Jadassohn, Salomon

1831-1902

Eminent German theorist and prolific composer; also distinguished as a pianist and teacher. Born at Breslau, where he received instruction at the music school and from Hesse in piano, Lüstner in violin and Brosig in harmony. He then studied at the Leipsic Conservatory under Moscheles in 1848, had a year of instruction in piano from Liszt at Weimar and completed his studies in 1852 under Hauptmann at Leipsic. He then became a teacher there; later, conducted the Psalterion Choral Society and the Euterpe concerts, and was appointed professor of harmony, counterpoint, piano, composition and instrumentation at the Leipsic Conservatory in 1871. Was made Doctor of Philology in 1887 by the University of Leipsic, and Royal Professor in 1893. He was of high rank as a teacher. His works on harmony, counterpoint, canon and fugue and instrumentation have been translated into English, and some of them also into French and Italian. In composition he was brilliant, elegant and flawless, and noted especially for his canon forms, for which he has been called the musical Krupp. Of his more than one hundred works, the orchestral pieces are especially good, symphonies, overtures, concertos and serenades; besides a number of trios and quartets for various instruments; ballet music; preludes and fugues; a scherzo for the piano; and numerous vocal compositions, songs and choruses, among them the 43d and 100th Psalms, Trostlied, An den Sturmwind, Vergebung, and Verheissung. He died at Leipsic.