Carl Zerrahn
Encyclopedia
Carl Zerrahn was a German
-born American
flautist
and conductor. His widespread activity in the region made him an influential figure in New England
and Boston
classical music
, especially choral music, in the latter half of the 19th century. He was especially successful in the presentation of the great oratorios and the management of large choruses.
at the age of twelve years, and completed his education in Hanover
and Berlin
. The revolutions of 1848
motivated him to leave Europe
, and with 25 others he organized The Germania Musical Society
and went to the United States
, giving concerts in London
on the way. Zerrahn played first flute. The group reached New York City
in September 1848 and gave successful concerts in New York and Brooklyn which were followed by others in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington
, and New England
. They appeared for five or six years with Jenny Lind
, Henriette Sontag
, Ole Bull
, Sigismund Thalberg, Alfred Jaëll
, Camilla Urso
, and other artists, disbanding in 1854 after giving 800 concerts during its career.
Zerrahn settled in Boston
at the conclusion of the tour. From 1855 until 1863 he conducted a Boston “Philharmonic,” one of several orchestras going by that name at that time. Beginning in 1865, he led concerts for the Harvard
Musical Association until the concerts were discontinued in 1882. He conducted the Handel and Haydn Society
1854-1895, and he directed a music festival in Worcester, Massachusetts
for thirty years as well, 1866-1897. He was elected conductor of the Oratorio Society of Salem, Massachusetts
in 1868, and conducted choral societies in St. Johnsbury, Vermont
, Ogdensburg, New York
, and other places.
He directed the choral forces for Patrick Gilmore
's National Peace Jubilee
of 1869 and the World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival
of 1872. In 1869, this amounted to a chorus of 10,000; in 1872 the chorus was twice that size though in the latter case the results were not entirely satisfactory. He taught singing, harmony and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music
until 1898, when he retired.
Among the journals he edited were The Index, The Apograph, The Atlas, and Carl Zerrahn's Selections.
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...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
flautist
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and conductor. His widespread activity in the region made him an influential figure in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, especially choral music, in the latter half of the 19th century. He was especially successful in the presentation of the great oratorios and the management of large choruses.
Biography
He began the study of music in RostockRostock
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...
at the age of twelve years, and completed his education in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
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 revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
motivated him to leave Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and with 25 others he organized The Germania Musical Society
Germania Musical Society
The Germania Musical Society was a classical musical group that performed in the United States in the mid-19th century. Its musicians emigrated from Germany. Carl Lenschow and Carl Bergmann served as directors...
and went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, giving concerts in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on the way. Zerrahn played first flute. The group reached New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in September 1848 and gave successful concerts in New York and Brooklyn which were followed by others in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. They appeared for five or six years with Jenny Lind
Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria Lind , better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily...
, Henriette Sontag
Henriette Sontag
Henriette Sontag was a German operatic soprano of great international renown. She possessed a sweet-toned, lyrical voice and was a brilliant exponent of florid singing.-Life:...
, Ole Bull
Ole Bull
Ole Bornemann Bull was a Norwegian violinist and composer.-Background:Bull was born in Bergen. He was the eldest of ten children of Johan Storm Bull and Anna Dorothea Borse Geelmuyden . His brother, Georg Andreas Bull became a noted Norwegian architect...
, Sigismund Thalberg, Alfred Jaëll
Alfred Jaëll
Alfred Jaëll was an austrian-ungarick pianist.He was born in Trieste. He studied under Carl Czernyand began his public career at the age of 11, appearing at the Teatro San Benedetto, Venice, in 1843. The following year he studied with Ignaz Moscheles in Vienna. In 1845 and 1846 he lived in...
, Camilla Urso
Camilla Urso
Camilla Urso , was a French violinist.Born at Nantes, France, Urso was the daughter of an Italian flutist and a French singer . When she was six years old, despite general skepticism about her ability to master a “masculine” instrument, she began taking violin lessons...
, and other artists, disbanding in 1854 after giving 800 concerts during its career.
Zerrahn settled in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
at the conclusion of the tour. From 1855 until 1863 he conducted a Boston “Philharmonic,” one of several orchestras going by that name at that time. Beginning in 1865, he led concerts for the Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Musical Association until the concerts were discontinued in 1882. He conducted the Handel and Haydn Society
Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...
1854-1895, and he directed a music festival in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
for thirty years as well, 1866-1897. He was elected conductor of the Oratorio Society of Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
in 1868, and conducted choral societies in St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury is the shire town of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately northwest of the Connecticut River and south of the Canadian border.St...
, Ogdensburg, New York
Ogdensburg, New York
Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,128 at the 2010 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden....
, and other places.
He directed the choral forces for Patrick Gilmore
Patrick Gilmore
Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore was an Irish-born composer and bandmaster who lived and worked in the United States after 1848. Whilst serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, Gilmore wrote the lyrics to the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", the tune he took from an old Irish antiwar folk...
's National Peace Jubilee
National Peace Jubilee
The National Peace Jubilee was a celebration, organized by Patrick Gilmore in Boston on June 15, 1869. It featured an orchestra and a chorus, as well as numerous soloists. In total, more than 11,000 performers participated, including the famous violinist Ole Bull as the orchestra's concertmaster,...
of 1869 and the World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival
World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival
The World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival of 1872 took place in the Back Bay area of Boston, Massachusetts. Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore directed the festival, which lasted some 18 days. The jubilee honored the ending of the Franco-Prussian War.- Brief history :For this...
of 1872. In 1869, this amounted to a chorus of 10,000; in 1872 the chorus was twice that size though in the latter case the results were not entirely satisfactory. He taught singing, harmony and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
until 1898, when he retired.
Among the journals he edited were The Index, The Apograph, The Atlas, and Carl Zerrahn's Selections.