Bruch Sheet Music

Bruch Sheet Music and Biography

Black and White head and shoulders photograph of Max Bruch in his mid-later years — _{Max Bruch
6 Jan 1838-2 Oct 1920}

Max Bruch was a teacher, conductor, and composer.

He was born in Cologne on 6 January 1838, his mother was a singer, and his father was a lawyer who later became VP of the Cologne police. Both were very supportive of his musical career.

Popular Bruch pieces on music-scores.com include Kol Nidre and Op.83 for Clarinet, Viola and Piano. See our full selection of Bruch sheet music.

Bruch started composing as a child and his first composition was at the age of nine when he wrote a song for his mother’s birthday.

Career and Works

Bruch had quite a few musical posts throughout his long career and wrote over two hundred works.

In 1852 aged just fourteen Bruch wrote a symphony and a string quartet. The string quartet enabled him to the Frankfurt Mozart Foundation prize which gave him the opportunity to study with Ferdinand Breunung, Ferdinand Hiller and Carl Reinecke.

In 1858 Bruch produced his first opera in Cologne Scherz, List und Rache.

Between 1862 and 1864 he lived in Mannheim. It is here that he wrote the greatly received cantata – Frithjof.

In 1863 he produced his opera Loreley.

Between 1867 and 1870, Bruch became Court Kapellmeister in Sonderhausen. Then he travelled to Berlin where he wrote his third opera Hermione in his final year there.

He then took time to enjoy his popularity as a composer and worked alone in Bonn and toured.

Whilst on tour in Berlin he met the singer Clara Tuczek and in 1881 they married in Liverpool after Bruch had accepted a post conducting at the Liverpool Philharmonic Society. He only stayed for three seasons as he didn’t get on with the players due to their lax standards and became director of the Breslau Orchesterverein, where he remained until 1890.

Bruch died in Berlin on 2nd October 1920, aged 83, and is buried next to his wife who died the previous year.