Hans Gál

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Hans Gal (around 1914)

Hans Gál (born August 5, 1890 in Brunn am Gebirge , Austria-Hungary , † October 3, 1987 in Edinburgh ) was an Austro-British composer and musicologist .

Life

Gál, son of the doctor Josef Gál, studied composition from 1908 to 1912 with Eusebius Mandyczewski , a student of Johannes Brahms , and from 1908 to 1913 musicology at the University of Vienna . As early as 1909, he himself taught counterpoint and harmony at the New Vienna Conservatory . In addition, from 1919 he worked as a lecturer for music theory at the University of Vienna. His students included the composers Robert Katscher and Hans J. Salter . In 1929 he left Austria to take over the post of director of the Mainz Conservatory .

But already in 1933, after the handover of power to the National Socialists in January 1933, Gál had to leave Germany again because he was of Hungarian-Jewish descent. After initially working as a conductor in Vienna, he emigrated to England in 1938 after the annexation of Austria . In 1940 he was temporarily interned on the Isle of Man as an enemy alien . In 1945 he finally got a position as teacher of music theory, counterpoint and composition at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland . He also directed the Edinburgh Chamber Orchestra . After retiring in 1965, he stayed on the British Isles for the rest of his life, writing widely acclaimed books and the like. a. about Brahms , Wagner , Verdi and Schubert .

His Serenade for String Orchestra was conducted and recorded by the composer Georg Tintner , who was also forced to emigrate .

style

Gál developed a distinctive personal style very early on, which he remained loyal to throughout his life. Probably the most important composer for him was Johannes Brahms, whose music formed the basis of Gál's style. Gál attached great importance to mastery of the composition craft. He was also a great melodist and in this respect stands in the tradition of Viennese music that originated from Franz Schubert . In general, he was an outspoken traditionalist who strictly adhered to the tonality until his last works . Modern tendencies remained alien to him. His musical language goes beyond Richard Strauss , whose influence is particularly evident in his operas, and a harmonics that is heavily chromatised based on the music of the turn of the century . Instead, Gál opened up all the more to the musical past, which is expressed in the rich polyphony that reveals the influence of Johann Sebastian Bach , and in the clarity of his musical language, which is derived from his preoccupation with the Viennese classical music . Often one also encounters humorous elements in his music. While he was able to celebrate considerable successes before his emigration, he was later frowned upon as unfashionable and ultra-conservative, which led to his being gradually forgotten. Only now is it gradually being rediscovered; B. by performing his opera Das Lied der Nacht 2017 in Osnabrück and Edinburgh over 90 years after it was written. The premiere in Osnabrück on April 29, 2017 was enthusiastically celebrated by the audience. Gál's opera The Sacred Duck. A game with gods and people. Opera in one prelude and three acts , following a version for children in Cologne in 2007 and a Berlin production for piano and ensemble in 2012, was performed again as a major stage work on March 7, 2020 at the Heidelberg Theater and Orchestra for the first time since 1933 and by Deutschlandfunk Broadcast culture live.

As a musicologist, Gál v. a. active in the field of Viennese classical music and has made some important contributions to this topic.

Awards

Works (selection)

Works for orchestra

  • Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 30 (1930)
  • Symphony No. 2 in F major op.53 (1942/43)
  • Symphony No. 3 in A major, Op. 62 (1951/52)
  • Symphony No. 4 op. 105 "Sinfonia concertante" for flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello and orchestra (1974)
  • Orchestral suites
  • Serenade for string orchestra op.46 (1937)
  • Overtures
  • "Promenade Music" for military orchestra (1926)

Works for mandolin orchestra

  • Sinfonietta for mandolin orchestra No. 1 op.81 (1961)
  • Sinfonietta for mandolin orchestra No. 2 in E minor op.86 (1965)
  • " Biedermeier Dances" for mandolin orchestra op. 66 (1954)
  • Capriccio (1949)

Concerts

  • Piano Concerto in C major op.57 (1948)
  • Concertino for piano and string orchestra op.43 (1934)
  • Violin Concerto op.39 (1932)
  • Concertino for violin and string orchestra op.52 (1939)
  • Violoncello Concerto in E minor, Op. 67 (1944)
  • Concertino for violoncello and string orchestra op.87 (1966)
  • Concertino for organ and string orchestra op.55 (1948)

