Johanna Mueller-Hermann 1868-1941

[giles.enders]

Johanna Mueller-Hermann  Born 15.1.1868 Vienna - Died  19.4.1941  Vienna

Her father at one time was head of The Austrian Ministry of Culture and Education.  She was one of three children. She was initially taught music by her mother, later becoming a pupil of Karl Navratil, Guido Alder and Josef Labor.  She subsequently had tuition from Alexander Zemlinsky, Franz Schmidt and Josef Bohuslav Foerster.  She succeeded the latter as Professor of Composition at The Neuss Konservatorium in Vienna.

In 1893 she married Otto Meuller-Martini and continued her musical career.


Orchestra

Heroische Overture  Op.21  1916
Symphonic Fantasy on Ibsen's 'Brand' (Fire)  with chorus  Op.25
Symphony with soloists and chorus in D minor  words by Ricarda Huch  Op.27  1919

Chamber

Piano Quintet in G minor  Op.31  1932
String Quintet in A minor  Op.7  1909
String Quartet in E flat major Op.6  1910  pub. by UE
Violin Sonata in D minor  Op.5  1903   pub. by Doblinger
Cello Sonata Op.16  1915
Cello Sonata  in G major  Op.17  1923

Piano

Sonata  Op.8
Five pieces: Romanze, Novelette, Intermezzo in D minor, Intermezzo in D major, Impromptu.  Op.3  1908
Three pieces  Op.12
Two pieces Op.23

Vocal

Von Tod und Giedenken - cantata for women's choir and orchestra  Op.10
Der Sterbende Schwann (The Dying Swan) for chorus and orchestra  Op.24
German Oath  for male choir and orchestra  Op.22
In Memorium (Walt Whitman) cantata for voices and orchestra  Op.30   pub. by Universal
Von Minnelob und Glauben Streu  for chorus and orchestra  Op.37
Choral work for three choirs  Op.9
Choral work for two choirs  Op.13

Song

Seven songs  Op.1 /1. Wiegenlied. 2. Tod in Ähren. 3. Liebesreim. 4. Mein Frühling. 5. Dunkle Rosen. 6. Wiedersehen. 7. Am Bach.  Words: H. Ibsen, D. Lilienkron, Ricarda Huch. J. Müller-Hermann. (1898-1903). First performance Vienna 1904.   pub. by Gutmann
Five songs  Op.2 /1. Willst du mit mir wandern. 2. Weisst du noch. 3. Liebeslied. 4. Der letzte Abend. 5. Einen guten Grund hat's. (High voice, piano). words: J. Müller-Hermann, Ricarda Huch. pub. by Doblinger
Four songs  Op.4 /1. Wandle wie im Traum. 2. Die stille Stadt. 3. Wanderlied. 4. Mondbeglänzt im stillen Wald. .Words: J. Müller-Hermann, R. Dehmel, Ricarda Huch, F. W. Weber.  pub. by Doblinger
Two songs  Op.11 /1. Nähe des Geliebten. 2. An die Entfernte.) (High voice, piano). words: J. W. v. Goethe .pub. by  Universal Edition 1939.
Four songs  Op.14 /1. Landschaft (Landscape). 2. Sonnenuntergang (Sunset) 3. Den Lenz laß kommen (Let the light come). 4. Polka. words: J.P. Jacobsen.
Two duets  Op.15 /1. Abendlied. 2. Tanzlied. (Two sopranos, viola, piano). Words: J. Bierbaum.
Eight songs  Op.18 /1. Von Sternen glitt ein stummer Funk. 2. Die Stunde, da ich dich zuerst ersah. 3. Beim stummen Gange durch die finstern Bäume. 4. Abendstunde. 5. Du gabst mir deine Hand. 6. Es goß mein volles Leben sich. 7. Eine liebe Stunde. 8. Encore. for voice, piano/orchestra. words: W. Calé. pub. by UE 1915. FP (piano score)  22 Nov 1915; (orchestral version)  9 Apr 1916.
Three songs  Op.19 /1. Sehnsucht. 2. Liebesreim. 3. Geheimnis. voice, piano). words: Ricarda Huch. Vienna, UE 1940.
Four songs  Op.20 /1. Widmung. 2. Herbst. 3. Waldseligkeit. 4. Wie eine Vollmondnacht. .words: W. Calé, after Böcklin's 'Herbstgedanken', R. Dehmel, J.A. Rinaldini. pub. by UE 1940.
Two songs  Op.26 /1. Am See. 2. Frühling. (Soprano, orchestra/piano) pub. by UE (piano score)  1920; (orchestral version) 1924.
Autumn songs  Op.28 /1. Herbstabend. 2. Minnelied. 3. Intermezzo. 4. Regenlied. 5. In memoriam. words: J.A. Rinaldini. pub. by UE
Three songs  Op.32 /1. Am Strand. 2. Du schlank und rein. 3. Im Traum und Gesang. (High voice, piano). words: St. George, R.A. Schröder. pub. by UE 1939.
Three songs  Op.33 /1. Vorfrühling. 2. Trauminsel. 3. Liebeshymnus). Soprano, orchestra/ piano.words: Tona v. Hermann. pub. by UE 1939.
Five Zwiegesänge  duets  'Beatrix und der Sänger' Op.36 /1. Begegnung. 2. Verstehen. 3. Geständnis. 4. Vision. 5. Abschied. (Soprano, baritone, string quintet, harp). words: W. Calé.1936

Organ

Four old melodies  Op.34
Imagination  phantasie  Op.35


[/list]

[eschiss1]

Worldcat (or rather this link) claims that the violin sonata Op.5 is in D minor, btw. Haven't seen it, though...

