Joseph Joachim

Joseph Joachim (June 28, 1831 – August 15, 1907) was a violinist, conductor and composer. He is regarded as one of the most influential violinists of all time.

Life

Joachim was born in Kittsee (Kopčany / Köpcsény), near Bratislava and Eisenstadt, today's Burgenland area. In 1833 his family moved to Budapest, where he had violin lessons from the age of five. He went on to study in Vienna and Leipzig, where he was mentored by Felix Mendelssohn. It was with Mendelssohn that Joachim made his first visit to London at the age of thirteen. He was a great success there, and went on to visit the city many more times.

Related Topics:
Kittsee - Bratislava - Eisenstadt - Burgenland - 1833 - Budapest - Vienna - Leipzig - Felix Mendelssohn - London

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Following Mendelssohn's death, Joachim moved to Weimar, where he became concertmaster and met Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner. However, when he moved to Hanover in 1852, he dissociated himself from their musical ideals, and instead became friends with Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms (who sometimes accompanied him at the piano in recitals). Brahms and Joachim jointly wrote a manifesto against the music of Liszt, Wagner, and their associates. Also in Hanover, Joachim married the singer Amalie Weiss.

Related Topics:
Weimar - Franz Liszt - Richard Wagner - Hanover - Robert Schumann - Clara Schumann - Johannes Brahms

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In 1866, Joachim moved to Berlin, becoming founding director of the Royal Academy of Music there. He founded his own orchestra, and, in 1869, the Joachim String Quartet, which gained a repuatation as one of the finest quartets in the world.

Related Topics:
Berlin - String Quartet

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In 1884, Joachim divorced his wife after he became convinced that she was having an affair with Brahms' publisher, Fritz Simrock. Brahms, certain that Joachim's suspicions were groundless, wrote a long letter in support of Amalie, later produced in court as evidence. This led to a break up of his and Joachim's friendship, not restored for some years. Brahms later composed the Double concerto in a minor for violin and cello, Op. 102, as a peace offering.

Related Topics:
Fritz Simrock - Brahms

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Joachim remained in Berlin until his death in 1907.

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