Amanda Maier

Swedish violinist and composer, Landskrona, February 20, 1853 – Amsterdam, June 15, 1894
Daughter of the violinist and confectioner Carl Edvard Maier from Riedlingen (Württemberg) and the Swedish artist Ellsa Sjöbeck
First wife of Julius Röntgen
Two children: Julius (1881-1951) and Engelbert (1886-1958)

Amanda Maier

Amanda Carolina Erica Maier received her first violin and piano lessons from her father, who in 1852 had obtained the “Musikdirektör” certificate at the Royal Conservatory in Stockholm. At the age of sixteen she was admitted to this conservatory where she gained the highest possible results in violin, piano, organ, composition, counterpoint, music history and aesthetics three years later. From 1873 to 1876 she continued her studies in Leipzig with Engelbert Röntgen, concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, with Carl Reinecke, composer and conductor and Ernst Friedrich Richter, cantor and music theorist (harmony and counterpoint). In this period she became friends with Edvard Grieg and Julius Röntgen, and she composed a trio for piano, violin and cello, a sonata for violin and piano and a violin concerto which she performed with the Gewandhaus Orchestra under the direction of Engelbert Röntgen on 8 February 1876 in Leipzig. Between 1876 and 1880 she made three major tours with her friends the soprano Louise Pyk and the pianist Augusta Kjellander. In 1876 a series of concerts in Sweden, in 1878 31 concerts in 26 Swedish and Norwegian cities and in 1879 a tour in which Finland and Russia were also visited. On 28 July 1880 she married Julius Röntgen in Landskrona; the couple settled in Amsterdam. With her marriage, her career as a violinist ended and she no longer performed in public. However, she still played in domestic circles. She composed several works with her husband and at home she received many well-known musicians, among whom Rubinstein, Joachim, Brahms and Grieg.

Julius jr. en Engelbert Röntgen
Woodstock (USA), 1947

In 1881 her first son Julius Jr. was born and in 1886 a second son, Engelbert, followed. The last seven years of her life she was much ill, probably as a result of a previous TB infection. The Danish singer Bodil de Neergaard-Hartmann (1867-1959), wife of Viggo de Neergaard, on whose castle Fuglsang the family Röntgen stayed and played many summers from 1892, called her: “The interesting and amiable Amanda remained always at the center, despite her modesty and absolute lack of urgency “.

Compositions of Amanda Maier

Published compositions:

Trio for violin, cello and piano, 1874
Concerto in D minor, in 1 movement, for violin and orchestra, 1875
Sonata in B minor for violin and piano

“Till min käre fader”, 1873
Six pieces for violin and piano, 1879
“Zwiegespräche” for piano

(composed together with Julius)
Schwedische Weisen und Tänze

(composed together with Julius)
Quartet in E minor for piano, violin, viola and cello, 1891
An orchestra transcription of the 6th part “Schwedisch” from the aforementioned Six pieces for violin and piano by Fr. Rosenkranz

Unpublished compositions:

Romances to texts by David af Wirsén
25 Preludes for piano solo1869
String Quartet, 1877
Three Pieces for violin and piano, 1879
Nicolas Schwank (composed with Julius Röntgen), 1880
Klavierstück in C sharp minor
– Den sjuka flickans sång

– Aftonklockan

– Ungt mod

– Sången

Bovengenoemde werken zijn verkrijgbaar of ter inzage bij de volgende organisaties:

Swedish Musical Heritage
Music and Theatre Library Stockholm
Donemus Publications (piano quartet in e-minor, only)
Petrucci Music Library

Lost works:

Romance for violin and piano, 1870
Fantasy for violin and piano, 1872
Trio for piano and 2 violins, 1873
Sonata for viola and piano, 1877
Ahasverus for voice and piano, 1878
Theme and Variations for violin, viola and piano, 1877
Suite in C major for violin and piano
Intermezzo for piano

Discografie

Amanda Maier Volume 1 (2015-2016)

