# Hummel question



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

As a part-time Hummel fan, I just saw this 20-CD collection:

https://www.amazon.com/Hummel-Costantino-Mastroprimiano/dp/B07GJ797B7/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1548834284&sr=1-1

Any comments about this set?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

I was tempted, but skipped it, the Chandos Recordings of the concertos and masses plus the piano trios on MDG forming a core of high quality recordings in my collection.

What I don't own is most of the piano sonatas, but note that in the brilliant Classics set, the piano sonatas are on fortepiano, but played enthusiastically.
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8496248--hummel-edition
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=2275338

(neither of the content lists above are complete)

I might go for the Naxos piano solo works some time in the future.

Still, there are some interesting items in the Brilliant set, though, including the chamber music. The Piano Quintet recording is very good, but can be had separately.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Another list of the content, with MP3 samples
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/de...el-johann-nepomuk-hummel-edition/hnum/8710983


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Hummel's thunder was stolen by some of the Romantics who copied him, especially that scrawny fellow from Warsaw who coughed a lot and ended up in Paris.  Hummel deserves better than that as an important transitional figure between the Classical and Romantic eras.


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## waldvogel (Jul 10, 2011)

So, Ken, does the Hummel collection feature lots of rosy-cheeked peasants, hunters with their dogs, and characters from the brothers Grimm?

Better watch out... that stuff can add up to big bucks!


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Hummel's Second Piano Concerto that Chopin greatly helped himself to:


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

I just listened to everything in the set that was new to me (most of it outside of the piano concertos). It's got some great music, including the trumpet concerto, and most of the works and recordings are above average. If you are unsure, you can check it out on Spotify (it is in two volumes there).


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

KenOC said:


> As a part-time Hummel fan, I just saw this 20-CD collection:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Hummel-Costantino-Mastroprimiano/dp/B07GJ797B7/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1548834284&sr=1-1
> 
> Any comments about this set?


Well, it's a fortepiano so it's a definite no for me. Generally, I have no interest in the rinky-dink sound of early 19th century piano technology.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

DaveM said:


> Well, it's a fortepiano so it's a definite no for me. Generally, I have no interest in the rinky-dink sound of early 19th century piano technology.


 No offense to those who enjoy this recording, but I can never accept that pianofortes sounded this poor or disappointing in their day. What composer who loves beauty of sound would ever feel inspired to write for such a clunky instrument, especially in its upper register? And yet musicians play on these dreadful instruments as if they're oblivious to the poor sound. Most of the instruments of vintage origins are now 200 or more years old, not new instruments like they were in their day that one hopes sounded better. I do not believe that Hummel would have objected to being played on a modern grand. In fact, I believe he would have relished the opportunity.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I’ve been wanting to explore Hummel, but not 20 CDs worth.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

I would be interested in a 20 CD box set of Hummel, a composer I've long found of great interest. His Piano Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op 89, remains one of my favorite (and most often listened to) works in the "classical" genre.






Without the box set on my shelves, my collection still boasts a dozen or so Hummel discs, including the three Newport Classics CDs featuring Constance Keene performing the "Complete Piano Sonatas" -- on a Steinway D! Wonderful stuff! (I fully empathize with those who feel repelled by the sound of fortepiano, however noble the playing may be.)

And the Hummel Trumpet Concerto has few rivals, even among us Haydn fans!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Larkenfield said:


> No offense to those who enjoy this recording, but I can never accept that pianofortes sounded this poor or disappointing in their day. What composer who loves beauty of sound would ever feel inspired to write for such a clunky instrument, especially in its upper register? And yet musicians play on these dreadful instruments as if they're oblivious to the poor sound. Most of the instruments of vintage origins are now 200 or more years old, not new instruments like they were in their day that one hopes sounded better. I do not believe that Hummel would have objected to being played on a modern Steinway. In fact, I believe he would have relished the opportunity.


We must remember that they had only recently been liberated from the ubiquitous jangling clangor of the harpsichord.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

The fortepiano that Mastroprimiano plays does not sound that far off from a regular grand piano, especially when compared to the horrible plinky sound of the harpsichord. I thought piano sonatas 1, 2, and 4 were good, the cello sonata was good, and piano sonata 5 were excellent.

Outside of the seven sonatas with Mastroprimiano, the other pieces in the Hummel Edition sets do not have any fortepiano in them.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

DaveM said:


> Well, it's a fortepiano so it's a definite no for me. Generally, I have no interest in the rinky-dink sound of early 19th century piano technology.


It's 18thC piano technology really.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Hummel owned and played an Erard.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

Lucky chap..............


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

eugeneonagain said:


> It's 18thC piano technology really.


Hummel died in 1837. Presumably the fortepiano used in the work above was similar to what Hummel might have used. Which means that it predated the major changes in the grand piano that were introduced soon after Hummel passed and continued throughout the rest of the edit: 19th century: the cast iron frame, thicker, tenser improved steel strings, sostenuto pedal, variations of aliquot stringing and the Steinway duplex scaling, etc. Suffice it to say that there is no piano manufactured in Hummel's lifetime that broadly represented 18thC piano technology.

The fortepiano in the Hummel work may not even have some of the improvements appearing in the 1830s or it's just a fortepiano in poor condition. It has virtually no sustain and the upper register has a tinkley, almost out-of-tune sound.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

DaveM said:


> Hummel died in 1837. Presumably the fortepiano used in the work above was similar to what Hummel might have used. Which means that it predated the major changes in the grand piano that were introduced soon after Hummel passed and continued throughout the rest of the 18th century: the cast iron frame, thicker, tenser improved steel strings, sostenuto pedal, variations of aliquot stringing and the Steinway duplex scaling, etc. Suffice it to say that there is no piano manufactured in Hummel's lifetime that broadly represented 18thC piano technology.
> 
> The fortepiano in the Hummel work may not even have some of the improvements appearing in the 1830s or it's just a fortepiano in poor condition. It has virtually no sustain and the upper register has a tinkley, almost out-of-tune sound.


Which then makes it obviously like (forte)pianos from the 18th century...the 1700s. Or am I missing something?


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

eugeneonagain said:


> Which then makes it obviously like (forte)pianos from the 18th century...the 1700s. Or am I missing something?


Oh, um, hmm, ahh, yes. My apologies. I saw 18thC and thought 1800s. Total brain fart.


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## Griomo (Jun 14, 2017)

Well, should you buy it, then you will perhaps be missing his not-that-known string quartets, and may happily go on for Delmé4:s take which is fine as the probably single set available.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Erard's improvements and changes on the earlier instrument types are considered important, cf. for example the Wiki articles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sébastien_Érard etc.

Hummel thus had access to - and later owned - one of the most modern instruments of his days.


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