Paul Lange (musician)

Paul Long ( born October 12, 1857 in Kartzow; † December 2, 1919 in Üsküdar ) was a pioneer of the classical music scene in Istanbul in 1880 to 1910 and from 1908 Kapellmeister of the last Ottoman sultans, Abdul Hamid II, Mehmed V Mehmed and VI.

Life

Lange came from an old Prussian family of teachers. The Following family tradition, he completed a teaching degree at the teacher training college in Neuruppin that he graduated in 1879 with honors. Due to its intense musical interest, he completed training at the Academic Institute for Church Music in Berlin organist.

In 1880, Lange took a job as a singing teacher at the German School and organist at the Imperial German Embassy Chapel in Istanbul. He soon began, even more choirs at numerous high schools in the city, including Greek, Armenian and even the two American colleges build. He even founded a symphony orchestra, with whom he performed works by Beethoven and Wagner in Istanbul among others. Long taught many children and young people from " better classes " of Constantinople at the piano, and founded in the 1890s, even a private conservatory, but that after two years went bankrupt.

Through intercession of Emperor Wilhelm II Long was first appointed in 1898 with the rank of a Turkish lieutenant colonel to the Inspector of the Imperial Navy music, later he took over as head of further military music ensemble, and in 1908 he was finally Kapellmeister of Sultan Abdul Hamid II Although the Young Turks wanted to depose him in 1909 he also kept under the following sultans Mehmet V. and VI. his position.

Lange was allowed to stay in Istanbul after the capitulation in November 1918 and the deportation of most Germans, together with his wife and his youngest daughter Isolde. However, he died in December 1919. Though he was buried with great pomp and all the honors of the Ottoman court with a kind of state funeral, his widow and his youngest daughter received in May 1920 the deportation order.

A son Hans was later in the U.S. assistant of Arturo Toscanini, and even a well-known conductor. Paul Lange was a personal friend of the active also in the 1890s at American colleges German philologist Friedrich Schrader.