Johann Nepomuk Hummel was a noted Austrian composer and piano virtuoso who not only wrote substantially for the instrument, but also transcribed a series of important orchestral pieces. Among them are two transcriptions of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36- the first a version for piano solo and the second a work for piano quartet, with flute substituting for the traditional viola part. This study will examine Hummel’s treatment of the symphony in both transcriptions, looking at a variety of pianistic devices in the solo piano version and his particular instrumentation choices in the quartet version. Each of these transcriptions can serve a particular purpose for performers. The solo piano version is an obvious virtuoso vehicle, whereas the quartet version can be a refreshing program alternative in a piano quartet concert.

During the first half of the twentieth century the trumpet has gained its position as a solo instrument, even surpassing its esteemed position in the High Baroque Era. With the combined efforts of performers like Herbert L. Clark, Ernest S. Williams, and Joseph Arban, and the efforts of the French school of trumpet playing, notably those of Raymond Sabarich, the trumpet has risen from a mere accompanying instrument of the Classical Period and early Romantic Era to its present place as an expressive solo instrument. In this relatively new position the trumpeter is faced with one serious problem: that is one of limited literature. The trumpeter of today is almost compelled to perform either works of the Baroque Era or solos written within the last thirty years.

The article examines the significance of one of Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s masterpieces. First, it highlights the circumstances of its production and the contemporary critical acclaim in the AmZ. In a second step, Robert Schumann’s involvement with this work is shown. In his journal, the sonata of Hummel is mentioned several times which indicates the engagement of the young piano discipline. In a short article, published in the NZfM in the year 1839, Schumann links this sonata with the compositional “way of Mozart” and thus gives an important hint to the formal design of the piece itself. Aspects of formal organization and structure of this sonata are analyzed and presented in the third part of the essay. In opposition to Beethoven’s motivic development, Hummel pursues another strategy of formal structure by stringing together each of the segments and themes. Thus, the focus shifts from a dynamic design of sonata-form to a more epic layout of the piece. Additionally, technical development and innovations concerning piano techniques and virtuosity are examined.

Hummel's Concerto for Trumpet (Concerto a Tromba principale) is overtly operatic and is stylistically reminiscent of Mozart's Don Giovanni. Using the methodology of Leonard Ratner and Wye J. Allanbrook, it is possible to explore gesture and rhetoric in Hummel's Concerto for Trumpet and Mozart's Don Giovanni, and achieve a deeper understanding of the stylistic similarities shared between the two works. In the third movement, dance is the most significant link to Don Giovanni. In the second movement, Hummel alternates between the emotions of Donna Anna and Don Ottavio as they appear in act 1, scene 13. The first movement makes extensive use of contrasting topics identified with buffa and seria characters to advance the musical narrative. Comparing Hummel's concerto and Mozart's opera is a hermeneutical approach that illuminates several performance practice implications. Knowing the expressive similarities and rhetorical strategies common to both works clarifies several issues, such as tempo, ornamentation, and above all, expression. Though Mozart's Don Giovanni and Hummel's Concerto for Trumpet are unequal in significance, it would be valuable to any interpretation of Hummel's concerto if the performer and audience acknowledge that the work is rhetorically and stylistically similar to Mozart's Don Giovanni.

This study investigates the importance of Hummel as a transitional composer, pedagogue and pianist between the Classical and Romantic periods, his contribution to the development of piano technique, and his influence as a pedagogue on later generations. The bases of this study were his treatise A complete theoretical and practical course on the art of piano playing (Ausführliche theoretisch-practische Anweisung zum Pianoforte-Spiele) of 1828, his Préludes op. 67 of 1814/1815 and his 24 Grandes Études op. 125 of 1833. Hummel’s treatise is an important musicological document detailing keyboard performance practices of the 18th and early 19th century. He lived at a time when the present day piano was still evolving. The new instruments with their resulting new possibilities found expression in his 24 Grandes Études op. 125. Important sources consulted were the following:  The piano concertos of Johann Nepomuk Hummel by F.H. Mitchell (1957)  The music of J.N. Hummel: its derivations and development by R. Davis (1965)  Romantic Music: A history of musical style in the 19th century by L. Plantinga (1984)  The Kristeva Reader edited by Toril Moi (1986)  How did they play? How did they teach? by S. Soderlund (2006); and  Johann Nepomuk Hummel: a musician’s life and world by Mark Kroll (2007). Although Hummel was deeply rooted in the Classical style, his compositions displaying the hallmarks of the style galant, can be divided into two style periods. The first style period ending about 1811 shows harmonic simplicity, regularity of phrasing and elegant cantabile melody. His second period post-1811 saw the composition of works with bolder, more dissonant harmony resulting in greater chromaticism. After 1814 his piano compositions demand greater variety of tone colour, more expressive use of dynamics, rubato, and advanced technical facility of the performer. According to Mitchell (1957: 75, 76) Hummel’s art and ornamentation are related to the virtuoso technique expanded by the Viennese pianistic style of the early 19th century. Hummel developed the ornamental style further, culminating ultimately in the poetry of the tone-coloured fioritura of Chopin. One aim of the study was to reveal the individual contributions Hummel made to the changes taking place between the Classical and Romantic styles. Innovative aspects include new virtuoso technical demands that would find fruition in the études of Chopin an Liszt. His influence on Chopin was undeniable as one perceives the early distinguishing characteristics of Chopin’s style in many of the compositions of Hummel. Schumann and Liszt were familiar with the music of Hummel in their formative years and there is much evidence of Hummel’s style in their compositions. In Chapter 4 on intertextuality, Hummel’s influence on Chopin, Schumann and Liszt is examined, and in Chapter 5 his pedagogical principles as set out in his treatise are appraised. Chapter 6 is an investigation into the technical principles embodied in Hummel’s 24 Grandes Études op. 125 and their influence on the development of the Concert Étude. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Music / unrestricted