Cornelius, Peter (EN)

Cornelius Carl August Peter, *24 December 1824 Mainz, †26 October 1874 Mainz, German composer, poet, and music critic. He came from a family of actors and performed himself, including in 1843 at the court theater in Wiesbaden. At the same time, he studied music under J. Panny and H. Esser in Mainz, where in 1840 he became a violinist in the theater orchestra. In 1843 he moved to Berlin, where – living from 1844 to 1852 under the care of his uncle, the painter Peter Joseph Cornelius – he studied composition under S. Dehn. That is also where he became acquainted with A. von Humboldt, B. von Arnim, and J. von Eichendorff, and formed a friendship with P. Heyse. In 1851 he published music reviews in Berlin journals (“Echo,” “Modespiegel”), which brought him considerable recognition; later he also contributed to “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik.” From 1852 to 1858 he lived in Weimar among musicians associated with Liszt, becoming one of his ardent supporters. Through Liszt, he encountered Wagner for the first time, as well as Brahms, Schumann, and Berlioz. In Weimar, he also composed the opera Der Barbier von Bagdad; its Weimar premiere, conducted by Liszt in 1858, failed due to intrigues, after which Cornelius moved to Vienna, earning a living by teaching music. There he formed friendships K. Tausig, among others, and became fascinated by Wagner’s ideology. In 1865 Wagner invited him to Munich, where Cornelius took up the post of teacher of theory and harmony, as well as rhetoric with metrics and poetics, at the newly founded Königliche Hochschule; he remained in these positions until his death.

Cornelius is usually placed among the circle of Liszt and Wagner epigones; in fact, he was more an enthusiast than a follower. As a composer and poet, he recognized exclusively vocal genres, in which he achieved a strong integration of musical text and words. His solo and choral songs are of greatest importance, representing a significant stage in the development of German vocal lyricism after Schumann and before the emergence of Wolf and Mahler. His solo songs, often using his own high-quality texts, display considerable melodic invention (popular Weihnachtslieder), or a tendency to reduce melisma in favor of recitative and subtle harmonic accompaniment (Ein Ton from Trauer und Trost). In his choral works, Cornelius employed archaic techniques, including modal harmonies, cantus firmus techniques (Versuch einer Messe…), and instrumental inspiration from Bach (Drei Psalmlieder), as well as influences from Beethoven and Schubert. The structures characteristic of his vocal lyricism also shape his best-known work, the comic opera Der Barbier von Bagdad, which is related in type to operas by Lortzing and Flotow, and partly to later operas such as Der Cid and Gunlöd.

Literature: Unbekannte Briefe von Peter Cornelius, ed. G. Wagner, “Mitteilungen der Arbeitsgemeinschaft fiir mittelrheinische Musikgeschichte” 1975 nos. 30 and next; Unbekannte Opernbesprechungen von Peter Cornelius, ed. H. Schneider, “Mitteilungen den Arbeitsgemeinschaft fiir mittelrheinische Musikgeschichte” 1976 nos. 32 and next; H. Kretzschmar Peter Cornelius, Leipzig 1880; A. Sandberger Leben und Werke des Dichterkomponisten Peter Cornelius, Leipzig 1887; M. Hasse Der Dichtermusiker Peter Cornelius, Leipzig 1922–23; C.M. Cornelius Peter Cornelius. Der Wort- und Tondichter, Regensburg 1925; B. Glauert Spuren eines bewegten Lebens. Verschollenes und Unverdffentliches von Peter Cornelius, Mainz 1974; P.W Jacob Der beschwerliche Weg des Peter Cornelius zu Liszt und Wagner, Mainz 1974.