Richard Eilenberg: Die erste Herzklopfen (First Heart Throb), Op.50

Описание: Phillip Sear plays a piece from around 1889 by the German composer Richard Eilenberg (1848–1927), renowned for his light orchestral music, particularly marches, dances, and salon pieces popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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"Born in Merseburg, Province of Saxony, Eilenberg began his musical training in piano and composition, producing his first work—a concert overture—at the age of 18. He served as a volunteer in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), then became music director and conductor in Stettin (now Szczecin) in 1873, before relocating to Berlin in 1889 as a freelance composer, where he lived with his second wife, Dorothee, until his death.

Eilenberg composed over 350 works, including military marches such as 'Janitscharen-Marsch', Op. 295, and 'Coronation March for Tsar Alexander III of Russia', alongside character pieces like 'Petersburg Sleigh Ride', Op.52, and 'The Mill in the Black Forest', Op.57. His oeuvre also encompassed operettas ('Comtess Cliquot', 'King Midas', 'Marietta', 'The Great Prince'), a ballet ('The Rose of Shiras', Op. 134), and fantasies on melodies by great masters ('Ehrenkränze der Tonkunst', Opp. 268–277). His music, often performed by bands like Sousa's Band and recorded extensively from 1897 to 1929, reflected the Romantic era's entertainment style and enjoyed widespread popularity across Europe and America." (Perplexity AI, 08 February 2026).

This piece almost certainly existed in band arrangements, and may even have been written for band originally, as a contemporary American edition of the piano version notes it was “as played by Gilmore”. This refers to Patrick S. Gilmore (1829–1892), the Irish-born American bandmaster and cornet virtuoso who led the New York 22nd Regiment Band on tours across Europe and staged enormous concerts in the United States.

One of his most famous events was the 1869 National Peace Jubilee in Boston, which featured 1,000 instrumentalists and over 10,000 singers performing across five days in a specially built coliseum seating 50,000 people. The 1872 World Peace Jubilee was even grander, with 2,000 musicians, 20,000 voices, international bands, and Johann Strauss Jr. among the guest artists. Gilmore also organised the 1873 Chicago Jubilee, which brought together 300 orchestral players and vast choral forces for another spectacular celebration. (Information from Perplexity AI, 08 February 2026).

Thumbnail image by Grok Imagine
#germanmusic #heartthrobs
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Played by Phillip Sear
http://www.psear.co.uk (Email: [email protected]
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