Joachim Raff to be rediscovered
The publishing house Breitkopf & Härtel and the Swiss Joachim Raff Society have agreed to intensify their collaboration. The aim is to rediscover one of the most frequently performed composers of his time.
It was a recommendation from Mendelssohn Bartholdy that originally drew Breitkopf & Härtel's attention to the inexperienced Joachim Raff. In 1844, the publishing house published the first piano works of the young man, who wrote over 300 compositions in his lifetime. The Joachim Raff Society, based in Lachen, Schwyz, the Swiss birthplace of the composer, is also dedicated to the preservation and research of his legacy.
Born in Lachen on Lake Zurich in 1822, Raff first became a primary school teacher in Rapperswil. After four years at school and self-taught training in piano, organ and violin playing, he chose to become a musician. In 1845, Liszt engaged him as his secretary. From 1856, he worked in Wiesbaden as a piano teacher and lecturer in harmony. He soon became one of the most sought-after composers of his time. In 1877, he became the first director of the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt, where he supported Clara Schumann, among others. Raff died in Frankfurt in 1882.
