Heinrich Christoph Röpenack
Heinrich Christoph Röpenack (* December 4, 1847 in Hessisch Oldendorf in the Weserbergland ; † September 14, 1913 in Dresden ) was a German military musician, hoboist in the 6th Westphalian Infantry Regiment No. 55 "Graf Bülow von Dennewitz", 1st horn player of the 2nd Royal Saxon Jäger Battalion No. 13 and Royal Saxon Music Director of the band of the 12th Infantry Regiment No. 177.
Musical career
Heinrich Christoph Röpenack's musical talent was discovered in childhood. During his school days he received his first piano and organ lessons and distinguished himself early on through his instrumental skills. Furthermore, he learned to play the violin and trumpet. In 1861, at the age of 14, Röpenack began studying music in Bückeburg with members of the Bückeburg court orchestra . Organ and music theory lessons were given by court organist Fischer, piano lessons by the royal court pianist C. Schulz. Röpenack received his training on the violin from the court concertmaster Carl Louis Bargheer, Kapellmeister Geismann and the court conductor Professor Jérome Gulomy.
Because of his excellent musical and scientific credentials, Röpenack was awarded the certificate of eligibility for one year of voluntary service. He joined the Westphalian Jäger Battalion No. 7 ("Bückeburger Jäger") on December 16, 1869 , where he dutifully completed his military service. Due to the use of the Bückeburg hunters in the campaign against France, Röpenack's music studies paused in 1870/71. After the end of the war, he continued his musical training for four more years and at the same time became a guest of the Bückeburg court orchestra.
To complete his studies, Röpenack was appointed to Berlin in 1875/76 . There he taught a. a. the military bandmaster, royal music director, trombonist and composer Johann Heinrich Saro, one of the greats of military music at the time .
After successfully completing his studies, Röpenack was a hoboist in the 6th Westphalian Infantry Regiment No. 55 "Graf Bülow von Dennewitz" in Bielefeld from 1876–78. On April 1, 1878, he was appointed 1st staff horn player of the 2nd Royal Saxon Jäger Battalion No. 13 in Meissen . Five years later, on April 1, 1883, the Jäger battalion was relocated from Meissen to Dresden in the newly built Jäger barracks in the Johannstadt district .
On April 1, 1887, Röpenack took over the management of the band of the newly founded 12th Infantry Regiment No. 177 in Dresden. In 1889 he was appointed Royal Saxon Music Director. From now on, in addition to his military music service, there followed extremely lively concert activities. a. with its own series of concerts in the " Luisenhof " in Oberloschwitz / Weißer Hirsch , which were very popular with the audience. Röpenack's program design encompassed the entire musical spectrum from marches to overtures, opera and operetta excerpts, symphonies, instrumental solo works through to the modern music of the time.
On the occasion of the presence of King Friedrich August of Saxony and the Imperial Royal Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, Röpenack was entrusted with the overall musical direction of the great tattoo on August 29, 1912 on the Theaterplatz in Dresden as well as with taking over the Monstre concert organized for this event . This event, at which he conducted around 1000 musicians, was one of the highlights of his musical life.
In 1913, shortly before his death, Röpenack, the senior Saxon music director, was promoted to senior music master. He was buried at the Johannisfriedhof in Dresden Tolkewitz with overwhelming sympathy and musical and military honors. "The Saxon Army is losing an excellent expert in him, and Dresden is losing its most popular military music conductor. His excellent character traits and his amiable demeanor have given him a popularity that has seldom been achieved by a military bandmaster ..."
