Carl Christian Eisner was born in 1802 in Pulsnitz, Saxony. After his education in Dresden, he was engaged as a chamber musician at the Imperial Court Chapel in St. Petersburg, where he remained until 1836. Between 1835 and 1848 Eisner travelled through Europe as a soloist; performances — among them of his own compositions — are documented from 1835 onward in Dresden, Vienna, Pest, and Leipzig.
After 1836 Eisner was engaged at the court chapel in Dresden. In 1848 he became an associate chamber musician, and in 1854 a full chamber musician and principal horn of the Royal Chapel Dresden — a position he held until his retirement in 1871. Carl Eisner was the first horn teacher at the Dresden Conservatory of Music, founded in 1856.
The Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung (AMZ) praised his warm tone and brilliant technique, noting in particular that he still played the natural horn. Other concert reviews, however, show that Eisner had also mastered the new valve horn, transferring the tonal qualities of the natural horn to the technically superior valve instrument.
Two Pieces for Horn and Piano, Op. 16
No. 1 Le Repos
No. 2 Resignation
The two pieces for horn and piano are enchanting "palm court music" in the very best sense. Resignation was also arranged for horn and orchestra and became a popular encore piece in its own right. The new edition is based on the first edition of the work, today held at the Staatsbibliothek Berlin, Music Department.
