Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
#15 from18 Melodic Studies, Op.64 (1908).
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Phillip Sear plays a study by the German composer and piano pedagogue Paul Zilcher (1855–1943).
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Born in Frankfurt am Main, Zilcher studied at the Academy of Music (Musikhochschule) in Frankfurt under Heinrich Henkel. His musical training took place within the rich cultural life of a city which, in the later nineteenth century, maintained strong links with the Brahmsian tradition through figures such as Bernhard Scholz. Little seems to be recorded about Zilcher’s personal life beyond his long residence in Frankfurt, where he worked as a teacher and composer until his death at the age of eighty‑eight. Together with E. Parlow he founded the Parlow–Zilcher school of piano instruction, which put his teaching ideas on a more formal footing. His son Hermann Zilcher (1881–1948), who first studied with his father before moving on to the Hoch Conservatory, went on to become the better‑known composer, a tribute to Paul’s influence as an early mentor.
Zilcher’s solo piano music is mainly aimed at students and the home, and runs to a substantial list of opus numbers, reaching at least Op. 109. His wider output also includes chamber works, such as pieces for clarinet and woodwind quartet, as well as songs and choral music, showing him to be a versatile, if essentially modest, composer.
His lasting importance lies less in any single major work than in the teaching tradition he established in Frankfurt and passed on directly to Hermann, whose later career as composer, pianist and conductor in Würzburg owed much to the solid grounding his father had given him. (Information from Perplexity AI, 12 April 2026).
The 18 Melodic Studies Op.64 is dedicated to 'Herrn. G. Augener'. This is George Augener (1830–1915), founder of the music publishing firm of Augener & Co., established in London in 1855. Before immigrating to England in 1852, Augener had served his apprenticeship with the publisher Johann André in Offenbach. He initially settled in Brighton before setting up the business at 86 Newgate Street, London. George became an enormously influential figure in the British music trade over five decades. At his mansion overlooking Clapham Common he entertained leading composers including Wagner, Delius, Rubinstein, Hans von Bülow, and Xaver Scharwenka. Edvard Grieg and his wife Nina were particularly frequent guests — George reportedly flew the Norwegian flag in their honour whenever they stayed. (Perplexity AI, 21 April 2026).
"The polacca is simply the Italian term for the polonaise, a stately, processional dance form of Polish origin written in triple metre (typically 3/4) at a moderate, march-like tempo. Composers from Bach to Beethoven and Chopin used the label "polacca" for works that share the polonaise’s dignified character and distinctive rhythmic patterns, such as dotted figures and characteristic cadential flourishes. Despite the similar name, the polka is entirely different: it is a lively Bohemian dance in duple metre (2/4) that emerged in the nineteenth century and is marked by a much quicker, bouncier tempo. The two terms are also etymologically unrelated—"polacca" denotes Polish origin, whereas "polka" likely derives from the Czech word pulka ("half") or simply means "Polish woman," reflecting its separate Czech roots rather than any connection to the polonaise tradition." (Perplexity AI, 21 May 2026).
Thumbnail image generated by Gemini (within Google Slides).
#germanmusic #polonaise
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Played by Phillip Sear
psear.co.uk (Email: piano4@psear.33mail.com
WhatsApp: wa.me/441444483794 ) TikTok: tiktok.com/@pianogems
****See all my latest videos here: tinyurl.com/phillip210 ****
#15 from18 Melodic Studies, Op.64 (1908).
--------------------------------------------
Phillip Sear plays a study by the German composer and piano pedagogue Paul Zilcher (1855–1943).
--------------------------------------------
Born in Frankfurt am Main, Zilcher studied at the Academy of Music (Musikhochschule) in Frankfurt under Heinrich Henkel. His musical training took place within the rich cultural life of a city which, in the later nineteenth century, maintained strong links with the Brahmsian tradition through figures such as Bernhard Scholz. Little seems to be recorded about Zilcher’s personal life beyond his long residence in Frankfurt, where he worked as a teacher and composer until his death at the age of eighty‑eight. Together with E. Parlow he founded the Parlow–Zilcher school of piano instruction, which put his teaching ideas on a more formal footing. His son Hermann Zilcher (1881–1948), who first studied with his father before moving on to the Hoch Conservatory, went on to become the better‑known composer, a tribute to Paul’s influence as an early mentor.
Zilcher’s solo piano music is mainly aimed at students and the home, and runs to a substantial list of opus numbers, reaching at least Op. 109. His wider output also includes chamber works, such as pieces for clarinet and woodwind quartet, as well as songs and choral music, showing him to be a versatile, if essentially modest, composer.
His lasting importance lies less in any single major work than in the teaching tradition he established in Frankfurt and passed on directly to Hermann, whose later career as composer, pianist and conductor in Würzburg owed much to the solid grounding his father had given him. (Information from Perplexity AI, 12 April 2026).
The 18 Melodic Studies Op.64 is dedicated to 'Herrn. G. Augener'. This is George Augener (1830–1915), founder of the music publishing firm of Augener & Co., established in London in 1855. Before immigrating to England in 1852, Augener had served his apprenticeship with the publisher Johann André in Offenbach. He initially settled in Brighton before setting up the business at 86 Newgate Street, London. George became an enormously influential figure in the British music trade over five decades. At his mansion overlooking Clapham Common he entertained leading composers including Wagner, Delius, Rubinstein, Hans von Bülow, and Xaver Scharwenka. Edvard Grieg and his wife Nina were particularly frequent guests — George reportedly flew the Norwegian flag in their honour whenever they stayed. (Perplexity AI, 21 April 2026).
"The polacca is simply the Italian term for the polonaise, a stately, processional dance form of Polish origin written in triple metre (typically 3/4) at a moderate, march-like tempo. Composers from Bach to Beethoven and Chopin used the label "polacca" for works that share the polonaise’s dignified character and distinctive rhythmic patterns, such as dotted figures and characteristic cadential flourishes. Despite the similar name, the polka is entirely different: it is a lively Bohemian dance in duple metre (2/4) that emerged in the nineteenth century and is marked by a much quicker, bouncier tempo. The two terms are also etymologically unrelated—"polacca" denotes Polish origin, whereas "polka" likely derives from the Czech word pulka ("half") or simply means "Polish woman," reflecting its separate Czech roots rather than any connection to the polonaise tradition." (Perplexity AI, 21 May 2026).
Thumbnail image generated by Gemini (within Google Slides).
#germanmusic #polonaise
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Played by Phillip Sear
psear.co.uk (Email: piano4@psear.33mail.com
WhatsApp: wa.me/441444483794 ) TikTok: tiktok.com/@pianogems
****See all my latest videos here: tinyurl.com/phillip210 ****
