Kummer, K :: Trio in G major, op. 24

Trio in G major, op. 24

Kummer, K

International Music Company presents Kaspar Kummer's Trio for 3 Flutes op. 24 edited by L. Doppler.

Please note that this edition contains parts only.

Given the quality of his music and the high esteem in which he was held by his contemporaries, I am surprised that today Kaspar Kummer is largely ignored. Indeed, ask any musician working today if they know of Kaspar Kummer, and you may find that only flutists and pianists (they play his studies) know his name. His biography does not appear in leading music dictionaries, and information printed about him is largely taken from the account of his life and works found in Richard Rockstro s The Flute (1890).

According to Richard Rockstro (The Flute, 1890) we can count Kummer among the most important 19th-century composers for the flute. Rockstro writes I know of no composer of music for the flute, whose works are of such uniform excellence as those of Kaspar Kummer. He continues saying, His music had finesse, elegance, and noteworthy clarity. Kummer, Kaspar (or Caspar or Gaspard) (1795-1870) was a German flutist, teacher and composer. Mr. Rockstro gives a brief account of his life saying he studied and played several musical instruments before following Louis Drouet as first flutist and then Kapellmeister of the Castle Chapel of Herzog Ernst I of Coburg-Gotha. Here he developed his reputation as a renowned virtuoso and teacher. He composed a large body of chamber music works, including two Serenades (Op. 81 and Op. 83) for flute, viola and guitar and a set of three. Divertissement Op. 92 for flute, violin and guitar.

Kummer played a flute with 8 keys and small tone holes which, at this time, was the popular system of flute in Germany. Playing his music on this flute is perhaps the way to hear Kummer s music at its best the sweet tone and subtle expression of the eight-keyed flute lends itself beautifully to this music.

- redcedar.org