Prinz Louis Ferdinand -Octet in F major, Op. 12 (c. 1805, first publ. c. 1808)

Prince Frederick Louis Christian "Ferdinand" of Prussia (German: Friedrich Ludwig Christian; 18 November 1772 – 10 October 1806), was a Prussian prince, soldier, composer and pianist. Prince Louis Ferdinand fought in the Napoleonic Wars. The 1927 German film Prinz Louis Ferdinand was a biopic of his life.

• 1Early life
• 2Military career
• 3Musical activities
• 4Musical works
• 5Family
• 6Ancestry

Octet in F major, Op. 12 (c. 1805, first publ. c. 1808)

clarinet, 2 horns, 2 violas, 2 cellos & piano

Dedication: à son Altesse le Prince regnant de Lobkowitz, Duc de Randnitz

I. Introduzione. Lento patetico — Allegro grazioso (0:00) II. Romance. Larghetto cantabile ed espressivo (15:55) III. Rondo. Allegro non troppo (23:15)

Horst Göbel, piano and members of the Berliner Orchester-Akademie.

 

Not only the key, but also the instruments for which Louis Ferdinand's Octet, Op.12 was composed, have often been mistakenly given. A number of sources list the work as being in f minor, and while some of the octet is indeed in f minor, namely the introduction Lento Patetico and the middle movement, Romance, the bulk of the work is in F Major. Beyond the key, several recordings claim that the Octet is for 2 violins and not 2 violas. This is just simply wrong and an examination of the score and original manuscript would have made this quite clear. The Octet was composed around 1805, shortly before his death. The introduction is a substantial Lento patetico, which is melancholy but not terribly sad. It leads to a leisurely and elegant Allegro grazioso, which has a whiff of the salon. The rather slow middle movement, Romanza, larghetto cantabile ed espresso, is quite lyrical. The jolly finale, a dance-like Rondo, allegro non troppo, mostly in the major, is attractive and light. Apart from being a soldier, Louis Ferdinand was also a gifted musician and composer. Johann Friedrich Reichardt, Kapellmeister to Frederick II and Frederick William II, considered him a great pianist. Early on Louis Ferdinand also started to compose music, but he was not recognized for his compositional activities until later. His early pieces were performed by the orchestra of Prince Henry, the brother of Fredrick the Great. Later on, Prince Louis Ferdinand joined several salons in Berlin, where he frequently improvised on the piano. Among his circle of acquaintances were figures such as Schlegel, Wackenroder, and Tieck, all of whom were highly interested in music as well. Ludwig van Beethoven dedicated his Third Piano Concerto to him, a sign of high esteem for his piano playing. Anton Reicha's massive variation cycle, L'art de varier, was also written for Louis Ferdinand. In 1842, Franz Liszt wrote an Élégie sur des motifs du Prince Louis Ferdinand de Prusse, S. 168, for piano solo. Though the published musical oeuvre of the prince from the House of Hohenzollern comprises a mere 13 works, they were widely disseminated and significantly influenced later composers such as Robert Schumann. Louis Ferdinand’s importance as “the first Romantic in the history of music” continues to be underestimated.