Franz Schmidt: Born 150 Years Ago, Part 1
by Tjeerd van der Ploeg | Het ORGEL | Year 120 | (2024) | Issue 6
Austrian composer Franz Schmidt was born 150 years ago and is considered one of the last romantics of the 20th century. This prompted Tjeerd van der Ploeg to delve into Schmidt’s life and work. In this article, he first sketches Schmidt’s life and the musical world in which he grew up, utilizing the ‘Autobiographische Skizze’ that Schmidt left behind, in which he recounts his life story in detail.
After the biographical sketch, the article closely examines Schmidt’s views on the type of organ that was popular during his time. The next article will discuss his organ oeuvre.