The clarinet works of Gustav Adolph Heinze

This project was inspired by a recording of the Concertstück for Clarinet and Orchestra, op. 1 by Gustav Adolph Heinze, performed by the late clarinetist Thea King. The Concertstück was recorded on the Hyperion label by Thea King and the English Chamber Orchestra in 1988 under the direction of James Judd. With the assistance of Himie Voxman at the University of Iowa and the Grove Dictionary of Music Online, sources for this project were located. In the entry under Gustav Adolph Heinze there were two main sources used: Heinze's autobiography that was finished by his step-daughter after his death and a biography written by Klaes Sierksma. These books including the manuscript of the Concertstück were obtained through the Amsterdam Public Library.

Gustav Adolph Heinze (1821-1904) was the principal clarinetist of the Gewandhaus Orchestra from 1837-1844. In 1837, Heinze composed his first work, Concertstück für Clarinette und Orchester, op. 1. By the age of 29, Heinze had composed seven works that included clarinet. Only three of the seven works that include clarinet exist today: the Concertstück für Clarinette und Orchester, op. 1; Drei Lieder, op. 23 for Mezzo-soprano, clarinet, and piano; and the Grand Quintetto, op. 22b for piano, flute, clarinet, horn, and bassoon.

In 1850, Heinze moved to the Netherlands and concentrated on composing vocal music for the rest of his life. As time progressed he became an important member of the music society in Amsterdam. In 1875, Heinze became one of five founding members of the Nederlandse Toonkunstenaars Vereniging (Dutch Musicians Association) later known as the Koninklijke Nederlandse Toonkunstenaars Vereniging (Royal Dutch Musicians Association). While having appointed himself vice-president of the association he was also the headmaster of the Maatschapij tot Bevordering der Toonkunst (Society for the Advancement of Music). In his later years, Heinze began writing his autobiographical book but was not able to complete the book himself. After he died, his step-daughter Louise Westermann-Heinze finished the book.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide the first extensive biography of Gustav Adolph Heinze in English as well as performance editions of the three chamber works by Heinze that include clarinet. The biography includes Heinze's life and career in Germany, his political views that led him to leave the country, and his fruitful career in the Netherlands. The second half of the thesis includes the three chosen works presented here as viable performance editions. The three manuscripts are written out clearly and legibly with editorial changes made by Heinze crossed out, but still decipherable.

The three works in this project are the only known ones available to date, (of the seven small chamber works originally composed between 1837 and 1850). All background materials for this project are in Dutch and are either available through the University of Iowa libraries or from the Amsterdam Public Library. Copies of the manuscripts of the Drei Lieder, Grand Quintetto, and Concertstück fur Clarinette und Orchester, as well as the autobiography and biography by Klaes Sierksma, were sent from the Amsterdam Public Library. These sources were translated from Dutch to English. The handwriting of the German text in the Drei Lieder has been transcribed and translated by Michael Kimber.