![]() He was merciless in his criticism of the inferior works he saw taking over the musical atmosphere of the time those of Anton Rubinstein he considered particularly odious. His activities as a critic began to pick up. His songs had meanwhile caught the attention of Franz Liszt, whom he respected greatly, and who like Wolf's previous mentors advised him to pursue larger forms advice he this time followed with the symphonic tone poem Penthesilea. This left him often extremely temperamental, alienating friends and patrons, although his charm helped him retain them more than his actions merited. Wolf often despaired of his own future in the ensuing years, in a world from which his idol had departed, leaving tremendous footsteps to follow and no guidance on how to do so. The song "Zur Ruh, zur Ruh" was composed shortly afterward and is considered to be the best of his early works it is speculated that it was intended as an elegy for Wagner. Wagner's death in February 1883 was another deeply moving event in the life of the young composer. His brief and undistinguished tenure as second Kapellmeister at Salzburg only reinforced this opinion: Wolf had neither the temperament, the conducting technique nor the affinity for the decidedly non-Wagnerian repertoire to be successful, and within a year had again returned to Vienna to teach in much the same circumstances as before. He returned home, although his family relationships were also strained his father was still convinced his son was a ne'er-do-well. When Franck left him just before his 21st birthday, he was despondent. Wolf was prone to depression and wide mood swings, which would affect him all through his life. During their relationship, hints of his mature style would become evident in his Lieder. Support of benefactors allowed him to make a living as a composer, and a daughter of one of his greatest benefactors inspired him to write to Vally ("Valentine") Franck, his first love, with whom he was involved for three years. Though his fiery temperament was not ideally suited to teaching, Wolf's musical gifts, as well as his personal charm, earned him attention and patronage. Once again, however, he was dismissed for "breach of discipline", although the oft-rebellious Wolf would claim he quit in frustration over the school's conservatism.Īfter eight months with his family, he returned to Vienna to teach music. From there, he went to the Vienna Conservatory, much to the disappointment of his father, who had hoped his son would not try to make his living from music. Subjects other than music failed to hold his interest he was dismissed from the first secondary school he attended as being "wholly inadequate", left another over his difficulties in the compulsory Latin studies, and after a falling-out with a professor who commented on his "damned music", quit the last. He spent most of his life in Vienna, becoming a representative of a "New German" trend in Lieder, a trend which followed from the expressive, chromatic and dramatic musical innovations of Richard Wagner.Ī child prodigy, Wolf was taught piano and violin by his father beginning at the age of four, and once in primary school studied piano and music theory with Sebastian Weixler. Herbert von Karajan was related to him on his maternal side. Hugo Wolf was born in Windischgrätz in the Duchy of Styria (now Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia), then a part of the Austrian Empire.
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