Siegfried Alkan
Encyclopedia
Siegfried Alkan was a German
composer.
Alkan was born in Dillingen, Saarland
(then Prussia
, now Germany), the son of Johannes Alkan and Johanna Bonn in a family of merchants and musicians. Through his mother he was a distant cousin of the composers Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
, Fanny Hensel
and Giacomo Meyerbeer
. It is unknown how, or if, he was related to the French composer and pianist Charles-Valentin Alkan
, but he was like the latter a scion of Jewish families from the Moselle region.
In 1938 the octogenarian Siegfried Alkan became a victim of the "Kristallnacht
". His instruments were destroyed and he himself was beaten by Nazi hordes. In his last years he had to wear the infamous "Yellow Star".
Many works of Siegfried Alkan seem to be lost. Still known are for example the compositions "Gruß an die Saar" (Opus 32), "O wüsstest du's" (Opus 39), "Neues Saarlied" (Opus 91) and "Ur-Großmütterchen" (Opus 80), which was very popular in the time after World War I.
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...
composer.
Alkan was born in Dillingen, Saarland
Dillingen, Saarland
Dillingen is a town in the district of Saarlouis, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Saar, approx. 5 km northwest of Saarlouis, and 25 km northwest of Saarbrücken. The Dillinger Hütte steelworks is located here....
(then Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, now Germany), the son of Johannes Alkan and Johanna Bonn in a family of merchants and musicians. Through his mother he was a distant cousin of the composers Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
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...
, Fanny Hensel
Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Cäcilie Mendelssohn , later Fanny Hensel, was a German pianist and composer, the sister of the composer Felix Mendelssohn and granddaughter of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn...
and Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
. It is unknown how, or if, he was related to the French composer and pianist Charles-Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan was a French composer and one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of his day. His attachment to his Jewish origins is displayed both in his life and his work. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of six, earning many awards, and as an adult became a famous virtuoso...
, but he was like the latter a scion of Jewish families from the Moselle region.
In 1938 the octogenarian Siegfried Alkan became a victim of the "Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
". His instruments were destroyed and he himself was beaten by Nazi hordes. In his last years he had to wear the infamous "Yellow Star".
Many works of Siegfried Alkan seem to be lost. Still known are for example the compositions "Gruß an die Saar" (Opus 32), "O wüsstest du's" (Opus 39), "Neues Saarlied" (Opus 91) and "Ur-Großmütterchen" (Opus 80), which was very popular in the time after World War I.