Hermann Kretzschmar
Encyclopedia
August Ferdinand Hermann Kretzschmar (19 January 1848 – 10 May 1924) was a German
musicologist and writer, and is considered a founder of interpretation in musical study.
, Saxony
, Kretzschmar was son of the organist and cantor Karl Dankegott Kretzschmar. He was from 1862 a student in the Holy Cross school in Dresden
, where from 1867–1868 he was twice Prefect of the Holy Cross choir. In addition, from 1870 he studied Philology
at Leipzig University as well as Music at the Leipzig Conservatory and was awarded his doctorate there. From 1871 he was actively teaching in Theory, Composition, Piano and Organ at the Leipzig Conservatory, and acted as director/conductor for various musical societies. In 1876 he became theatre orchestra conductor in Metz
, and undertook research expeditions in England and Italy for the study of musical history; from 1877 to 1887 he was an academic and state music director in Rostock
.
From 1887 to 1904 he renewed his position in Leipzig as active University Music Director. From 1888-1898 he was Director of the Riedel
Choral Society. In the year 1890 he was awarded an honorary professorship, and in 1890 he founded the Leipzig Academic Concerts which he conducted until 1895. In 1904 he was appointed as regular Professor of Music at the University of Berlin; from 1907–1922 he was Director of the Royal Institute for Church Music, and also (from 1909–1920) as successor to Joseph Joachim
he was Director of the High School for Music founded in 1869 (i.e. the Berlin Hochschule). He was a government privy counsellor. One of his students was composer and musicologist Walter Niemann
.
Kretzschmar was from 1880 married to the British pianist Klara Meller.
He died in Berlin
-Schlachtensee in 1924, after which he was buried in a grave of honour in the Evangelic Nicholassee churchyard in Berlin.
, Thomas Mann
creates the character of Dr Wendell Kretzschmar, the inspirational and eccentric musicologist, lecturer and teacher of the composer Adrian Leverkühn. The name is probably given in homage to his real-life contemporary Hermann Kretzschmar, whose essays in musical interpretation were widely read and appreciated around the turn of the twentieth century.
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...
musicologist and writer, and is considered a founder of interpretation in musical study.
Career
Born in OlbernhauOlbernhau
Olbernhau is a town in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, 35 km southeast of Chemnitz, and 23 km north of Chomutov, Czech Republic.- History :...
, Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
, Kretzschmar was son of the organist and cantor Karl Dankegott Kretzschmar. He was from 1862 a student in the Holy Cross school in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, where from 1867–1868 he was twice Prefect of the Holy Cross choir. In addition, from 1870 he studied Philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at Leipzig University as well as Music at the Leipzig Conservatory and was awarded his doctorate there. From 1871 he was actively teaching in Theory, Composition, Piano and Organ at the Leipzig Conservatory, and acted as director/conductor for various musical societies. In 1876 he became theatre orchestra conductor in Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, and undertook research expeditions in England and Italy for the study of musical history; from 1877 to 1887 he was an academic and state music director in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
.
From 1887 to 1904 he renewed his position in Leipzig as active University Music Director. From 1888-1898 he was Director of the Riedel
Riedel
Riedel l), is a manufacturer of high-quality crystal wine glasses and related glass products based in Kufstein, Austria.Originally established in Bohemia in 1756, the company has been owned by the same family for more than 250 years...
Choral Society. In the year 1890 he was awarded an honorary professorship, and in 1890 he founded the Leipzig Academic Concerts which he conducted until 1895. In 1904 he was appointed as regular Professor of Music at the University of Berlin; from 1907–1922 he was Director of the Royal Institute for Church Music, and also (from 1909–1920) as successor to Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
he was Director of the High School for Music founded in 1869 (i.e. the Berlin Hochschule). He was a government privy counsellor. One of his students was composer and musicologist Walter Niemann
Walter Niemann (composer)
Walter Rudolph Niemann was a German composer, arranger, and music critic.-Life:Born in Hamburg, Niemann was the son of composer and virtuoso pianist Rudolph Niemann . His uncle, Gustav Adolph Niemann was a violinist and important musical figure in Helsinki...
.
Kretzschmar was from 1880 married to the British pianist Klara Meller.
He died 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...
-Schlachtensee in 1924, after which he was buried in a grave of honour in the Evangelic Nicholassee churchyard in Berlin.
Literary allusion
In his novel Doktor FaustusDoktor Faustus
Doctor Faustus is a German novel written by Thomas Mann, begun in 1943 and published in 1947 as Doktor Faustus. Das Leben des deutschen Tonsetzers Adrian Leverkühn, erzählt von einem Freunde Doctor Faustus (in German, Doktor Faustus) is a German novel written by Thomas Mann, begun in 1943 and...
, Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
creates the character of Dr Wendell Kretzschmar, the inspirational and eccentric musicologist, lecturer and teacher of the composer Adrian Leverkühn. The name is probably given in homage to his real-life contemporary Hermann Kretzschmar, whose essays in musical interpretation were widely read and appreciated around the turn of the twentieth century.
Writings
- (Guide through the concert hall) Leipzig 1887-90
- (History of the more recent German song), 1911 (Volume I, from Von Albert to Zelter only completed)(Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel).
- (History of Opera) 1919
- (Introduction to the History of Music), 1920
External links
- Literature of and about Hermann Kretzschmar in the Catalogue of the German National Library.http://dispatch.opac.d-nb.de/DB=4.1/REL?PPN=118715941
- Symposium: Hermann Kretzschmar - Teacher and Performer in one person.http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/spektrum/98-1/tu48.html