Jody Nagel  American teacher and composer

Born: Franklin, PA (USA), 29.05.1960 

Nagel's teachers of composition included among others Eugene Kurtz, Morton Subotnick and Peter Sculthorpe, and his teachers of theory have included John Peel, Pat McCreless, Elliott Antokoletz and Roger Graybill.
He holds a Master of Arts in music theory and composition from the University of Pittsburgh (1985) and a Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from Marietta College (1982) and In 1992 he received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition from the University of Texas at Austin.
In the Autumn of 1992 Jody Nagel joined the Ball State University School of Music faculty.

Final Episode   
Written for his colleague Annemarie Schuessler, who after a stroke was able to play with her left hand only. Se also  Dmitri Schirin. 
Two years after her stroke Annemarie Schuessler went on tour to St. Petersburg, Russia to give lectures about and performing left-hand works.

Annemarie Schuessler, Assistant professor 
of Piano, Ball State University

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Maryanne Nagy 

Born: ?

Miss Nagy is mostly known for her piano duets (one piano four hands). 

One-Handed Solitaire  1970 (Lee Roberts)

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Luis (Alberto) Nájera Medina  Mexican composer 

Born: México City, 09.11.1971

A late starter in music, Mr. Nájera’s formal music education did not begin until after he graduated as an Industrial and Systems Engineer in Mexico (Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey - Technological Institute of Superior Studies of Monterrey) in 1996. 
He moved to Brisbane, Australia to pursue a career in the arts and graduated as Bachelor of Music (University of Queensland) in 2000 and a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Dance) (Queensland University of Technology) in 2005. In 2004 he received the Percy Brier Memorial Prize for the  composition for his brass septet Vibratica. Currently he is finalizing a Ph.D. in composition (University of Queensland) which focuses on creating programmatic music for mostly neglected instruments (recorder, guitar, percussion) inspired by landscape sceneries of Australia, dance movements, and Mexican folk songs and rhythms. 

Luis Nájera's musical output consists of the following works: L.I   (1998) Chronicles:  7 pieces for guitar quartet, L.II  (1999) Viento Oceanico (Oceanic Wind) for clarinet, piano, viola and cello, L.III (1999) El Delfin Volador (The Flying Dolphin) for solo piano, L.IV  (2000) The Hermit's Lair: 3 pieces for solo guitar, L.V   (2000) Aztec Symphony: 3 movements for recorders and percussion, L.VI  (2001) Dunerunner for solo ukulele, L.VII (2002) The Thundergod: concerto for percussion ensemble and orchestra, L.VIII (2003) Songs of the Earth Mother: 6 Songs for barbershop quartet and accompanying instruments, L.IX  (2003) Sol y Luna (Sun and Moon): 2 Pieces for recorder ensemble and guitar, L.X (2004) The Fire Gypsy for violin and piano, L.XI  (2003-5) Starchildren, 3 Movements: concerto for guitar and orchestra, L.XII (2004-5) Sea Stories: 22 pieces for solo piano for dance class, L.XIII (2005) The Jewelmaker for violin, cello and piano, L.XIV (2004) Vibratica for brass septet and L.XV  (2005) Journey to the Secret Garden for recorder ensemble, guitar and percussion.

Tales of the Enchanted Lake. L.XVI (2005-2006)
This set of five pieces were written after the composer dislocated his left clavicle in a cycling accident at the end of 2005. Originally meant for the right hand, this set was converted to one hand after the composer slowly regained his use of his left hand. There are five pieces in this set of 23 pages: 1. The Fairy’s Swing (Dec 2005), 2. The Satyr (Dec 2005), 3. The Enchanted Lake (Dec 2005), 4. The Imp and the Satyr (Jan 2006) and 5. The Centaur’s Step (Dec 2005).

Now - let me explain something which has probably made you curious about this article. If you have been dedicated/stubborn/patient enough to stay with me this far on the site, you are probably fed up with Opuses, Köchels, Deutschs etc. so here is at least a composer who has made his mind up to invent a system entirely of his own - built on his first name and Roman numbers. So - L.XVI in fact means Luis 16 - or - if you must - Luis Nájera Medina's opus 16 and so on.

