Born: July 5, 1847 - Cologne, Germany
Died: November 14, 1925 - London, England

The German-born pianist and composer, Agnes Marie Jacobina Zimmermann, came to England very early, and at 9 became a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London, under Cipriani Potter and Steggall. Later she learnt from Ernst Pauer and Sir George Macfarren.

Agnes Zimmermann's works were often heard at the Royal Academy of Music Students' concerts. In 1860 and 1862 she obtained the King's Scholarship, and on December 5, 1863, made her first public appearance at the Crystal Palace in two movements of L.v. Beethoven's Emperor Concerto. In 1864 she followed this up by playing at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, and elsewhere in Germany. Though occasionally travelling abroad (as in 1879-1880 and 1882-1883), and always with success, she made England her home, where her name became for many years a household word for purity of interpretation and excellent musicianship. In playing she always devoted herself to the classical school, once or twice in a very interesting manner. Thus it was she who performed (for the first and only time in England) L.v. Beethoven's transcription of his violin concerto for the pianoforte at the Crystal Palace on December 7, 1872.

Agnes Zimmermann's compositions are also chiefly in the classical form and style, and include 3 sonatas for piano and violin (Opp. 16, 21 and 23), a sonata for piano, violin and violoncello (Op. 19), a sonata for piano solo (Op. 22), a mazurka (Op. 11), and Presto alia Tarantella (Op. 15); also several songs, duets and 4-part songs, and various arrangements of instrumental works, etc. She edited the sonatas of Mozart and L.v. Beethoven and the complete pianoforte works of Schumann for Novello.

Source: Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1952 Edition; Author: Sir George Grove)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (August 2007)

Bach-A.M.J. Zimmermann: Agnes Zimmermann | Works | Recordings

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