Hermann Abert
Encyclopedia
Hermann Abert was a German
historian of music
.
, the son of Johann Josef Abert (1832-1915), the Hofkapellmeister of that city.
From 1890 to 1896 he studied classical philology
at the Universities of Tübingen, Berlin and Leipzig
. While at Tübingen he joined the Akademische Gesellschaft Stuttgardia, a student fraternity which shaped the political views of the liberalism in southern Germany. His philological studies ended in 1896 at Halle, where he had done work on Ancient Greek music. For the next three years he studied music theory
at Berlin. In 1902 he qualified as lecturer by presenting his thesis on music of the Middle Ages at the University of Halle.
Abert stayed on at Halle as a lecturer, becoming a senior lecturer (or associate professor) in 1910 and a full professor in 1918. In this capacity he moved the next year to the University of Heidelberg. But after just one year, Abert took up a post at Leipzig
and in 1920 he became the successor of the music theorist Hugo Riemann
. In 1923 he was called to the University of Berlin, where he was seen as the most suitable successor to Hermann Kretzschmar
, also a music theorist. It was there that he worked with Friedrich Blume
, Rudolf Gerber, Hans Hoffmann
and Theodor Schwartzkopff, on the illustrated Dictionary of Music which was discovered to contain plagiarisms of Alfred Einstein's Neues Musiklexikon und Hugo-Riemann-Musiklexikon.
In 1925 he was admitted to the Prussian Academy of Sciences
, the first music theorist to be granted this honour.
On 13 August 1927, Prof. Dr. Hermann Abert died at Stuttgart
, aged 56.
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...
historian of music
History of music
Music is found in every known culture, past and present, varying wildly between times and places. Around 50,000 years ago, early modern humans began to disperse from Africa, reaching all the habitable continents...
.
Life
Abert was born in StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, the son of Johann Josef Abert (1832-1915), the Hofkapellmeister of that city.
From 1890 to 1896 he studied classical philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at the Universities of Tübingen, Berlin and Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
. While at Tübingen he joined the Akademische Gesellschaft Stuttgardia, a student fraternity which shaped the political views of the liberalism in southern Germany. His philological studies ended in 1896 at Halle, where he had done work on Ancient Greek music. For the next three years he studied music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
at Berlin. In 1902 he qualified as lecturer by presenting his thesis on music of the Middle Ages at the University of Halle.
Abert stayed on at Halle as a lecturer, becoming a senior lecturer (or associate professor) in 1910 and a full professor in 1918. In this capacity he moved the next year to the University of Heidelberg. But after just one year, Abert took up a post at 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 in 1920 he became the successor of the music theorist Hugo Riemann
Hugo Riemann
Karl Wilhelm Julius Hugo Riemann was a German music theorist.-Biography:Riemann was born at Grossmehlra, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. He was educated in theory by Frankenberger, studied the piano with Barthel and Ratzenberger, studied law, and finally philosophy and history at Berlin and Tübingen...
. In 1923 he was called to the University of Berlin, where he was seen as the most suitable successor to Hermann Kretzschmar
Hermann Kretzschmar
August Ferdinand Hermann Kretzschmar was a German musicologist and writer, and is considered a founder of interpretation in musical study.- Career :...
, also a music theorist. It was there that he worked with Friedrich Blume
Friedrich Blume
Friedrich Blume was professor of Musicology in Kiel University from 1938-1958. He was a student in Munich, Berlin and Leipzig, and taught in the last two of these for some years before being called to the chair in Kiel. His early studies were on Lutheran church music, including several books on...
, Rudolf Gerber, Hans Hoffmann
Hans Hoffmann
Hans Hoffmann was an SS-Rottenführer and member of staff at Auschwitz concentration camp. He was prosecuted at the Auschwitz Trial....
and Theodor Schwartzkopff, on the illustrated Dictionary of Music which was discovered to contain plagiarisms of Alfred Einstein's Neues Musiklexikon und Hugo-Riemann-Musiklexikon.
In 1925 he was admitted to the Prussian Academy of Sciences
Prussian Academy of Sciences
The Prussian Academy of Sciences was an academy established in Berlin on 11 July 1700, four years after the Akademie der Künste or "Arts Academy", to which "Berlin Academy" may also refer.-Origins:...
, the first music theorist to be granted this honour.
On 13 August 1927, Prof. Dr. Hermann Abert died at Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, aged 56.
Works
- Die Lehre vom Ethos in der griechischen Musik. (Dissertation, "The Teaching of Ethics in Greek music") (Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig, 1899).
- Die ästhetischen Grundsätze der mittelalterlichen Melodienbildung. ("The aesthetic foundations of medieval melody") (Univ. Habil., Halle/Saale, 1902).
- Robert SchumannRobert SchumannRobert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
(Schlesische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1903, 3rd end. 1917). - The Concept of Music in Mediaeval Times and its Principles (Niemeyer, Halle 1905).
- Dramatic Music at the Court of Duke Karl Eugen of Württemberg (1905).
- Niccolò Jomelli as a Composer of Operas (Niemeyer, Halle 1905).
- History of the Robert FranzRobert FranzRobert Franz was a German composer, mainly of lieder.-Biography:He was born Robert Knauth in Halle, Germany, the son of Christoph Franz Knauth...
Academy of Music in Halle (1908). - a Gluck Annual, (4 issues from 1914), and a Mozart Annual (Drei Masken Verlag, Munich 1923).
- Johann Josef Abert: sein Leben und seine Werke. ("J. J. Abert: his Life and Work") (Pfaehler, Bad Neustadt 1983). (Reprint of Leipzig (Breitkopf) ed., 1916.) ISBN 3-922923-26-7
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: eine Biographie (largely re-written from the original work of Otto JahnOtto JahnOtto Jahn , was a German archaeologist, philologist, and writer on art and music.He was born at Kiel...
) (Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1920). (Vol. 1, 1756–1782; Vol. 2, 1783–1791). - Goethe and Music (J. Engelhorn, Stuttgart 1922).
- Illustriertes Musik-Lexikon. (J. Engelhorns Nachfahren, Stuttgart 1927).
- Gesammelte Schriften und Vorträge. ("Collected writings and lectures") Schneider, Tutzing 1968. (Reprint of Halle ed., 1929.)
External links
- http://www.zeno.org/Musik/M/Abert,+Hermann/Robert+SchumannAbert's biography of Robert SchumannRobert SchumannRobert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
, unabridged German text]