> From 1878 he was the first Director of, and a teacher at, the [[Hoch Conservatory]] in [[Frankfurt]]. There he employed [[Clara Schumann]] and a number of other eminent musicians as teachers, and established a class specifically for female composers. (This was at a time when women composers were not taken seriously.) His pupils there included [[Edward MacDowell]] and [[Alexander Ritter]]. {{See LMST|Joachim|Raff}}

[[Image:Frankfurt, Hauptfriedhof, Grab Joachim Raff.JPG|upright=0.8|thumb|Grave of Joachim Raff in [[Frankfurt Main Cemetery]], Gewann D 298]]
He died in Frankfurt on the night of June 24/25, 1882.<ref name=obit/> His tomb is in [[Frankfurt Main Cemetery]].

==Compositions==
{{Listen|image=none|help=no|type=music|filename=Brunswick-13012a-3654.ogg|title=''Raff's cavatina'' (3:09)|description=This cavatina for violin and piano (Op. 85) performed in 1920, violin solo by [[Elias Breeskin]] (1896-1969), pianoforte by Rudolph Gruen (1900-1966)}}
Raff was very prolific, and by the end of his life was one of the best known German composers, though his work is largely forgotten today. (Only one piece, a [[cavatina]] for violin and piano, is performed with any regularity today, sometimes as an encore.) He drew influence from a variety of sources - his eleven [[symphony|symphonies]], for example, combine the [[Classical music era|Classical]] symphonic form, with the [[Romantic music|Romantic]] penchant for [[program music]] and [[counterpoint|contrapuntal]] orchestral writing which harks back to the [[Baroque music|Baroque]]. Most of these symphonies carry descriptive titles including ''In the Forest'' (No. 3), ''Lenore'' (No. 5) and [[Symphony No. 1 (Raff)|''To the Fatherland'']] (No. 1), a very large-scale work lasting around seventy minutes. His last four symphonies make up a quartet of works based on the four seasons. A complete cycle of all his symphonies and many other orchestral works was recorded in the early 2000s by the [[Bamberg Symphony]] under [[Hans Stadlmair]].<ref name=grove/>

Raff's [[Symphony No. 3 (Raff)|Symphony No. 3 "In the Forest"]] was enthusiastically received by the audience at that time, spread quickly to England and America and was one of the most played orchestral pieces in the world at the end of the 19th century. It fell into oblivion together with Raff himself, but influenced many later romantic composers including [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]] in his famous [[Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky)|"Pathétique"]] for example. [[Arturo Toscanini]] conducted some performances of the symphony in 1931.<ref name=lenore>Liner notes on Bernard Herrmann recording of Symphony No. 5 ''Lenore''</ref>

The ''Lenore'' symphony (No. 5), famous in its time, was inspired by a [[Lenore (ballad)|ballad of the same name]] by [[Gottfried August Bürger]] that also inspired works by several other composers, including [[Maria Theresia von Paradis]] (1789), [[Henri Duparc (composer)|Henri Duparc]], [[Franz Liszt]]  (late 1850s, mentioned by Alan Walker in his Liszt biography vol. 2), for example. The world premiere recording of ''Lenore'' was made in 1970 by the [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]] conducted by [[Bernard Herrmann]], who championed Raff's orchestral music.<ref name=lenore/>  He described it as "one of the finest examples of the Romantic Programme School - it deserves a place alongside the ''[[Symphonie fantastique]]'' of [[Hector Berlioz|Berlioz]], Liszt's ''[[Faust Symphony]]'' and the ''[[Manfred Symphony]]'' of Tchaikovsky".<ref name=lenore/>

[[Richard Strauss]] was a pupil of [[Hans von Bülow]], a friend of Raff's, and it has been said that Strauss was influenced in his early works by Raff.  For example, Raff's Symphony No. 7 ''In the Alps'' (1877) could have been an inspiration to Strauss's ''[[An Alpine Symphony]]'' (1915).<ref name=lenore/>  Much of Raff's music has been said to forecast the early works of [[Jean Sibelius]].<ref name=lenore/>

Raff also composed in most other genres, including [[concerto]]s, [[opera]], [[chamber music]] and works for solo piano.  His chamber works include five [[violin sonata]]s, a [[cello sonata]], a [[piano quintet]], two [[piano quartet]]s, eight [[String quartet|string quartets]], a [[string sextet]] and four [[piano trio]]s. Many of these works are now commercially recorded.  He also wrote numerous suites, some for smaller groups (there are suites for piano solo and suites for string quartet), some for orchestra and one each for piano and orchestra and violin and orchestra.<ref name=grove/>

== Works ==
{{see also|List of compositions by Joachim Raff}}
Raff's works include:

=== Symphonies ===
* ''Große Symphonie'', WoO. 18 (before 1860; lost, scherzo and finale included in the Orchestral Suite No. 1, Op. 101)
* [[Symphony No. 1 (Raff)|Symphony No. 1 in D major]], Op. 96 "An das Vaterland" (1859–61)
* [[Symphony No. 2 (Raff)|Symphony No. 2 in C major]], Op. 140 (1866)
* [[Symphony No. 3 (Raff)|Symphony No. 3 in F major]], Op. 153 "Im Walde" (1869)
* [[Symphony No. 4 (Raff)|Symphony No. 4 in G minor]], Op. 167 (1871)
* [[Symphony No. 5 (Raff)|Symphony No. 5 in E major]], Op. 177 "Lenore" (1870–72)
* Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 189 "Gelebt, Gestrebt, Gelitten, Gestritten, Gestorben, Umworben" (1874)
* Symphony No. 7 in B-flat major, Op. 201 "In den Alpen" (1875)
* Symphony No. 8 in A major, Op. 205 "Frühlingsklänge" (1876)
* Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 208 "Im Sommer" (1878)
* Symphony No. 10 in F minor, Op. 213 "Zur Herbstzeit" (1879)
* Symphony No. 11 in A minor, Op. 214 "Der Winter" (1876, unfinished; completed by [[Max Erdmannsdörfer]])

