I. Andante Sostenuto – Allegro
1. 1842 was a big year for Louise Farrenc. At the age of 38 she was appointed Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatory, an influential and prestigious position, after having toured as a concert pianist since her teens.
2. 1842 was also a year of many firsts. Both the New York Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic gave their first concerts. The term “dinosaur” was coined. A surgeon first administered an inhaled anesthetic.
3. In England, Queen Victoria became the first reigning monarch to ride a train. The steam hammer was patented. And first income tax was enacted, probably to pay for all the Queen’s train tickets.
4. And Louise Farrenc wrote the first of her three symphonies. Symphonic works were not nearly as popular as opera during this period. Not to mention, they were normally composed by men.
5. Although the Paris Conservatory did hire her, and she gained fame as a composer, women were not allowed to study composition at the Paris Conservatory.
6. She did manage to win praise from such luminaries as Robert Schumann and Hector Berlioz, who said her music was “orchestrated with a talent rare among women.”
7. In other words, pretty good for a girl! Sigh. Baby steps.
II. Adagio cantabile
1. Farrenc’s first spectacular success as a composer came with her nonet, for wind quintet plus strings.
2. Not at all easy to become famous for a nonet. Think of all the famous nonets YOU know. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
3. Much like contemporary bands, most of the chamber music glory goes to trios, quartets, and quintets. Think Rush, Rolling Stones, and Spice Girls.
4. Although Farrenc’s piece is more of a quintet plus a quartet. Which makes sense. I’d pay serious money to see the Rolling Stones on stage with the Spice Girls. But you can’t always get what you want.
5. Meanwhile, nonets continue to toil in obscurity. Heard of Mushroomhead? Idiot Flesh? Los Hooligans? Mud Flutter? One of those is made up. Care to guess which one? Go ahead. I’ll wait.
III. Minuetto Moderato
1. Here we are at the Minuet, a common form used in compositions for centuries. Farrenc’s minuet is devilishly dramatic. If this is a dance, it’s one of intrigue, with bold and almost savage gestures from the strings and timpani.
2. Cooler, gentler heads prevail in the middle (“trio”) section as the horns and winds attempt to soothe us. Meanwhile the strings simmer, before boiling back over in the repeat.
3. It almost sounds like a bank robber is hiding out in a dance class. We’re dancing, but we’re scared, but we’re also excited. Nobody move! Until beat three. Then bend your knees and swoon to the left.
IV. Allegro Assai
1. Louise Farrenc was raised in a family of famous sculptors. Her grandfather, father, and brother were all established sculptors, with works displayed in Versailles and the Louvre.
2. Though her achievements would make any family proud, one wonders if there was a twinge of disappointment in her parents’ eyes.
3. Imagine leaving your bright, artistic, talented daughter alone in a room with a pile of clay, only to return to discover, to your horror, that she’s practicing scales on the piano.
4. She was probably given a perfectly good slab of marble and a chisel for Christmas. Or perhaps Baby’s First Smelting Forge. And for what?! Breaking her father’s heart, that’s what.
5. It gets worse. At the age of 17 she married… a flutist. Hard to blame her though. Just look at the ROCO flute section! Clearly marriage material.
