Tchaikovsky
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Daniel Rahter (1828–1891) |
Daniel Rahter
German music publisher (b. 1828; d. 1891)
Rahter was the manager of the A. Büttner music publishing firm in Saint Petersburg from 1869 to 1890, and in 1879 he set up his own music publishing house in Hamburg. A great admirer of Tchaikovsky's music, Rahter negotiated with Petr Jurgenson to secure the distribution rights to the composer's works in Germany and Austria-Hungary, and was influential in securing the first productions of Evgenii Onegin and Iolanta at the Hamburg Opera Theatre.
Tchaikovsky wrote about Rahter in his Autobiographical Account of a Tour Abroad in the Year 1888 (TH 316) — "Just as in Leipzig I had greatly enjoyed sharing in the family atmosphere at the homes of A. D. Brodsky and A. I. Ziloti, so in Hamburg I was given an equally heartfelt welcome by the kind Herr D. Rahter, a representative of the Büttner publishing firm, who is very well-known in our country's music world. His family has been living in Hamburg for a long time, ever since the death of his beloved son in Saint Petersburg and his fears for the health of his other children induced Herr D. Rahter to send them back to Germany with his wife. From time to time, however, he is able to visit his sorely missed family, and every summer he actually spends three months with them. For me, the many hours I spent in the company of Herr D. Rahter, his much-esteemed wife, and his delightful children (of which unfortunately only the eldest knows a few words of Russian, even though he was born in Russia) were very pleasant indeed. It is all the more gratifying for me to express here my warm gratitude to Herr Rahter for his countless efforts on my behalf and friendly interest, given that it was in fact thanks to his initiative that I was invited to Hamburg, and it was this initial proposal which triggered all the other flattering invitations that reached me from one German city after the other".
Correspondence with Daniel Rahter:
- 1 letter from Tchaikovsky to Daniel Rahter has survived, dating from 1889.