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Alberto Nepomuceno  Brazilian composer, pianist and conductor

Fortaleza, Brazil, 06.06.1864 - Rio de Janeiro, 16.10.1920

Nepomuceno's father was school teacher in Recife and he taught the boy the basics of music. At the age of eighteen he became conductor of the concerts at the Club Carlos Gomes but this only lasted a short time, for after his father had died Alberto went to Rio de Janeiro where he at once was recognized as a major talent.
He still lacked a proper musical education but together with Arthur Napoleão and Jose White he formed a trio playing in the Club Beethoven. Here he was heard by one Rodolfo Bernardelli who acting as a patron sent him to the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome for further studies. 
After Rome came studies in Berlin and Paris before Nepomuceno returned to Brazil 1895 to become professor of organ at the Instituto Nacional di Musica and the year after he was made conductor og the Sociedade de Concertos Populares.
At that time he had also made his début as a composer in a concert with his own works. The next year again his Serie Brasileira was heard for the first time from which the Batuque became immensely popular. In 1898 he made his début as an opera composer with Artemis, and then he went back to Europe.
On his return in 1902 he was appointed director of the Instituto Nacional di Musica. Several works followed: the opera Abul, a symphony in G minor, a piano concerto, many piano pieces and songs and - probably his best work: the piano trio in F sharp Minor.

Nepomuceno at the piano

Nepomuceno was married to one of Grieg's pupils and they had a daughter - Sigrid - who was born with only a left arm and it was for her he wrote the following works for the left hand alone. 

Cinco pequenas peças (Five small Pieces): 1. Barcarola, 2. Melodia, 3. Dança, 4. Brincando, 5. Polka
Composed in 1906  and premiered by Sigrid Nepomuceno in Auditório Colegio Sion in Petrópolis,  1907.

Two nocturnes; 1. C major, 2. G major
Composed in 1918 and premiered by Sigrid Nepomuceno in Rio de Janeiro, 1919

Nepomuceno 
with his wife

The two nocturnes and the five small pieces are recorded by  Maria Inês Guimarães: Marco Polo 8.223548

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(No portrait)

Newstead

Born: ?

Pieces For Left hand Alone op. 63: 1. Dream Hours, 2. Sunlit Joys, 3. In the Fading Sunset, 4. Plantation Dance, 5. Sea Flowers, 6. Wayside Gardens.  (Wood)

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xxx

xxx

River Fowey Lullaby  (Fand Music)

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Carl (August) Nielsen  Danish composer

Nørre-Lyndelse, Funen, Denmark, 09..06.1865 - Copenhagen, 03.10.1931

Nielsen was son of a painter and village musician and began his musical career in his father's dance band touring all the local communities as a violinist an polka-composer. In 1879 he joined the Danish Army as a bugler - and five years later he arrived in Copenhagen where he was admitted to the Royal Danish Conservatory as a pupil of J. P. E. Hartmann and Niels W. Gade (composition).
His formal debut as a composer came in 1888 where his Small Suite for Strings was performed with great success. For many years Nielsen played in the orchestra of the Royal Danish Opera and later on he succeeded Gade as teacher at the conservatory and became the most influential stamp on Danish music for the next generations.
His most important works are two operas (Saul and David and Maskarade), 6 symphonies, three concertos (violin, clarinet and flute), 4 string quartets, two violin sonatas and a plethora of choral works and songs which became the very archetype of Danish music.

(Sænk kun dit hoved du blomst op. 21) See James Marchand

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(No portrait)

Rudolf Friedrich Niemann  German pianist and composer

Wesselburen, Holstein, 04.12.1838 - Wiesbaden, 03.05.1898

Niemann was son of the local organist and was sent to Leipzig where he studied with Ignaz Moscheles (1853-1856). Later he went to Paris to study at the Conservatoire as pupil of Marmontel and Halévy and then finished his education with Hans von Bülow in Berlin. 

	Antoine François Marmontel 16.06.1816 - 17.01.1898 For more than 40 years one of  the most influential teachers of  the Paris Conservatoire

After that he toured Europe either as a concert pianist alone or from 1873 to 1877 with the Dutch violinist August Wilhelmj who not only had a dazzling career as solo violinist who - among other things championed Raff's violin concertos - but also became principal violinist in the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra at the premiere of Wagner's Der Ring des Niebelungen in 1876.

