Thomas Tellefsen

Biography

Thomas Dyke Acland Tellefsen (26 November 1823 – 6 October 1874) was a Norwegian pianist, composer, and teacher. As a composer, Tellefsen wrote 44 opuses, including solo piano works, two piano concertos, and chamber music. He dedicated many of his compositions to the Polish, Russian, and French aristocracy.

Life

Tellefsen, the youngest of six siblings, was born in Trondheim, Norway, where he studied with his father Johan Christian Tellefsen (1774–1857)—the organist at Trondheim Cathedral—and with Ole Andreas Lindeman. Thomas gave his first public concert in his home town in the spring of 1842, age 18. Until he was 19, he had studied to be a priest; instead, he turned to music, and moved to Paris to seek tutelage under Frédéric Chopin. Here, he became the pupil of his compatriot Charlotte Thygeson (1811–1872; a daughter of Nicolai Emanuel de Thygeson), and later attended—free of charge—the lessons of her teacher and friend Friedrich Kalkbrenner.
Tellefsen's "highest wish"—to study under Chopin—was hugely difficult. Tellefsen stated that it was "more difficult to reach Chopin than Louis-Philippe". It was not until November 1844—through the influence of George Sand—that Tellefsen finally attained this wish. Tellefsen's letters indicate Chopin's interest in him, spending as much as three hours at a single lesson, even though they were supposed to last only an hour. During the years 1844 to 1848, he was taught periodically by Chopin, who also became his personal friend (up until his death) and had considerable influence on his musical taste, style of playing, and compositions. In 1847, Tellefsen also studied composition with Henri Reber. The French Revolution of 1848 caused Tellefsen to relocate to London. In the same year, Tellefsen accompanied Chopin—alongside Jane Stirling—on a tour through England and Scotland.
Shortly before his death, Chopin told his elder sister Ludwika that he wished to entrust the completion of his "Pianoforte Method" to Tellefsen, also wishing for Tellefsen to be musical tutor to his niece. Tellefsen referenced this method in a letter to his mother dated 28 December 1849, in which he states, "I am working hard on all this now". Whether or not he actually completed this work is not known; no record of his efforts have been discovered so far. After Chopin died in 1849, some of his pupils—including Stirling—resumed their studies under Tellefsen. He also taught Erika Nissen, née Lie. According to Tellefsen, Ludwika gave him the only complete manuscript of Chopin's compositions remaining after his death, which Tellefsen later used for his edition of Chopin's works. This edition, titled Collection des oeuvres pour le piano par Frédéric Chopin en douze livraisons (published in 1860 by Richault in Paris), was criticized by fellow Chopin pupil and editor Karol Mikuli, who noted its errors and omissions.
Princess Marcelina Czartoryska took him to the Hôtel Lambert in Paris, where he made his debut as a pianist with great success on 29 April 1851. His program included compositions by Chopin and himself. Soon after that, Tellefsen became regarded as one of the most outstanding pianists of his time, and was especially admired as an interpreter of Chopin's music and as a composer in his own right. In the 1850s and 1860s, Tellefsen was regarded as a very successful pianist, and he toured several times in England, Sweden, and in Norway. Around 1861, ill health caused him to focus more on teaching and on composing. In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War caused Tellefsen to move to London.
Tellefsen died in Paris. He is buried at the Cimetière d'Auteuil. He was a Knight of the "Seraphine" Order of Norway.

Name

Tellefsen was named after his godfather, Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 10th Baronet, as chosen by his father Johan. Sir Thomas sent to the Tellefsens his portrait as a gift, which arrived just before the baptism of their newborn son; thus, they named him Thomas Dyke Acland Tellefsen. However, Thomas opted first to sign his name only as "Thomas Tellefsen".

In a letter to his father dated 8 June 1848, Tellefsen described—during his stay in London—his meeting with Sir Thomas:One evening, I was at a soirée at the home of Sir Robert Inglis. . . . [he] introduced me to many people, and finally said: and now I will introduce you to a gentleman who travelled around Norway and who will be most pleased to speak to you; imagine my astonishment when I saw a lively, handsome old man whose name was Thomas Acland . . . , in one instant, we became friends; I told him at once the story of my name. And then he presented me to the whole company as Thomas Acland Tellefsen! What a beautiful moment for me.It was only after this event that Tellefsen began writing his name in full; as "T. D. A. Tellefsen".

Compositions

Among his published works, Tellefsen wrote 16 mazurkas, five chamber music works (two sonatas for violin and piano; a sonata for cello and piano; a sonata for two pianos; and a trio for piano, violin, and cello), composed between 1854 and 1867. He also wrote two piano concertos (the first in 1848 and the second in 1853), six waltzes, four nocturnes, three études, and a number of larger works and salon pieces, which were written for the teaching of his pupils. Though Tellefsen's studies with Chopin show in his compositions, Chopin said of them, "there are the seeds of originality in you". Tellefsen used traditional Norwegian songs in many of his works (e.g., in his first piano concerto and in his mazurkas); in this aspect, he can be considered a forerunner of his compatriots Grieg, Svendsen, and Sinding.
In January 2024 a recording of the two piano concertos by pianist and conductor Howard Shelley was issued on the Hyperion label.

Works without opus number

Tellefsen's works without opus numbers are either piano studies or liturgical pieces. His Moderato, written in 1842, is one of his very first attempts in composition. Another collection of works consists of 21 short fughettas, versetti, and cantabile pieces, suitable in length in Roman Catholic and Lutheran services during the time in which they were written. The versetti are organ verses played in alternation with sung verses of hymns. The preludes were played for organ or pedal piano. They were used as preludes and postludes, while a cantabile piece might also appear after the sermon as an introduction to the next hymn. Variations on hymn tunes are a much-used form in church services as well.