Vocal music

  • "The Doctor of Sobeide", opera op. 4 (1917/18)
  • "The Holy Duck, A Game with Gods and Men" Opera in a prelude and three acts op. 15 (1920/21)
  • "Two religious songs", with organ and viol (violoncello) op. 21 (1923)
  • "The song of the night", opera op. 23 (1924/25)
  • "The Magic Mirror", Christmas Tales op. 38 (1930)
  • "The Two Klaas", opera op. 42 (1932/33)
  • "De profundis", cantata op. 50 for solos, choir, orchestra and organ (1936/37)
  • numerous choral works

Chamber music

  • String Quartet No. 1 in F minor, Op. 16 (1916)
  • String Quartet No. 2 in A minor op.35 (1929)
  • String Quartet No. 3 op.95 (1969)
  • String Quartet No. 4 op.99 (1970)
  • String Quintet op.106 (1977)
  • Piano trio in E major op.18 (1925)
  • Piano trio op.49b (1948)
  • Piano Quartet in B flat major op.13 (1914)
  • Violin Sonata in B flat minor op.17 (1920)
  • Violin Sonata in D major (1933)
  • Viola Sonata op.101 (1942)
  • Violoncello Sonata in A minor op.89 (1953)
  • Sonata for Solo Cello op.109a (1982)
  • Clarinet Sonata op.84 (1965)
  • Trio for violin, clarinet and piano, op.97
  • Oboo Sonata op.85 (1965)
  • Quintet for clarinet and string quartet op.107 (1977)

Piano music

  • Sonata op.28 (1927)
  • Two Sonatinas op.58 (C major, 1951, A minor, 1949)
  • Suite op. 24 (1922)
  • 24 preludes op.83 (1960)
  • 24 fugues op.108 (1980)
  • smaller pieces

Organ music

  • Toccata op.29 (1928)
  • Prelude and Fugue in As (1956)
  • Fantasy, Arioso and Capriccio (1956)

Documents

Letters from Hans Gál are in the holdings of the Leipzig music publisher CF Peters in the Leipzig State Archives . Another part of the estate is in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek as a result of Gals' correspondence with Robert Münster , former director of the music collection of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek.

literature

  • Alexander Becker: The Austrian composer Hans Gál in the focus of the plucked music . In: Concertino 2/2003, pp. 76-78.
  • Anthony Fox, Eva Fox-Gál, Gerold Gruber (Eds.): Hans Gál. A century of music , published by the Centrum Judaicum (= Jewish miniatures , volume 131). Hentrich & Hentrich , Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-942271-77-6 ; English: ISBN 978-3-95565-124-4 .
  • Gregor Gatscher-Riedl: One (almost) forgotten: On the 125th birthday of Hans Gál - composer and musicologist born in Brunn am Gebirge . In: Local history supplement [to the official gazette of the district authority Mödling], 50th year, F. 3, (Mödling September 5, 2015), pp. 17-19.
  • Marcus G. Patka , Michael Haas (eds.): Hans Gál and Egon Wellesz: Continental britons. Exhibition "Continental Britons - Hans Gál and Egon Wellesz of the Jewish Museum of the City of Vienna from February 25th - May 2nd, 2004 (= music of departure ). On behalf of the Jewish Museum Vienna, Mandelbaum-Verlag, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-85476 -116-3 .

Web links

Commons : Hans Gál  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.theaterheidelberg.de/produktion/die-heilige-ente/
  2. ↑ Rudolf Flotzinger, Gernot Gruber (Ed.): Music history of Austria. Volume 2: From the Baroque to the Present. Styria, Graz 1979, ISBN 3-222-10976-1 , p. 498.
  3. ↑ https://www.theaterheidelberg.de/produktion/die-heilige-ente/
  4. ↑ Bavarian State Library
personal data
SURNAME Gál, Hans
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austro-British composer
DATE OF BIRTH August 5, 1890
PLACE OF BIRTH Brunn am Gebirge , Lower Austria
DATE OF DEATH 3rd October 1987
Place of death Edinburgh