=== Concertos ===
*Konzertstück "La Fée d'amour", for violin and orchestra Op. 67 (1854)
*Konzertstück "Ode au printemps" in G major, for piano and orchestra, Op. 76 (1857)
*Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 161 (1870–71)
*Suite for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 180 (1873)
*Piano Concerto in C minor, Op. 185 (1873)
*Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 193 (1874)
*Suite for Piano and Orchestra in E-flat, Op. 200 (1875)
*Cello Concerto No. 2, WoO. 45 (1876)
*Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 206 (1877)

=== Orchestral suites ===
*Suite for Orchestra No. 1, Op. 101 (1863)
*Italian Suite for Orchestra in E minor, WoO. 35 (1871)
*Suite for Orchestra No. 2 in F major "In ungarischer Weise", Op. 194 (1874)
*Suite for Orchestra ''Aus Thüringen'', WoO. 46 (1877)

=== Opera ===
* ''König Alfred'', heroic opera in four acts (Weimar, 9 March 1851)
* ''Samson'', musical drama in five acts (Weimar, 11 March 2022)<ref>[https://musicwebinternational.com/2024/11/raff-samson-schweizer-fonogramm-2/ Recorded on Schweizer Fonogramm SF0016 (2024), reviewed at ''MusicWeb International'']</ref>
* ''Dame Kobold'', comic opera in three acts (Weimar, 1870)
* ''Die Parole'', comic opera in three acts (not performed)
* ''[[Benedetto Marcello (opera)|Benedetto Marcello]]'', lyric opera in three acts, loosely on the life of the composer [[Benedetto Marcello]] (first concert performance, Metzingen 2002)
* ''[[Die Eifersüchtigen]]'', opera in three acts (Arth (CH), 3 September 2022)

=== Other orchestral works ===
* Orchestral pieces, Op. 85 
* Jubilee overture, Op. 103 (1864)
* Festival overture, Op. 117 1864)
* Concert overture, Op. 123 (1862)
* ''Eine feste Burg ist unser Gott, Ouvertüre zu einem Drama aus dem Dreißigjährigen Krieg'' (A mighty fortress is our God", Overture to a drama about the Thirty Years' War), Op. 127 (1854; revised 1865)
* Rhapsody for Orchestra "Abends", Op. 163b 
* Festival March, Op. 139
* Sinfonietta, Op. 188
* Elegy for Orchestra, WoO. 48
* Orchestral Prelude to Shakespeare's "The Tempest", WoO. 50
* Orchestral Prelude to Shakespeare's "Macbeth", WoO. 51
* Orchestral Prelude to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", WoO. 52
* Orchestral Prelude to Shakespeare's "Othello", WoO. 53
* Grand Fugue for Orchestra, WoO. 57
* Overture to ''Benedetto Marcello''
* Overture to ''Dame Kobold'', Op. 154
* Overture to ''Die Parole''
* Orchestration of [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]'s Chaconne from [[Solo Violin Partita No. 2 (Bach)|Violin Partita No. 2]]

=== Chamber music ===
*String Quartet No. 1, Op. 77
*String Quartet No. 2, Op. 90
*Suite in D minor for solo piano Op. 91
*Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 102
*Piano Quintet, Op. 107
*Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 112
*String Quartet No. 3, Op. 135
*String Quartet No. 4, Op. 136
*String Quartet No. 5, Op. 137
*Piano Trio No. 3, Op. 155
*Piano Trio No. 4, Op. 158
*String Octet, Op. 176
*String Sextet, Op. 178
*Sinfonietta for 10 Wind Instruments, Op. 188 (2fl, 2ob, 2cl, 2bn, 2hn)
*String Quartet No. 6, Op. 192 No. 1 ''"Suite in Ancient Style"''
*String Quartet No. 7, Op. 192 No. 2 ''"The Maid of the Mill"'' [Die Schöne Müllerin]
*String Quartet No. 8, Op. 192 No. 3 ''"Suite in Canon Form"''
*Piano Quartet No. 1, Op. 202 No. 1
*Piano Quartet No. 2, Op. 202 No. 2
*Fantasy for Piano Quintet, Op. 207a

==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Joachim Raff}}
*An encyclopedic site devoted to Raff's works, with reviews, sound clips, and discussion forums [http://www.raff.org Raff.org]
* [http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/music-r.htm Sound-bites from String Quartet Nos.1 & 7, String Octet, and Piano Trio Nos.3 & 4]

;Sheet music
* {{IMSLP|id=Raff, Joachim|cname=Joachim Raff}}
* {{ChoralWiki|Joseph Joachim Raff}}

{{Raff symphonies}}
{{Romantic music}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raff, Joachim}}
[[Category:1822 births]]
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[[Category:19th-century classical composers]]
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[[Category:Burials at Frankfurt Main Cemetery]]
[[Category:Composers for piano]]
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[[Category:German male classical pianists]]
[[Category:German opera composers]]
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[[Category:Academic staff of Hoch Conservatory]]
[[Category:String quartet composers]]
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[[Category:Oratorio composers]]
[[Category:People from Rapperswil-Jona]]
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[[Category:Swiss classical pianists]]