Graduating from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm in 1873, Amanda Röntgen-Maier became the first woman to earn the title Musikdirectör. Her career bridged the roles of concert violinist and composer, moving from early training in Landskrona to significant performances across Europe, including appearances before King Oscar II and prestigious venues like the Kungliga Teatern.
Formative Years and Education
Born in 1853, Maier began her musical training under her father's guidance in Landskrona. By 1869, she enrolled at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Her studies were comprehensive, covering piano, organ, cello, harmony, composition, and violin. Following her graduation, she relocated to Leipzig to refine her compositional skills under the tutelage of Richter and Reinecke, while simultaneously advancing her violin performance with Engelbert Röntgen.
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Between 1873 and 1876, Maier composed her Violin Concerto in D Minor, a piano trio, and a violin sonata. She performed the concerto as soloist in Halle in 1875, later repeating the performance at the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 1876 under Carl Reinecke and in Stockholm later that year. Her extensive concert activity lasted from 1876 to 1880, featuring tours across Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia alongside musicians such as Augusta Kiellander and Louise Pyk.
Life in Amsterdam
In 1880, Maier married the German-Dutch composer Julius Röntgen. The couple settled in Amsterdam, where they hosted musical salons attended by figures including Johannes Brahms, Clara Schumann, and Edvard Grieg. Although her public concert performances ceased following her marriage, she maintained an active creative life. She composed numerous works during this period, including 1882's Swedish Melodies and Dances and a piano quartet in E minor completed in 1891.
Later Years and Legacy
Maier fell ill with pleurisy in 1887, prompting travel to Davos and Nice for medical treatment. She resumed teaching her sons, Julius Engelbert and Engelbert, upon returning to Amsterdam in 1890. She died in 1894 at the age of 41. In recent years, her body of work has seen a revival; dB Productions released a series of her compositions, and she was featured as 'Composer of the week' on BBC Radio 3 in June 2024.
Fast facts
- Born: 1853, Landskrona Parish
- Died: 1894, Amsterdam
- Education: Royal College of Music in Stockholm
- Spouse: Julius Röntgen
- Title: Musikdirectör
- Notable work: Violin Concerto in D minor (1875)
- Nationality: Sweden
Questions readers ask
What instruments did Amanda Röntgen-Maier play?
She was trained in violin, piano, organ, and cello.
Did she continue to compose after she married?
Yes, although her public concert appearances stopped after her 1880 marriage, she continued to compose works such as her piano quartet in E minor.
Achievements
- Instruments: violin
