Heinrich Hofmann (composer)

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Heinrich Hofmann

Heinrich Karl Johann Hofmann (born January 13, 1842 in Berlin , † July 16, 1902 in Großtabarz , Thuringia ) was a German composer and pianist .

Life

Hofmann sang as a boy in the Royal Cathedral Choir and from 1857 studied under Theodor Kullak , Eduard Grell , Siegfried Dehn and Richard Wüerst . He initially worked as a pianist and music teacher. As a composer, he was first better known for his Hungarian Suite for Orchestra (1873). The Frithjof Symphony , published the following year, became one of the most frequently performed orchestral works in Germany for some time. Hofmann's style is classical and is reminiscent of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Robert Schumann . Although he was one of the most played German composers during the 1870s and 1880s, his work was largely forgotten during his lifetime. Small piano pieces by Hofmann can still be found in individual collections today.

In addition to his symphonic work, Hofmann achieved success in the field of opera , where he made his debut with Cartouche in 1869 . This was followed by Armin , which was performed first in Dresden in 1877 , then in Hamburg and Berlin, the lyrical opera Ännchen von Tharau (text by Roderich Fels, performed first in Hamburg in 1878, in Dresden in 1879, in Berlin in 1886), Wilhelm von Oranien (Hamburg 1882) and Donna Diana , which was first performed in Berlin in 1886.

In addition, his song books and his choral works were also distributed in the USA. Examples are The Fairy Tale of the Beautiful Melusine and Minnespiel ( waltz for mixed choir and pianino). In addition to chamber music , Hofmann also preferred four-hand piano compositions, including Italian love novels , Länders , Liebesfrühling , New Hungarian Dances and Am Rhein .

In 1882 Hofmann was accepted into the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin , and in 1898 he was appointed to the Senate. His contemporary success and the scarcely lasting effect of his work are today attributed to solid compositional skills with little originality, so that his works met the expectations of the public without being considered epoch-making in later times. In retrospect, his stage work alone made a contribution to German-language opera.

Heinrich Hofmann died after a long illness on July 16, 1902 at the age of 60 in Großtabarz in Thuringia. The funeral took place on 20 July at the Berlin Dreifaltigkeitsfriedhof I take. The grave has not been preserved.

literature

Discography (selection)

  • Serenade op.65 for flute & string quintet + octet op.80 + sextet op.25 Berolina Ensemble, MDG 2013, CD ( SACD )
  • Symphony in E flat major op. 22 “Frithjof” + A drama overture op. 28 + Hungarian suite using Hungarian national melodies op. 16. CD, Sterling Records, 2009/12
  • “Im Schloßhof”, suite for orchestra op. 78 + “Am Abend” for string orchestra + some piano pieces, Edition Romana Hamburg

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ About: Martin Frey: Das neue Sonatinenbuch. Schott, Mainz 2000, ISMN M-001-03794-5.
  2. ↑ Rebecca Grotjahn, MGG (see above)
  3. ↑ Berliner Tageblatt , July 21, 1902, evening edition, p. 4.
  4. ^ Hans-Jürgen Mende : Lexicon of Berlin burial places . Pharus-Plan, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-86514-206-1 , p. 226.
  5. ↑ audio samples
  6. ↑ No. 1592961, audio samples , www.sterlingcd.com
  7. ↑ [1]
personal data
SURNAME Hofmann, Heinrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hofmann, Heinrich Karl Johann (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German composer
DATE OF BIRTH January 13, 1842
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH July 16, 1902
Place of death Tabarz / Thür. Forest , Thuringia