Thomas de Hartmann
A Life in Music
A Life in Music is a collection of 27 compositions by Thomas de Hartmann, carefully arranged for guitar and presented in chronological order, allowing the listener to experience the evolution of de Hartmann’s life and artistic journey through his music.
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CHAPTER 1: Tracks 1–4 (1899–1915)
Thomas de Hartmann was born on October 3, 1884, in Ukraine (former Soviet Union) into a Russian aristocratic family.
At a very young age, he was sent to military school. His musical skills were apparent, and he was allowed to study composition with Anton Arensky at age 11. At age 21, he wrote his first opera La Fleurette Rouge, which was performed for the Tsar of Russia, Nikolay II. Impressed by the performance, the Tsar gave de Hartmann permission to travel abroad to study with the famous conductor and pupil of Wagner, Felix Mottl. In Munich, de Hartmann met Kandinsky, and as their friendship developed, he became increasingly fascinated by the scope of Kandinsky's creative vision.
During this period de Hartmann wrote:
In all the arts, and especially in music, every
means that arises from an inner necessity is right...
The correspondence of the means of expression
with inner necessity is the essence of beauty
in a work.
Tracklist:
01. Mazurka - Trois Morceaux, No. 2, Op. 4 (1899)
Three Preludes, Op. 11 (1904)
02. No. 1 - Molto Cantando
03. No. 3 - Andantino
04. La Grenouille ("The Frog") - Divertissements, from Forces of Love and Sorcery, Op. 16 (1915)
CHAPTER 2: Tracks 5–17 (1918–1929)
In 1916 de Hartmann met Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff (1877–1949).
Deeply influenced by his teachings, TdH and his wife, Olga, remained in Gurdjieff's immediate orbit for the next twelve years. TdH served as composer-in-residence and accompanist, while Olga became Gurdjieff's personal secretary. Times were turbulent. To avoid the bloodshed of civil war, Gurdjieff and the de Hartmann’s were constantly on the move. They travelled long distances, narrowly escaping with their lives until 1922, when they moved to Paris.
Gurdjieff introduced Eastern music to Thomas de Hartmann.
In his book Our Life with Mr. Gurdjieff, de Hartmann wrote:
Mr. Gurdjieff sometimes whistled or played on the piano with one finger a very complicated sort of melody—as are all Eastern melodies...
To grasp these melodies and write them down in European notation required a kind of tour de force, and very often—probably to make the task more difficult for me—he would replay it a little differently.
De Hartmann also composed music for the Movements, a series of sacred dances designed to cultivate mindfulness and inner awareness.
Tracklist:
05. Prayer of Gratitude - 30 VII 1924
06. Mamasha – 26 XII 1925
07. Sayyid Chant & Dance No.29
08.Song of the Fisherwomen – 26 III 1926
09. Hindu Melody – 22 II 1926
10. Armenian Song – N27 Volume I (6 IV 1926)
11. Kurd Melody for Two Flutes – 22 IV 1927
Music for Movements:
12. Dance No. 27
13. The Spinners
14. The Circles
15. Dance in G
16. The Sacred Goose
17. Multiplication of Oct 9
CHAPTER 3: Tracks 18–26 (1929–1953)
In 1929 TdH parted ways with Gurdjieff and resumed his composing and teaching career. He continued his friendship with Kandinsky and found a new and supportive friend in the cellist Pablo Casals. TdH wrote music for films under the name Thomas Kross. His work on film music led him to add bitonality, jazz, and ultra-modernism to his compositions. In addition to his film music, TdH had a lively and successful life with the performance of chamber works, concertos, and symphonies in concert halls and on the radio.
In 1950 TdH moved to New York and–recognized for his highly creative nature– was invited by Frank Lloyd Wright to his school of architecture where he taught students about the interrelation of the arts. He continued to teach and compose in New York until his death in 1956.
Tracklist:
18. Sentimental Song - From the cycle Volga, Op. 21 (1915)
19. The Last Flowers - A Poet’s Love – Nine Poems by Pushkin, No. 9, Op. 59 (1937)
20. Theme + Variations - Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 63 (1941)
Deux Pleureuses, Op. 64 (1942)
21. No. 1 - Lent
22. No. 2 - Andante Molto
Lumière Noire, Op. 74 (1945)
23. Fantastico e rubato assai
24. Andante Funebre
25. Allegro giocoso e molto ritmico
26. Pour chanter à la route d’Assise (1948)
27. The Music of the Stars 'Look into the Depths of Eternity' - Two Nocturnes, Op. 84 (1953)