Violin concerto, Piano Quartet, Schwedische Weisen und Tänze. Gregory Maytan violin, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andreas Stoehr, Ann-Sofi Klingberg piano, Bernt Lysell viola and Sara Wijk cello.

dB Productions Zweden

Amanda Maier Volume 2 (2017)

Violin sonata, 9 pieces for violin and piano, 4 songs. Cecilia Zilliacus violin, Sabina Bisholt soprano, Bengt Forsberg piano.

dB Productions Zweden

Amanda Maier Volume 3 (2018)

Piano trio in E flat major, String quartet in A major, St. Nicholas-Schwank, Klavierstück, Preludes.
Cecilia Zilliacus-violin, Julia-Maria Kretz- violin, Johanna Persson- viola, Kati Raitinen- cello, Bengt Forsberg and David Huang-piano.

dB Productions Zweden

Amanda & Julius (2017)

Amanda Maier-Preludes for piano solo, Julius Röntgen and Amanda Maier-Zwiegespräche, Julius Röntgen-Neckens Polka and Julklapp for piano solo and Adagio for violin and organ. Bengt Forsberg piano, Cecilia Zilliacus violin.

dB Productions Zweden

Amanda Maier Meets Johannes Brahms (2013)

amongst others the Maier-Violin Sonata.

Urlicht B00E4V0AFG

Musique romantique des pays du nord(2007)

amongst others the Maier-Violin Sonata.

VDE-Gallo GALL CD-1235

Musica Sveciae, chamber music of Swedish female composers (1993)

amongst others the Maier-Violin Sonata.

MSCD 528-529

An orchestra transcription of the 6th part “Schwedisch” from the aforementioned Six pieces for violin and piano by Fr. Rosenkranz

Unpublished compositions:

Romances to texts by David af Wirsén
25 Preludes for piano solo1869
String Quartet, 1877
Three Pieces for violin and piano, 1879
Nicolas Schwank (composed with Julius Röntgen), 1880
Klavierstück in C sharp minor
– Den sjuka flickans sång

– Aftonklockan

– Ungt mod

– Sången

Bovengenoemde werken zijn verkrijgbaar of ter inzage bij de volgende organisaties:

Swedish Musical Heritage
Music and Theatre Library Stockholm
Donemus Publications (piano quartet in e-minor, only)
Petrucci Music Library

Lost works:

Romance for violin and piano, 1870
Fantasy for violin and piano, 1872
Trio for piano and 2 violins, 1873
Sonata for viola and piano, 1877
Ahasverus for voice and piano, 1878
Theme and Variations for violin, viola and piano, 1877
Suite in C major for violin and piano
Intermezzo for piano

Discografie

Amanda Maier Volume 1 (2015-2016)

dB Productions Zweden

Amanda Maier Volume 2 (2017)

Violin sonata, 9 pieces for violin and piano, 4 songs. Cecilia Zilliacus violin, Sabina Bisholt soprano, Bengt Forsberg piano.

dB Productions Zweden

Amanda & Julius (2017)

dB Productions Zweden

Amanda Maier Meets Johannes Brahms (2013)

amongst others the Maier-Violin Sonata.

Urlicht B00E4V0AFG

Musique romantique des pays du nord(2007)

amongst others the Maier-Violin Sonata.

VDE-Gallo GALL CD-1235

Musica Sveciae, chamber music of Swedish female composers (1993)

amongst others the Maier-Violin Sonata.

MSCD 528-529

Amanda Maier, Her Life and Career as a 19th Century Woman Violinist, thesis by Jennifer Martyn

In June 2018, Jennifer Martyn obtained her doctorate from the University of Toronto with her dissertation “Amanda Maier: Her Life and Career as a Nineteenth Century Woman Violinist”. After previous studies on the life and work of Maier by Lennart Lundholm, among others, and recently by Klas Gagge, this is the first comprehensive scientific study that has appeared about her, with a focus on Amanda Maier’s career as a violinist and a general consideration of the position of professional female composers and violin soloists in the 19th century.