Friedrich Nietzsche - Piano Works

(God gave us music so that we, first and foremost, will be guided upward by it. All qualities are united in music: it can lift us up, it can be capricious, it can cheer us up and delight us, nay, with its soft, melancholy tunes, it can even break the resistance of the toughest character. Its main purpose, however, is to lead our thoughts upward, so that it elevates us, even deeply moves us. ... Music also provides pleasant entertainment and saves everyone who is interested in it from boredom. All humans who despise it should be considered mindless, animal-like creatures. Ever be this most glorious gift of God my companion on my life's journey, and I can consider myself fortunate to have come to love it. Let us sing out in eternal praise to God who is offering us this beautiful enjoyment.)

Nietzsche in 1858, at the age of fourteen years
"Über Musik" [On Music] (in: "Aus meinem Leben" [From my Life])

All of his life, Nietzsche loved music--and he even declared that life without music is an error... Already in his early youth, he learned to play the piano and he became quite skillful at it. He also continued to play piano for a long time; for example, it is known that, still in Basel, he liked to play piano four-handed with his best friend, Franz Overbeck.

Very early, he began to acquaint himself with the music literature of his time, particularly with the music of Wagner with whom he became acquainted as a student in Leipzig, and he even composed, himself: he wrote music to poems and wrote a "Hymnus an die Freundschaft" [Hymn to Friendship] for piano, and, following Schumann's example, a "Manfred" meditation. Of these compositions, you will find selected excerpts here that will be frequently exchanged. You can listen to them or download them. However, Nietzsche did not view his own musical creations without criticism--rather, he sent his "Manfred Meditation" to the famous conductor and pianist Hans von Buelow. The latter attested that he had a certain facility for the composition of music to poems, was, however, of the opinion that his "Manfred" composition was "Notzucht an Euterpe" [a crime of rape committed on Euterpe]. On another occasion, he presented one of his compositions to the Wagners in Tribschen--and, with it, was not met with a great deal of approval.

With such a love of music in Nietzsche it does not come as a surprise that he voiced his opinion on it during all of his life, and, above all, with respect to Wagner--two of his works even feature his name in their titles:

the "Vierte Unzeitgemäße Betrachtung", entitled "Richard Wagner in Bayreuth"
the writings that he left behind and which were edited posthumously, namely "Der Fall Wagner" and "Nietzsche contra Wagner".
Therefore, on this page, in addition to Nietzsche's music itself that you can listen to or download after clicking on the links below, Nietzsche will speak for himself in letters and writings that have been selected from his philosopical-poetical works.


Tracklist

Friedrich Nietzsche - Piano Works
|-- 01. Im Mondschein auf der Puszta.mp3
|-- 02. Da szerbrochene Ringlein.mp3
|-- 03. So lach doch mal.mp3
|-- 04. Das Fragment an sich.mp3
|-- 05. Hymnus an die Freundschaft.mp3
|-- 06. Die Einleitung.mp3
|-- 07. Skizze zu Byron's Foscari.mp3
|-- 08. Ungarischer Marsch.mp3
|-- 09. Die Heldenklange.mp3
|-- 10. Da geht ein Bach.mp3
|-- 11. Ermanarich (Symphonische Dichtung).mp3
|-- 12. Edes titok.mp3
-- 13. Nachtklang einer Sylvesternacht (for Violin and Piano).mp3