Joseph Hoch
Encyclopedia
Joseph Paul Johannes Hoch (May 3, 1815 – September 19, 1874) was a German lawyer
and benefactor. He willed his fortune to the Hoch Conservatory
Foundation, founded in 1878 in Frankfurt
. It is, after Leipzig
and Berlin
, the seventh oldest music conservatory in Germany
. He was born and died in Frankfurt am Main.
. His mother, the Swiss-born Ottilie von Sodenstern, was also the child of a magistrate and senator.
He began to learn piano and violin at a young age. Like his father before him, Hoch studied law and received the degree of Doctor of Law
. At the age of 41 he married the Baroness Ottilie von Sodenstern, who would outlive him by 48 years. She died in Kassel
in 1922. The couple had no offspring.
He inherited a large fortune from both sides of his family. He decided early on, with banker Johann Friedrich Städel
as his model, to bequeath enough money to his city to found an institute for education in the arts. Before he made a trip to in England in 1843, he made a first version of a will with this intention, which was completed on July 14, 1857. In his testament of 21 paragraphs, he left the Conservatory Foundation approximately one million German gold mark
s.
His grave can be found at the main city graveyard in Frankfurt.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and benefactor. He willed his fortune to the Hoch Conservatory
Hoch Conservatory
Dr. Hoch’s Konservatorium - Musikakademie was founded in Frankfurt am Main on September 22, 1878. Through the generosity of Frankfurter Joseph Hoch, who bequeathed the Conservatory one million German gold marks in his testament, a school for music and the arts was established for all age groups. ...
Foundation, founded in 1878 in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. It is, after Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and 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...
, the seventh oldest music conservatory in Germany
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...
. He was born and died in Frankfurt am Main.
Life
Hoch came from a family which had been in Frankfurt am Main for generations. All four of his grandparents had lived there. His father, the lawyer Johann Peter Hieronymus Hoch (1779 – 1831), was a magistrate and senator who, in 1829, became mayor of the Free City of FrankfurtFree City of Frankfurt
For almost five centuries, the German city of Frankfurt am Main was a city-state within two major Germanic states:*The Holy Roman Empire as the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt...
. His mother, the Swiss-born Ottilie von Sodenstern, was also the child of a magistrate and senator.
He began to learn piano and violin at a young age. Like his father before him, Hoch studied law and received the degree of Doctor of Law
Doctor of law
Doctor of Law or Doctor of Laws is a doctoral degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country, and includes degrees such as the LL.D., Ph.D., J.D., J.S.D., and Dr. iur.-Argentina:...
. At the age of 41 he married the Baroness Ottilie von Sodenstern, who would outlive him by 48 years. She died in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
in 1922. The couple had no offspring.
He inherited a large fortune from both sides of his family. He decided early on, with banker Johann Friedrich Städel
Städel
The Städel, officially the Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie, is an art museum in Frankfurt am Main, with one of the most important collections in Germany....
as his model, to bequeath enough money to his city to found an institute for education in the arts. Before he made a trip to in England in 1843, he made a first version of a will with this intention, which was completed on July 14, 1857. In his testament of 21 paragraphs, he left the Conservatory Foundation approximately one million German gold mark
German gold mark
The Goldmark was the currency used in the German Empire from 1873 to 1914.-History:Before unification, the different German states issued a variety of different currencies, though most were linked to the Vereinsthaler, a silver coin containing 16⅔ grams of pure silver...
s.
His grave can be found at the main city graveyard in Frankfurt.
Further reading
- Commemoration Speech by Professor Dr. Max Flesch-Thebesius, given on May 19, 1965 at the celebration of the 150th birthday of Joseph Hoch, printed in: Stiftung Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium Joseph Hoch zum 100. Todestag, Frankfurt am Main: Kramer, 1974, with kind permission of Dr. Henriette Kramer, Verlag Waldemar Kramer GmbH, Frankfurt and Dr. Peter Cahn, Frankfurt.
- Peter Cahn: Das Hoch'sche Konservatorium in Frankfurt am Main (1878-1978), Frankfurt am Main: Kramer, 1979.
- FestschriftFestschriftIn academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
125 Jahre Stiftung Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, 2003.