JAVS Summer 2025

dream, how I loved you!...” The title of Mazas’s Fantaisie , “Rêve” (Dream), derives from this poignant line.

family, Hummel became a de facto family member, often seen alongside Mozart playing billiards or testing new compositions. During this time, he also encountered many of the distinguished guests who frequented the Mozart household, including Joseph Haydn, who sometimes came to rehearse string quartets with Mozart. As a conductor, Hummel led the concert during Niccolò Paganini’s 1829 visit to Weimar. By then, Hummel had been grand-ducal Kapellmeister at Weimar for a decade—a position he held until his death. Later, Liszt succeeded him in this role and premiered Lohengrin there. However, Hummel’s 1831 London visit was overshadowed by Paganini’s simultaneous presence, which limited Hummel’s success. Although his experience directing opera was considerable, Hummel’s operatic compositions met with tepid reception. Hummel’s relative obscurity after his death is largely attributed to his delicate classical style, which was eclipsed by the bold innovations of Beethoven and the evolution of the piano. His relationship with Beethoven oscillated between friendship and rivalry. While Hummel maintained a significant following in Vienna as a concert pianist and improviser, Beethoven’s emergence challenged his confidence. Hummel composed in almost every genre except the symphony—an absence reflecting his rivalry with Beethoven. Despite this, their stormy friendship culminated in Hummel’s final visit to the dying Beethoven and his role as a pallbearer at Beethoven’s funeral. Around 1814, Hummel’s wife Elisabeth encouraged him to perform more frequently. Her timing was impeccable: the Congress of Vienna brought numerous concerts and social events where Hummel’s improvisations were met with almost unanimous praise. Notably, violinist Louis Spohr witnessed one such improvisation after a Congress event. A successful tour in spring 1816 further cemented Hummel’s celebrity. 6 From the 1970s onward, Hummel and his music gradually regained attention, as did the potpourri genre. Although “potpourri” literally means “rotten pot,” a somewhat unflattering term, this negative connotation likely arose because many potpourris—collections of popular stage works—were hastily assembled for amateurs or less-skilled musicians. In contrast, celebrated composers often improvised potpourris live in concerts, and these exquisite works rarely survived in written form.

Mazas composed the introduction, development, and coda himself. With the quoted melody closely mirroring Donizetti’s original, the work functions as a miniature operatic scene, employing vivid contrasts and drawing deeply on the viola’s characteristic lyricism and melancholy hues. Around 1832, Mazas published a treatise on harmonic technique, and the sensitive use of harmonics in this fantasy illustrates the ethereal quality they can lend—particularly apt for evoking the fragile atmosphere of a dream. The sudden, stormy conclusion on the piano suggests an abrupt awakening from that dream. Quoting operatic themes in instrumental music was a common practice in the nineteenth-century, and in this instance, Mazas was especially successful in transforming a beloved aria into a compelling concert piece. Of further interest to violists is the fact that Donizetti’s first composition teacher and lifelong mentor, Simon Mayr (1763–1845), was himself a violist. In his youth, Donizetti wrote chamber music for Mayr’s string quartet and even composed a viola concerto for him—though sadly, the solo part has not survived. Johann Nepomuk Hummel was regarded in his time as one of Europe’s greatest composers and arguably its finest pianist, as well as one of the most sought-after teachers. His influence on later generations of musicians, especially pianists, was profound. His comprehensive keyboard pedagogy, Ausführliche theoretisch-practische Anweisung zum Piano-Forte-Spiel , first published in 1828, remains a key reference for understanding the musical tastes and practices of his era. Although neither Robert Schumann nor Franz Liszt ultimately studied with him, both initially expressed a desire to do so. Like Mozart, Hummel was a child prodigy. At Mozart’s suggestion, Hummel’s father took him on a European performance tour to promote his talents, mirroring the path taken by Mozart’s own father. Interestingly, Hummel later became the piano teacher of Mozart’s son, Franz Xaver. In 1786, at age eight, Hummel’s family moved to Vienna, where he quickly advanced as a pianist and became a pupil of Mozart himself. Living with the Mozart Potpourri, op. 94 by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 41, Summer 2025 Online Issue