Gál, Hans

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Gál, Hans

Gál, Hans, Austrian musicologist and composer; b. Brunn, near Vienna, Aug. 5, 1890; d. Edinburgh, Oct. 3, 1987. He studied with Mandyczewski and Adler at at the Univ. of Vienna, where he lectured (1919–29), and then was director of the Mainz Cons. (1929–33). He returned to Vienna in 1933. After the Anschluss, he was compelled to leave Vienna in 1938, and settled in Edinburgh, where he lectured on music at the Univ. (1945–65) while continuing to compose.

Writings

Anleitung zum Partiturlesen (Vienna, 1923; Eng. tr., 1924, as Directions for Score-Reading); The Golden Age of Vienna (London, 1948); Johannes Brahms (Frankfurt am Main, 1961; Eng. tr., 1964); Richard Wagner (Frankfurt am Main, 1963); The Musician’s World: Great Composers in Their Letters (London, 1965; Ger. tr., 1966); Franz Schubert, oder Die Melodie (Frankfurt am Main, 1970; Eng. tr., 1974); Giuseppe Verdi und die Oper (Frankfurt am Main, 1982).

Works

DRAMATIC Opera : Der Arzt der Sobeide (Breslau, 1919); Die heilige Ente (Diisseldorf, April 29, 1923); Das Lied der Nacht (Breslau, April 24, 1926); Der Zauberspiegel (Breslau, 1930; also as an orch. suite); Die beiden Klaas (1933). ORCH.: 4 syms. (1928, 1949, 1952, 1975); Violin Concerto (1931); A Pickwickian Overture (1939); Cello Concerto (1944); Piano Concerto (1947); Concertino for Organ and Strings (1948); Concertino for Cello and Strings (1965); Idyllikon for Small Orch. (1969); Triptych (1970). CHAMBER: Piano Quartet (1915); 4 string quartets (1916, 1929, 1969, 1971); Violin Sonata (1921); String Trio (1931); Piano Trio (1948). VOCAL: Numerous sacred and secular choral works.