Arrangements
Heinrich Christoph Röpenack has mainly written arrangements for various chamber music and orchestral ensembles. Currently to be found were:
- Parade march and parade march of the rifle regiment "Prinz Georg" No. 108 (piano arrangement)
- Archers march of 1st Jäger Battalion No. 12 (piano arrangement)
- Parade (on horseback) march of the 2nd Jäger Battalion No. 13 (piano arrangement)
- a collection of arrangements of various songs, waltzes and small performance pieces for string, wind and mixed ensembles of various sizes, handwritten and signed by Röpenack
Compositions
- Kaisertanz (waltz) lost
- Character image from military life, suite in five movements (lost)
- Von-Treitschke-March, composed before 1887 and dedicated to Commander General Heinrich Leo von Treitschke . There is a piano reduction in the SLUB Dresden and a sound carrier recording (CD, wind orchestra Joseph Snaga, "With swing and fire"). The orchestral material for the symphonic wind orchestra was reconstructed in 2017.
Awards
Röpenack was honored with the following awards for his committed military music activities:
- War commemorative coin 1870/71
- General decorations
- Prussian commemorative medal WI
- Schaumburg Lippe Medal
- Mecklenburg Cross of Merit of the House Order of the Wendish Crown
- Cross of honor with the crown
- Service award 1st class
- Baden, Cross of Merit
- Prussia, silver cross of merit
- Reuss, silver medal of merit
- Weimar, gold cross of merit
- Württemberg, Order of the Crown Medal of Merit
In the family archive, the following incident is preserved in writing: "After a concert, conducted by the Royal Music Director Heinrich Röpenack, the Saxon king had the conductor's baton brought to him. Our great-great-uncle didn't even know what that was supposed to mean. Later he got the baton silver-plated and with one Dedication by the king back. The king was so enthusiastic about the concert. "
Private
Heinrich Christoph Röpenack was born as the youngest of seven children of Christian Ludwig and Sophie Charlotte Röpenack (née Stichweh). His three brothers were 16, 14 and 9 years old at the time of his birth, and his two living sisters were 7 and 4 years old. The two oldest brothers apprenticed to their father and learned the craft of shoemaker.
Parallel to the manual skills, Röpenack's family and relatives had a musical disposition. His eldest brother, an uncle and two nephews were referred to as "musicians". Many family members played instruments, a great nephew was an opera singer and conductor at the Göttingen Theater.
During his studies in Bückeburg Röpenack met his future wife Caroline Henriette Mathilde Hattendorf. The two married in Bückeburg on February 19, 1881. The marriage resulted in the four children Arthur (* 1882), Margarethe (* 1883), Hans Caspar (* 1893) and Else (* 1895).
Röpenack's wife died in 1898. The children were 16, 15, 5 and 2 years old. Röpenack remained a widower for the rest of his life. He maintained regular contact with his family and relatives in Hessisch Oldendorf and Hanover.
Picture gallery
literature
- Petra Röpenack-Schäfer: In the footsteps of Heinrich Christoph Röpenack. Self-published, Hanover 2014
- Petra Röpenack-Schäfer: Traces of life of the Royal Saxon Music Director Heinrich Christoph Röpenack (1847–1913), self-published, Hanover 2015
- Martin Steffen: Traces of life of a military musician - for reading and wandering around. In: Military music - then and now. With a sounding game. 38th year No. 3/4 2015, Der Kurier, Cologne, ISSN 1617-1969 , pp. 36–40.
- John Kroes: Boekbespeking. In: Defilé IMMS Nederland. 35th year No. 140 June 2016, Hanzedruk, Bolsward June 2016, ISSB: 2213-1221, pp. 21-22.
swell
- Anneliese Zänsler: The Dresden town music, military music corps and civil bands in the 19th century. Series of publications Music in Dresden of the Academy of Music "Carl Maria von Weber", Volume 2. Laaber, Regensburg 1996
- Joseph Snaga: With swing and fire, Joseph Snaga Wind Orchestra. Acoustic Arts Label LC 10557, booklet for the CD
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dresdner Rundschau (ed.): The senior of the Saxon military music . No. 38 . Dresdner Rundschau, Dresden September 20, 1913, p. 1 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Röpenack, Heinrich Christoph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German musician, conductor, German military musician, Royal Saxon music director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 4, 1847 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hessisch Oldendorf , Weserbergland |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 14, 1913 |
| Place of death | Dresden |