	August (Emil Daniel Ferdinand Victor) Wilhelmj 21.09.1845 - 22.01.1908

In 1883 Niemann was appointed piano teacher at the Robert Fuchs' Conservatory in Wiesbaden and has composed many pieces of piano music, songs and a violin sonata.
Niemann's son Walter (1876- ?) also became a pianist and composer

Konzertwalzer op. 36  (Litolff)

3 Kleine Konzertstücke op. 40: 1. Romanze, 2. Alla Gavotte, 3. Presto (Perpetuum Mobile).  1896 (Kistner)
Dedicated to Géza Zichy

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Pehr Henrik Nordgren  Finnish composer

Saltvik, Åland, 19.01.1944 - Veteli, 25.08.2008

Pehr Henrik Nordgren studied musicology at the University of Helsinki, taking an MA in 1967, and composition as a private student of Joonas Kokkonen from 1965 to 1969. From 1970 to 1973, he studied composition and traditional Japanese music at the Tokio University of Art and Music. Since then he has lived at Kaustinen, working primarily as a freelance composer.

Concerto for piano left hand only and chamber orchestra, op. 129 (2004)

:Kwaidan II, Three Ballads after Japanese Ghost Stories for piano left hand, Op.127 (2004)

Photo an information: Finnish Music Information Centre (FIMIC)

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(No portrait)

Isabel Stewart North 

Born: ? 

The Fable op. 19  1912 (North Publishing)

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Llwyn-yr-Eos, Cardiff, Wales, 15.01.1893 - London, 06.03.1951

Ivor Novello was the son of the well-known singer and teacher Clara Novello Davies and attended Magdalen College School, Oxford.
He attracted attention with his very familiar song Keep the Home Fires Burning which he composed during WW I. At the same time his show Theodore & Co became a great hit. After the was he was engaged with a successful film career (also in Hollywood), appeared on stage; mostly in shows written by himself in operettas and generally composed to the librettos of Christopher Hassall.
He was known for his luxurious life together with different male lovers, but this way of living was cut short during WW II when he was sentenced to eight weeks in prison (he served four) for misuse of petrol coupons, a serious offence in wartime Britain.
After his release after only four weeks he was a broken man but continued on stage until his sudden death from a coronary thrombosis. But he is remembered not only for his songs but also for the Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting and the former Strand Theater was in 2005 renamed to the Novello Theater.

(My Dearest Dear, from the London musical The Dancing Years produced in 1939) see John Amriding

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Madlow nr. Cottbus, south-east of Berlin, 07.07.1924 - Spremberg, 20.07.1998

Nowka studied first with the Reger pupil Hermann Grabner (1886-1969) at the High School of Music in Berlin-Charlottenburg (1942-43) and after the war he was engaged from 1947 to 1952 as répétiteur and conductor in Cottbus, Stendal and Schwerin. During this time he also attended the master classes (1952-54) at the German Academy of Arts in Berlin where his teachers were Max Butting (1888-1976) and Hanns Eisler (1898-1962).

He has received several awards for his music f.ex. The East German Arts Prize and the Schwerin Fritz Reuter Arts Prize. Much of his music is based on dance music and folk elements from his native district of which he made a thorough study during the years 1952 to 1961 and this music has a wide appeal. Later on he turned to twelve-tone music and aleatoric composition. 
Among his rich output are several concertos: for violin op. 77, for flute harp and strings op. 46, for oboe and chamber orchestra op. 24, a Sinfonietta Sorbica op. 42, two Sinfoniettas without opus number, a Symphony op. 55, 8 Wendische Tänze op. 26, 27 & 59, Konzertante Variationen über ein Thema von Hanns Eisler, three sonatas for orchestra,  the operas Jan Suschka from 1957 and Die Erbschaft (The Inheritance) from 1958 and the ballet Eine Bauernlegende (A Peasant's Legend). Besides Nowka has composed much chamber music f.ex. four string quartets, divertimento for nine instruments, piano pieces (among these two sonatas) and songs - f.ex. Vier Gesänge wider den Krig (Five Songs Against War) in 1957.

Piano concerto op. 71  (1963) (Verlag Neue Musik)
There are three movements - the finale being a Toccata - all very effectively laid out for the left hand.