[semloh]

As to CDs, all I can find is...

Thorofon CD: Heroic Overture, Op.21 & Symphonic Poem Fantasy on Ibsen's drama "Brand", Op.25
and the Nimbus CD: Quartet for Strings in E flat major, Op.6 - coupled with Zemlinsky.

[Wheesht]

I have that Thorofon CD, but I think it must be long out of print.

Based on "210 Österreichische Komponistinnen" - (210 Austrian Woman Composers) from the 16th century to the present, published by Residenz Verlag, Salzburg, in 2001, I have added some information such as publication years - Universal Edition (UE) - and/or first performances (FP) and some opus numbers and I have corrected three titles: Tod und Gedenken, Zwiegesänge, Glaubenstreu (see below).

According to the book and to German Wikipedia she was born in 1868.

Orchestra

Heroische Overture  Op.21 - First performance (FP): Vienna, 19 Dec. 1916
Symphonic Fantasy on Ibsen's 'Brand' (Fire)  with chorus  Op.25 FP (two pianos) 1920
Symphony with soloists and chorus in D minor on a text by Ricarda Huch Op.27 FP 1919

Chamber

Piano Quintet in G minor  Op.31 FP 1932
String Quintet in A minor  Op.7 FP 1909
String Quartet in E flat major Op.6  UE 1912 FP 1911
Violin Sonata in minor  Op.5  1903 FP 1905
Cello Sonata Op.16 FP 1915
Cello Sonata  in G major  Op.17 FP 1923

Piano

Sonata  Op.8
Five pieces: Romanze, Novelette, Intermezzo in D minor, Intermezzo in D major, Impromptu.  Op.3 FP 1908


Vocal

Von Tod und Gedenken - cantata for women's choir and orchestra  Op.10
Der Sterbende Schwan (The Dying Swan) for chorus and orchestra  Op.24 FP 1914
German Oath  for male choir and orchestra  Op.22 UE 1915 FP 1933
In Memoriam (Walt Whitman) cantata for voices and orchestra  Op.30 UE 1930 FP 1930
Von Minnelob und Glaubenstreu  for chorus and orchestra  Op.37 1938

Song

Five Zwiegesänge  duets  Op.36

Organ

Four old melodies Op. 34
Imagination ('Phantasie') Op. 35

[giles.enders]

Her five pieces Op.3 were performed in London as recently as last Thursday along with other rare works relating to Vienna.

[Wheesht]

Good to hear she's not entirely forgotten! What other rare works were performed in London?

[semloh]

Oddly, a second Symphony in D, without a chorus, is listed in The New Grove Dictionary of Women Composers as Op.28, which is assigned here to Autumn Songs. It also has Op.19 as a piece for solo piano, rather than a song. It has birth and death dates as initially shown by Giles.

"Although her works adhere to traditional form and tonality, they reveal", it says, "considerable harmonic richness and resourceful instrumentation".

[eschiss1]

both lists refer to her violin sonata as just being "in minor". I must hear this curious beast, which is in a modality, which I assume is not atonal, but which still has no key!

[Wheesht]

Sorry that was  my omission. The list in "210 Austrian women composers" - which is based on autographs, first printings and the AKM (Austrian Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers) work list - has the violin sonata as being indeed in D minor.

No second symphony is listed, and Op. 28 is asigned to Autumn Songs: Herbstlieder (1. Herbstabend. 2. Minnelied. 3. Intermezzo. 4. Regenlied. 5. In memoriam.) UE 1940. FP Vienna 1920.

[eschiss1]

That sounds, anyway, like a well-documented book, the sort one would want to use for notes/cites in Wikipedia articles, &c. ... I should look to see if the library has it, or something...

[giles.enders]

In reply to Wheesht; The other works were:

Intermezzo in D minor by Mathilde Kralik von Meyerswalden 
Slow movement from Sonata for piano by Nancy Van de Vate
Original piano version of La Valse by Ravel
Fantasien uber Gedichte by Zemlinsky  Op.9

[Wheesht]

Interesting, thank you. two names that were new to me. I see that Mathilde Kralik von Meyrswalden has a most impressively long list of works in "210 Austrian Women Composers" - worth exploring further, methinks.

[giles.enders]

I wouldn't bother with Van de Vate, she is the nearest thing to Sado Masochism musically speaking! Painful to listen to.
I thought Meyerswalden worth exploring though it is hard to judge from one piece.

[eschiss1]

we've discussed Kralik briefly elsewhere here and I think a piano trio of hers has been uploaded somewhere here etc. etc. - also something by hers is at IMSLP.

No concertos among Muller-Hermann's works?

I think the 1995 Thorofon CD was reissued on Arte Nova in 2006. Or something.

[Wheesht]

No concertos among Müller-Hermann's works according to the lists I have seen.

Her birth year is definitely 1868, she would hardly have been married in 1893, aged just 15. Could this be changed in the title of the thread?

A brief extract from her Heroische Ouverture op. 21 can be heard here:
http://www.mediathek.at/atom/1348207D-2A3-0018F-0000068C-13476238

Her Five Piano Pieces op. 3 came out on RE NOVA CLASSICS RNC 051001 and her Cello Sonata Op. 16 is/was also available on CD 2011: Camerata CMCD-2845: Weigl, Müller-Hermann, Webern: Cellomusic of the Fin de Siècle in Vienna (CD, 2011; recorded 2000)
Othmar Müller, cello; Leonore Aumaier, piano (this disc seems to be available only in Japan).