Friedrich Hieronymus Truhn
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Hieronymus Truhn (born November 14, 1811 in Elbing
, † April 30, 1886 in Berlin
) was a 19th century German
conductor
, composer
and music writer who worked mainly in Berlin, Danzig, Elbing and Riga
. He was the son of Hofmarschall Nathanael Truhn and the grandfather of Selma Erdmann-Jesnitzer, born Bethge-Truhn, father of Clara and Anna Marie Elizabeth Truhn. He was a very special person and a talented composer of numerous songs, several stage works, and also a key organizer in the field of men's choirs
.
, of Carl Friedrich Zelter
and Bernhard Klein
. He briefly studied orchestration with Mendelssohn
to be properly trained as musician. He worked at the city theater in Gdansk as conductor and music teacher in the years 1835-37 and back in Berlin, he became one of the chief contributors to Schumann's paper, the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik
, Hamburger Correspondenten and the feature pages of the Neue Berliner Musikzeitung
.
In 1840 Friedrich lived in Königsberg
, Prussia
, and there held great performances of his own and others musicians' compositions. In 1843 he accompanied the pianist Theodor Döhler
on an art trip to Sweden
, where he acted as composer and conductor. In 1848 he returned to his birthplace, founded a choral society and organized many public performances. There he worked until 1852 as a music teacher and conductor. In the meantime he again worked as a freelancer in Berlin, founded the Berliner Liedertafel, a choral society on the conceptual model of King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table
. In 1854 he traveled with Mr. von Bülow
, and then he settled in Riga, where he worked as vocal and music theory teacher until 1858. After that he settled permanently in Berlin.
His printed compositions, summoning up to well over 100 opus, were almost consistently received in critical aclaim, but in no way they became universally popular pieces. They were played, sung and then set aside. Truhn was welcome in all social circles, both as a guest and also as a music teacher. His death put an end not only to his life, but also to the viability of his compositions as the newspapers of the time published obituaries often appreciative of his person and talent as a classical composer.
Elbing
Elbing is the German name of Elbląg, a city in northern Poland which until 1945 was a German city in the province of East Prussia.Elbing may also refer to:- Ships :* SMS Elbing, light cruiser of the Imperial Germany Navy...
, † April 30, 1886 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
) was a 19th century German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and music writer who worked mainly in Berlin, Danzig, Elbing and Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. He was the son of Hofmarschall Nathanael Truhn and the grandfather of Selma Erdmann-Jesnitzer, born Bethge-Truhn, father of Clara and Anna Marie Elizabeth Truhn. He was a very special person and a talented composer of numerous songs, several stage works, and also a key organizer in the field of men's choirs
Men's chorus
A men's chorus or male voice choir , is a choir consisting of men who sing with either a tenor or bass voice, and whose voices are arranged into high and low tenors , and high and low basses —and shortened to the letters TTBB...
.
Life
Friedrich as a boy attracted by his singing habilities, so just as soon he was developing himself as a flute player, and shortly thereafter as a violinist, he was sent to the orchestra of his native town, although his parents did not admitted that he had chosen the music as a career. Only in 1831 they allowed him to go to Berlin as a student of theorist Siegfried Wilhelm DehnSiegfried Dehn
Siegfried Dehn was a German music theorist, editor, teacher and librarian.Born in Altona, Hamburg, Dehn was the son of a banker and learned to play the cello as a boy. Intent on becoming a diplomat, he studied law in Leipzig but also took music lessons from J.A. Dröbs...
, of Carl Friedrich Zelter
Carl Friedrich Zelter
Carl Friedrich Zelter was a German composer, conductor and teacher of music.Zelter became friendly with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and his works include settings of Goethe's poems...
and Bernhard Klein
Bernhard Klein
Bernhard Klein was a German composer.Klein was born in Cologne. He married Lilly Parthey , who was the sister of Gustav Parthey and the granddaughter of Friedrich Nicolai...
. He briefly studied orchestration with Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
to be properly trained as musician. He worked at the city theater in Gdansk as conductor and music teacher in the years 1835-37 and back in Berlin, he became one of the chief contributors to Schumann's paper, the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik
Neue Zeitschrift für Musik
Die Neue Zeitschrift für Musik was a music magazine published in Leipzig, co-founded by Robert Schumann, his teacher and future father-in law Friedrich Wieck, and his close friend Ludwig Schuncke...
