Adolf Jensen facts for kids
Adolf Jensen (born January 12, 1837 – died January 23, 1879) was a talented German pianist, composer, and music teacher. He is known for his beautiful songs and piano pieces.
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Life Story
Adolf Jensen was born in Königsberg, a city in Germany (now called Kaliningrad, Russia). He came from a family of musicians, so music was a big part of his life from the start. Even though he mostly taught himself, he also learned from famous teachers like Louis Ehlert, Louis Köhler, and Friedrich Marpurg.
In 1856, Jensen traveled to Russia to teach music. He hoped to earn enough money to take lessons from the famous composer Robert Schumann. Sadly, Schumann had already passed away by then.
In 1857, Jensen became the music director for the city theater in Posen (now Poznań, Poland). From 1858 to 1860, he lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he became good friends with another composer, Niels Gade.
After his time in Copenhagen, he returned to Königsberg. This was a very creative period for him, and he composed many of his musical works during these years.
From 1866 to 1868, Jensen taught advanced piano at a special music school in Berlin. However, he had to stop teaching because of a serious illness. He moved to different cities like Dresden, Graz, and finally Baden-Baden. He passed away in Baden-Baden at the age of 42 from tuberculosis.
Adolf Jensen also had a brother named Gustav Jensen (1843–1895), who was also a violinist and composer.
His Music
Adolf Jensen wrote around 160 art songs, which are songs for a singer and piano. He also composed pieces for choirs.
For the piano, he wrote many works, including:
- A Sonata in F sharp minor (Op. 25)
- A collection of 25 Études (Op. 32), which are pieces designed to help pianists practice and improve their skills.
- Erotikon, Op. 44, a set of seven pieces that tell stories from ancient Greek legends.
He also wrote music for two people to play on one piano at the same time, called piano four hands.
Jensen also composed music for orchestras. This included a Concert Overture in E minor and a piece called Geistliches Tonstück. He began working on an opera, which is a play set to music, called Die Erbin von Montfort in 1864-65. However, he was not able to finish it. After he died, another composer named Wilhelm Kienzl used Jensen's music for a new opera called Turandot. The story for this new opera was written by Jensen's daughter, Elsbeth, who used the pen name "Egbert Jensen."
Images for kids
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Grave monument in the main cemetery of Baden-Baden
See also
In Spanish: Adolf Jensen para niños
