Volbach, Fritz

Volbach, Fritz, German choral conductor, music scholar, and composer; b. Wipperfürth, near Cologne, Dec. 17,1861; d. Wiesbaden, Nov. 30,1940. He studied at the Cologne Cons, with Hiller, Jensen, and Seiss, and in Berlin with Taubert and Löschhorn; completed his education at the Univ. of Bonn (Ph.D., 1899, with the diss. Die Praxis der Händel-Aufführung). In 1892 he was appointed conductor of the Liedertafel and the Damengesangverein in Mainz; after serving as music director at the Univ. of Tübingen (1907-18), he went to Munster as prof, at the Univ. and as conductor of the city orch.; retired to Wiesbaden in 1930. A versatile musician, he had command of almost every orch. instrument.

Works

dramatic: Opera : Die Kunst zu lieben (1910). ORCH.: 3 symphonic poems: Ostern (1895), Es waren zwei Königskinder (1901), and Alt-Heidelberg, du feine (1904); Sym. (1909). OTHER: Chamber music, including a Piano Quitet (1912) and piano pieces; numerous choral works; Heder.

Writings

Lehrbuch der Begleitung des gregorianischen Gesangs (Berlin, 1888); G.F. Händel (Berlin, 1898; 2^nded., 1907); Beethoven: Die Zeit des Klassizismus (Munich, 1905; 2^nded., 1929); Die deutsche Musik im 19. Jahrhundert (Kempten, 1909); Das moderne Orchester in seiner Entwicklung (Leipzig, 1910; 2^nded., 1919); Die Instrumente des Orchesters (Leipzig, 1913; 2^nded., 1921); Erläuterwungen zu den Klavier-Sonaten Beethovens (Cologne, 1919; 3^rded., 1924); Handbuch der Musikwissenschaften (2 vols., Münster, 1926,1930); Die Kunst der Sprache (Mainz, 1929); Der Chormeister (Mainz, 1931); Erlebtes und Erstrebtes (autobiography; Mainz, 1956).

Bibliography

J. Hagemann, F. V, Monographien Moderner Musiker,III (Leipzig, 1909); G. Schwake, F. V.s Werke (Münster, 1921); K. Hortschansky, ed., F. V, 1861-1940: Komponist, Dirigent und Musikwissenschaftler (Hagen, 1987).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire