Burgmüller August Joseph Norbert, *8 February 1810 Düsseldorf, †7 May 1836 Aachen, German composer. He came from a family of musicians. His father, Johann August Franz (1766–1824), was a composer, founder of the Municipal Music Society in Düsseldorf (1816), and initiator of the Niederrheinische Musikfeste, held there until the present day; his brother Friedrich Johann Franz (1806–74), who settled in Paris from 1832, was a composer of salon music. Burgmüller studied in Kassel with L. Hauptmann and L. Spohr. He was friends with musicians, poets, and painters, including F. Mendelssohn, Ch.D. Grabbe, and W. Müller.
In his work, Burgmüller combines Classical formal principles with elements of German Romanticism, especially in solo songs and larger instrumental forms. Initially influenced by Spohr, he was later shaped by Beethoven and Mendelssohn. His more mature works include the Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 11, and the String Quartet in A minor, Op. 14. Many of his works were published by Hofmeister (1838–40) and Kistner (1864–67).
Literature: W. Müller von Königswinter Erinnerungen an Norbert Burgmüller unter der Chiffre Dr. M., “Zeitschrift für Musik” XII 1931, nos. 1–12; W. Kahl Norbert Burgmüller als Typus des Frühvollendeten, “Die Musik” XII, 1929/30; H. Eckert Norbert Burgmüller, «Veröffentlichungen des musikwissenschaftlichen Instituts der deutschen Universität in Prag» III, Augsburg 1932 (with a thematic catalogue of works), K. Tischendorf Norbert Burgmüller (1810–1836): ein vergessener Romantiker, Düsseldorf 1986; E. F. Jensen Norbert Burgmüller and Robert Schumann “The Musical Quarterly“ LXXIV no. 4 (1990), pp. 550–565; C. Bolzan Norbert Burgmüller: la vita e l’opera di un grande sinfonista nella Germania del primo ‘800, Treviso 1995; K. Kopitz Der Düsseldorfer Komponist Norbert Burgmüller: ein Leben zwischen Beethoven, Spohr, Mendelssohn, Kleve 1998; Nota bene Norbert Burgmüller: Studien zu einem Zeitgenossen von Mendelssohn und Schumann, eds. T. Koch, K. Kopitz, Cologne 2009, e-book 2009; W. Müller von Königswinter, K. Kopitz Ich glaubte nur an Musik: dem Düsseldorfer Komponisten Norbert Burgmüller zum 200. Geburtstag, guide to the exhibition at the Heinrich-Heine-Institut, Düsseldorf 2010; K. Tischendorf, T. Koch Norbert Burgmüller: thematisch-bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis, Cologne 2011; S. Weller Norbert Burgmüller: ein leiser Rebell: Musik, Leben und die Suche nach künstlerischer Identität, Ahrensburg 2025.
Instrumental:
orchestral:
Symphony No. 1 in C minor Op. 2
Overture in F minor Op. 5
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 11 (without finale; orchestration of the scherzo completed by R. Schumann)
4 Entractes for orchestra, Op. 17
Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor Op. 1
chamber:
String Quartet in D minor Op. 4
String Quartet in D minor Op. 7
String Quartet in A-flat major Op. 9
String Quartet in A minor Op. 14
Duo in E-flat major for clarinet and piano, Op. 15
Piano Sonata in F minor Op. 8
Rhapsody in B minor for piano, Op. 13
Polonaise in F major for piano, Op. 16
Serenade in E-flat major for clarinet, viola, and guitar
Vocal:
Sechs Gesänge Op. 3
Fünf deutsche Lieder Op. 6
Fünf Gesänge Op. 10
Fünf Lieder Op. 12
Stage:
opera Dionys, libretto based on Schiller’s ballad Die Bürgschaft, surviving only in fragmentary form
