Hans Rott (1858-1884)

[Peter1953]

Perhaps a controversial composer, who suffered a lot in his short life. I’m interested in what you think of his music, more in particular: his symphony in E major.

[Alan Howe]

The Symphony is both a powerful statement in its own right and a reminder that it wasn't only Mahler who was forging that particular path in symphonic development. Indeed there are plenty of indications in the music itself that Mahler not only knew the Symphony, but perhaps even made use of (or at least made musical reference to) some of its material in his own 1st Symphony.

[Hovite]

The Symphony is both a powerful statement in its own right and a reminder that it wasn't only Mahler who was forging that particular path in symphonic development. Indeed there are plenty of indications in the music itself that Mahler not only knew the Symphony, but perhaps even made use of (or at least made musical reference to) some of its material in his own 1st Symphony.

I agree.

It is tragic that there is only one surviving major work, but I am grateful that we at least have that.

[monafam]

I'm not familiar with this composer (as I fear I am with most -- but that's precisely why I am hear).   Why is he controversial?

Thanks!

[mbhaub]

When I first heard this symphony (thank you, Hyperion) I was shocked at the numerous, and no way coincidental, passages that appeared later in Mahler. The first movement shows some real flair for the dramatic. To me, the symphony slowly but surely goes downhill from there. And that triangle! Too much. Later recordings cut the part down. The only other work I know is the Pastorales Vorspiel which is quite nice, too.

The value of having the Rott to me is that it sheds a great deal of light on studying Mahler. Rott is mentioned so frequently in bios. I'm also very glad that someone else has made a performing edition available that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Now, to get conductors to do it -- there's the rub.

[febnyc]

Well, in fact there is more music of Rott's which survives and has been committed to disc.  A Symphony for String Orchestra and a String Quartet appear on the Acousence label.  Neither is as interesting as the Symphony in E Major, however.  Curiosities - and attractive in their own right.  Both predate the Symphony and the Quartet appears to be a student work.

Rott is "controversial," so to speak, because at age 22 his mind apparently snapped, after some period of mental illness and depression (Rott underwent severe criticism from Brahms).  Rott brandished a gun, while on a train journey, and claimed that Brahms had "filled the train with dynamite."  The rest of Rott's life played out in a mental institution and he died, aged 25, ostensibly of tuberculosis.

[Mark Thomas]

I've nothing to add on the question of Rott's music, but i am intrigued by febnyc's "ostensibly". Care to expand on it?

[febnyc]

Rott did, indeed, contract tuberculosis.  But whether or not that was the proximate cause of his death seems unproven, from what I've read.  From Jan Swafford's biography of Brahms and other sources, it appears that his various "mania" were documented, and diagnoses at the time indicated that "recovery was not to be expected."  So, I added "ostensibly" since it could be argued that there were contributing factors to Rott's demise. 

[Amphissa]

 
To me, the Rott symphony is curiosity and nothing more. I listened to it a few times when I first bought it to see what all the fuss was about, but I have not played it since.
 
 

[John H White]

Mahler, who was Rott's fellow student, was apparently full of praise for his late colleague, claiming him as the founder of the "New Symphony". Its not really surprising that Mahler quoted from Rott in his own first symphony nearly two decades later. By the way, I gather Rott had started on a second symphony before madness ended his musical career.

[Alan Howe]

Only about one decade later, I think, John.

[Peter1953]

Thank you all for your interesting comments. Personally I like his great symphony very much, and I’m sure that Mahler made use of some (if not many) ideas of Rott.

If Rott only knew that one day, long after his tragic death, there would be an Internationale Hans Rott Gesellschaft Wien… Interesting information can be found at http://www.hans-rott.de/

[monafam]

Mahler, who was Rott's fellow student, was apparently full of praise for his late colleague, claiming him as the founder of the "New Symphony". Its not really surprising that Mahler quoted from Rott in his own first symphony nearly two decades later. By the way, I gather Rott had started on a second symphony before madness ended his musical career.

Just curious about Mahler, is there anyone he wasn't full of praise on.  There may be a lot, but (as I may have mentioned in a reply to a Bruckner post) I always saw him as full of praise for Bruckner -- sort of like his big ego booster.   

[Hovite]

Just curious about Mahler, is there anyone he wasn't full of praise on.  There may be a lot, but (as I may have mentioned in a reply to a Bruckner post) I always saw him as full of praise for Bruckner -- sort of like his big ego booster.

Rott and Mahler were fellow students and Bruckner was their idol. Another student friend of Mahler’s was Hugo Wolf. At one time they even shared rooms, but they fell out. Apparently Wolf discussed with Mahler his plan to write a fairy tale opera called Rübezahl. Mahler thought that it was a good idea. Such a good idea, in fact, that Mahler wrote the opera himself. Wolf was naturally upset that his concept had been stolen by his old friend, and abandoned his own version. Later, when Mahler was appointed director of the Vienna Opera they seemed to have patched things up. But Wolf was drifting towards madness. Mahler evidently promised to perform Wolf’s opera Der Corregidor, but then found fault with it and put on Rubinstein’s The Demon instead. At this point Wolf became convinced that he was the real director of the Vienna Opera and that Mahler was a usurper. Like Rott, Wolf ended his days in an asylum.

[mbhaub]

Mahler, who was Rott's fellow student, was apparently full of praise for his late colleague, claiming him as the founder of the "New Symphony". Its not really surprising that Mahler quoted from Rott in his own first symphony nearly two decades later. By the way, I gather Rott had started on a second symphony before madness ended his musical career.

Just curious about Mahler, is there anyone he wasn't full of praise on.  There may be a lot, but (as I may have mentioned in a reply to a Bruckner post) I always saw him as full of praise for Bruckner -- sort of like his big ego booster.

Actually, I think Mahler was really hard on a lot of composers. He had nothing good to say about Walter's symphony, he let Zemlinsky down many times, as well as Goldmark. He was rather nasty to Franz Schmidt, and many others. A year ago when I read all four volumes of de la Grange's Mahler, I was amazed at how judgmental he was towards other composers. There were some he promoted (Korngold for example), but many composers incurred his disdain or wrath. He even had some unkind words for Richard Strauss.