Waltershausen, H(ermann) W(olfgang Sartorius), Freiherr von
Waltershausen, H(ermann) W(olfgang Sartorius), Freiherr von
Waltershausen, H(ermann) W(olfgang Sartorius), Freiherr von, German composer, writer on music, and teacher; b. Göttingen, Oct. 12,1882; d. Munich, Aug. 13, 1954. He began his music studies with M. J. Erb in Strasbourg, and although he lost his right arm and leg in an accident when he was 10, he learned to play the piano and conduct with his left hand. He settled in Munich in 1901, where he studied composition with Thuille and piano with Schmid-Lindner; Waltershausen also studied music history with Sandberger at the Univ. of Munich. In 1917 he established there a seminar for operatic dramaturgy, the Praktisches Seminar für Fortgeschrittene Musikstudierende. He was a prof, and asst. director of the Munich Akademie der Tonkunst (1920-22), then director (1922-33); later, he founded his own Seminar für Privatmusiklehrer, which became the Waltershausen-Seminar in1948. In his music he adopted a neo-Romantic style, rather advancedin harmonic treatment.
Works
dramatic: 2 operas: Else Klapperzehen (Dresden, May 15,1909) and Oberst Chabert (Frankfurt am Main, Jan. 18, 1912); Richardis, dramatic mystery (Karlsruhe, Nov. 14, 1915); Die Rauensteiner Hochzeit (Karlsruhe, 1919); Die Gräfin von Tolosa (1934; Bavarian Radio, Munich, 1958). ORCH.: Apokalyptische Symphonie (1924); Hero und Leander, symphonic poem (1925); Krippenmusik for Chamber Orch. and Harpsichord Obbligato (1926); Orchesterpartita über 3 Kirchenlieder (1928). CHAMBER: String Quartet (1910); piano pieces, including studies and transcriptions for left hand alone. VOCAL: Songs.
Writings
(all publ. in Munich unless otherwise given): Der Freischütz: Ein Versuch über die musikalische Romantik (1920); Das Siegfried-Idyll oder die Rückkehr zur Natur (1920); Die Zauberflöte: Eine operndramaturgische Studie (1920); Richard Strauss: Ein Versuch (1921); Orpheus und Euridike: Eine operndramaturgische Studie (1923); Musik, Dramaturgie, Erziehung (collected essays; 1926); Dirigentenerziehung (Leipzig, 1929); Die Kunst des Dirigierens (Berlin, 1942; 2nd ed., 1954); Dramaturgie der Oper (in manuscript).
Bibliography
K.-R. Danler and R. Mader, H.W. v.W.(Tutzing, 1984).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire