Friedrich Kiel facts for kids
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Friedrich Kiel (born October 8, 1821 – died September 13, 1885) was a talented German composer and music teacher. He wrote many amazing pieces of music, especially for small groups of instruments, known as chamber music. Some experts, like Wilhelm Altmann, believed his music was truly special and should be as famous as other great composers.
Biography
Friedrich Kiel was born in Bad Laasphe, a small town in Germany. He learned the basics of music and his first piano lessons from his father. But mostly, he taught himself! He was a bit of a child genius, playing the piano by age six without much help. By the time he was thirteen, he had already written a lot of music.
His talent caught the eye of Prince Albrecht Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, who loved music. The Prince helped Kiel study the violin with the best player in his orchestra. Kiel even performed as a solo violinist later on. He also took music theory lessons from a famous flutist named Kaspar Kummer.
By 1840, when Kiel was eighteen, he became the court conductor and music teacher for the Prince's children. A few years later, another famous musician, Louis Spohr, heard him play. Spohr helped Kiel get a scholarship to study in Berlin with Siegfried Dehn, a well-known music teacher.
In Berlin, Kiel became a popular teacher himself. In 1866, he started teaching at the famous Stern conservatory. Three years later, he became a professor there. In 1870, he joined the new Hochschule für Musik, which quickly became one of Germany's best music schools.
Outside of music, Kiel loved climbing mountains! When he was 60 years old, he climbed Monte Rosa, one of Europe's highest peaks, located on the border of Switzerland and Italy. Sadly, in 1883, he was in a coach accident. His injuries made him stop working, and he passed away in September 1885.
Compositions
Friedrich Kiel wrote more than seventy musical pieces. These included a piano concerto (a piece for piano and orchestra), motets (choral songs), and oratorios (large musical works for voices and orchestra), like his Star of Bethlehem. He also wrote a Missa Solemnis and two Requiems (music for religious services).
A big part of Kiel's work was Chamber music. This is music written for a small group of instruments, usually one player per part, like a string quartet or a piano trio. Many people think his chamber music is some of his best work. Wilhelm Altmann, a music expert, said that Kiel's chamber music always brought him joy. He also thought it was unfair that Kiel's two string quartets were almost forgotten, as they were so good.
Another expert, R. H. R. Silvertrust, wrote that Kiel's two Piano Quintets (pieces for piano and four other instruments) are "as fine as any in the entire literature." This means they are considered among the best ever written! Today, you can find recordings of several of Kiel's chamber works, his piano concerto, and some of his choral pieces.
