Heinrich Hofmann (composer)

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

Life

Hofmann studied from 1857 Theodor Kullak, Eduard Grell, Siegfried Dehn and Richard Wüerst. He worked first as a pianist and music teacher. As a composer, he was more commonly known by his first Hungarian Suite for orchestra ( 1873). The published the following year Frithjof Symphony was for some time one of the most frequently performed orchestral works in Germany. Hofmann's style is classical and reminiscent of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Robert Schumann. Although he was during the 1870s and 1880s the most frequently performed German composer, got his work during his lifetime largely forgotten. Little Piano Pieces Hofmann can occasionally be found today in collections.

In addition to his symphonic work Hofmann achieved in the field of operatic successes on which he had in 1869, debuting with cartouche. This was followed by Armin, which was then listed first in 1877 in Dresden, Hamburg and Berlin, the lyric opera Annie of Tharaw (Text Roderich Rock, first performed in Hamburg in 1878, 1879 in Dresden, 1886 in Berlin), William of Orange (Hamburg 1882) and Donna Diana, who arrived in Berlin for the first performance in 1886.

Moreover found his song books and his choral work in the U.S. distribution. Examples include The Tale of the Beautiful Melusine and Minnespiel ( waltz for mixed choir and upright piano ). In addition to the chamber music Hofmann devoted himself for the rest preferred piano duet compositions, including Italian love short story, Landler, love Spring, New Hungarian dances and on the Rhine.

1882 Hofmann was admitted to the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin, in 1898 he was appointed to the Senate therein member. Its contemporary success and little lasting effect of his work are now attributed to solid compositional skills at low originality, so that his works the audience's expectations fulfilled without being considered in later years as the epoch-making. In retrospect, made ​​only his stage work a contribution to German-language opera.