Siegfried Ochs
Encyclopedia
Siegfried Ochs was a German choir-leader and composer. He first studied medicine and chemistry at the Polytechnikum of Darmstadt
and at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
. He later devoted himself entirely to music, studying at the Königliche Hochschule für Musik, Berlin, under Schultze and Rudorff
, and later privately under Kiel
and Urban. In 1882 Ochs founded the Philharmonic Choral Society of Berlin, which he would lead until 1920. At first an obscure organization, it became prominent through numerous performances given by Von Bülow, an intimate friend of Ochs. It arguably became the greatest choral society in Berlin and was distinguished for its helpful patronage of young musicians, whose compositions were performed for the first time.
Ochs himself was noted for humorous or parodic compositions. He wrote both the libretto and music of the three-act comic opera Im Namen des Gesetzes (Hamburg, 1888); two operettas; duets for soprano and alto; male choruses; vocal canons; and several books of songs. Many musicologists also maintain that Ochs was both composer and lyricist of the aria Dank sei Dir, Herr, still widely believed to be by Handel.
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
and at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
The Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg is a public research university located in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386, it is the oldest university in Germany and was the third university established in the Holy Roman Empire. Heidelberg has been a coeducational institution...
. He later devoted himself entirely to music, studying at the Königliche Hochschule für Musik, Berlin, under Schultze and Rudorff
Ernst Rudorff
Ernst Friedrich Karl Rudorff was a German composer and music teacher.Born in Berlin, Rudorff studied piano under Woldemar Bargiel from 1852 to 1857, before enrolling at the Leipzig Conservatory in 1859, where he studied under Ignaz Moscheles, Louis Plaidy, and Julius Rietz. He was also a private...
, and later privately under Kiel
Friedrich Kiel
Friedrich Kiel was a German composer and music teacher.Writing of the chamber music of Friedrich Kiel, the famous scholar and critic Wilhelm Altmann notes that it was Kiel’s extreme modesty which kept him and his exceptional works from receiving the consideration they deserved...
and Urban. In 1882 Ochs founded the Philharmonic Choral Society of Berlin, which he would lead until 1920. At first an obscure organization, it became prominent through numerous performances given by Von Bülow, an intimate friend of Ochs. It arguably became the greatest choral society in Berlin and was distinguished for its helpful patronage of young musicians, whose compositions were performed for the first time.
Ochs himself was noted for humorous or parodic compositions. He wrote both the libretto and music of the three-act comic opera Im Namen des Gesetzes (Hamburg, 1888); two operettas; duets for soprano and alto; male choruses; vocal canons; and several books of songs. Many musicologists also maintain that Ochs was both composer and lyricist of the aria Dank sei Dir, Herr, still widely believed to be by Handel.