Max Bruch

Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who composed over 200 works, including three violin concertos. Born in Cologne to a singer mother and an attorney father, he showed musical talent from a young age and was trained by Ferdinand Hiller and others. He held various musical positions in Germany and served as conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society from 1880 to 1883. Bruch taught composition at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik until his retirement in 1910.

Bruch married singer Clara Tuczek in 1881, and they had four children. He died in Berlin in 1920 and was buried with his wife.

His most famous work is the Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, which remains a staple of the violin repertoire. Other well-known pieces include the Scottish Fantasy for violin and orchestra and Kol Nidrei, Op. 47, for cello and orchestra, which draws on Jewish melodies. Although some assumed Bruch was of Jewish descent because of this work, he was raised Protestant and denied any Jewish ancestry. His music was restricted under the Nazi regime due to these misconceptions.

Bruch’s style aligned with the Romantic tradition of Brahms rather than the more progressive styles of Liszt or Wagner. He also composed chamber music, symphonies, and works for solo instruments with orchestra. Later in life, he arranged a suite inspired by a procession in Capri into a concerto for two pianos and orchestra, written for the American Sutro sisters.

Violinists Joseph Joachim and Willy Hess advised Bruch on his violin compositions, with Hess premiering several works written for him.