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First name: Gustav U.
Last name: Jenner
Dates: 1865-1920
Category: Quartet
Nationality: German
Opus name: Klavierquartett in F (1905)
Publisher: Silvertrust
Peculiarities:
Information: G. U. Jenner (1865-1920) was Brahms' only formal pupil; moreover, he was something of a surrogate son to Old Papa. Jenner was descended from the English physician Edward Jenner, who in the 18th Century had explored vaccination methodology from the deadly smallpox virus. Jenner's own father was a practicing physician in northern Germany; unfortunately, he was almost certainly guilty of transgressing the Hippocratic Oath (as physicians frequently do even today!), and when he was accused of sexually violating female patients, he became a suicide in 1884. After the scandal, the youthful Jenner came under the wing of the Holstein poet Klaus Groth. Groth passed Jenner on to Brahms' own music teacher Eduard Marxsen in Hamburg, who in turn, passed the cursed/charmed youth on to Brahms in Vienna. Brahms arranged for Jenner to be appointed Secretary of the fin-de-siecle Vienna Composers' Society (Tonkunstlerverein)--the virtual Brahms' Circle in Vienna. Needless to say, gruff Old Papa was merciless in his critique of Jenner's artistic products. Still, the protege managed to write some original chamber works--though in a very Brahmsian manner, of course. There are two CD set on CPO with the Mozart Piano Quartet includes most of Jenner's important chamber works: three String Quartets (F, G, F); a Piano Quartet (F); and a Clarinet, Horn, Piano Trio (Eb). (by Sebastien Melmoth)