Karl Goldmark

Karl Goldmark ( May 18 , 1830 - January 2 , 1915 ) was a Jewish composer who was self-taught. He was influenced by Richard Wagner . He was born in Keszthely, Hungary , and died in Vienna . Probably his most famous work is the opera 'Die Königin von Saba' (The Queen of Sheba), Op.27. First performed in Vienna in 1875, the work proved so popular that it remained in the repertory of the Vienna Staatsoper continuously until 1938. He wrote six other operas as well. Goldmark's Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor, Op.28, has become perhaps his most frequently performed work; a second violin concerto is seldom heard. The "Rustic Wedding" Symphony ( Ländliche Hochzeit ) Op.26, another popular work, includes five movements: a wedding march with variations depicting the wedding guests, a nuptial song, a serenade, a dialogue between the bride and groom in a garden, and a dance movement. A second symphony in E-flat, Op. 35, is much less well-known. Goldmark's chamber music, although critically well-received in his lifetime, is now rarely heard. It includes the String Quintet in A minor Op.9, the Violin Sonata in D major Op.25, the Piano Quintet in B-flat major Op. 30, the Cello Sonata Op.39, and the work that first brought Goldmark's name into prominence in the Viennese musical world, the String Quartet in B-flat Op.8 (his only work in that genre). Goldmark also composed choral music, two Suites for Violin and Piano (in D major, Op.11, and in E-flat major, Op.43), and numerous overtures, such as the Sakuntala Overture Op.13 (a work which cemented his fame after his String Quartet), the Penthesilea Overture Op.31, the In the Spring Overture Op.36, the Prometheus Bound Overture Op. 38, the Sappho Overture Op.44, and the In Italy Overture Op.49. Karl Goldmark's nephew Rubin Goldmark was also a composer.¹