, Hamburger Correspondenten and the feature pages of the Neue Berliner Musikzeitung
Neue Berliner Musikzeitung
Neue Berliner Musikzeitung was a musical periodical that appeared in the years 1847-1896 published by Bote & Bock. It was a continuation of the Berlin musical newspaper published between 1844-1847 by Karl Gaillard.-History:...
.
In 1840 Friedrich lived in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, and there held great performances of his own and others musicians' compositions. In 1843 he accompanied the pianist Theodor Döhler
Theodor Döhler
Theodor Döhler was a German composer and a notable piano virtuoso of the Romantic period. He studied under Julius Benedict, Carl Czerny, and Simon Sechter. -Childhood and education:...
on an art trip to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where he acted as composer and conductor. In 1848 he returned to his birthplace, founded a choral society and organized many public performances. There he worked until 1852 as a music teacher and conductor. In the meantime he again worked as a freelancer in Berlin, founded the Berliner Liedertafel, a choral society on the conceptual model of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
and the Knights of the Round Table
Round Table
The Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his Knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of...
. In 1854 he traveled with Mr. von Bülow
Hans von Bülow
Hans Guido Freiherr von Bülow was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. He was one of the most famous conductors of the 19th century, and his activity was critical for establishing the successes of several major composers of the time, including Richard...
, and then he settled in Riga, where he worked as vocal and music theory teacher until 1858. After that he settled permanently in Berlin.
His printed compositions, summoning up to well over 100 opus, were almost consistently received in critical aclaim, but in no way they became universally popular pieces. They were played, sung and then set aside. Truhn was welcome in all social circles, both as a guest and also as a music teacher. His death put an end not only to his life, but also to the viability of his compositions as the newspapers of the time published obituaries often appreciative of his person and talent as a classical composer.
Songs and chants for male chorus
- The Fisherman, Opus 1 (1832)
- The Beautiful Waitress from BacharachBacharachBacharach is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not within its bounds....
, Opus 13 (1836) - Seraphina, Op 19 (after HeineHeinrich HeineChristian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
, LaubeHeinrich LaubeHeinrich Laube , German dramatist, novelist and theatre-director, was born at Sprottau in Prussian Silesia.-Life:He studied theology at Halle and Breslau , and settled in Leipzig in 1832...
, EichendorffJoseph Freiherr von EichendorffJoseph Freiherr von Eichendorff was a German poet and novelist of the later German romantic school.Eichendorff is regarded as one of the most important German Romantics and his works have sustained high popularity in Germany from production to the present day.-Life:Eichendorff was born at Schloß...
) - Lieder, Op 21 (after Goethe)
- The Beetle Boys for 4 male voices with accompaniment, Op 30 (1839)
- A Love Story in 12 songs, Op 64
- The Boy's Death (UhlandLudwig UhlandJohann Ludwig Uhland , was a German poet, philologist and literary historian.-Biography:He was born in Tübingen, then Duchy of Württemberg, and studied jurisprudence at the university there, but also took an interest in medieval literature, especially old German and French poetry...
, Op 82 - The Father's Tomb, Op 105 (1853)
- L'Abbandonata
Choral works
- Mahadöh for solo voices, eight-voice choir and orchestra (1846)
- The Departure (after Uhland) for solo voices, choir and orchestra (1850)
Stage Works
- The Four-Year Income (after Theodor KörnerTheodor Körner (author)Karl Theodor Körner was a German poet and soldier. After some time in Vienna, where he wrote some light comedies and other works, he became a soldier and joined the German uprising against Napoleon...
), Singspiel in one act (1833) - Trilby (after Ludwig SchneiderLouis Schneider (actor)Louis Schneider was a German actor and author.-Biography:Schneider was born in Berlin, the son of George Abraham Schneider . At an early age he was engaged at the Royal Theatre, Berlin, where he soon rose to play leading comedy parts...
), a comic opera in 2 acts (1835) - Cleopatra, melodrama (for Johanna Wagner, 1853)
Writings
- About The Art Of Singing And The Teaching Of Art Song (1872)
- The Old Prima Donna, And, Sounding (1844)
Literature
- Robert Eitner: Truhn, Friedrich Hieronymus in Allgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche Biographie is one of the most important and most comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language....
(ADB). Volume 38, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1894, p. 685.
External links
- Friedrich Hieronymus Truhn at the German National LibraryGerman National LibraryThe German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...