Johanna Mueller-Hermann 1868-1941

[Wheesht]

Her Symphony with soloists and chorus Op.27, the cantata In Memoriam (Walt Whitman) for voices and orchestra Op.30, and 3 songs (no Op. no. given) are all held by the Archiv Frau und Musik in Frankfurt/Main, Germany.

[Alan Howe]

There are still plenty of copies of the Thorofon CD available:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00002630N/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=

[eschiss1]

are there definitely two cello sonatas? Perhaps instead one cello sonata which may have appeared in editions with two different opus numbers? I know at least vaguely of the Op.17 sonata but not of Op.16 (if they are different works.) this review of one of the cello sonatas (in the Fin de siècle recording, with sonatas by Weigl and early works by Webern) doesn't mention an opus number, just year of composition or publication (1912, a century before the date of the review, one notes...)

... For some reason I thought I saw Olga Diener's name... wait, did someone bring her up?... erm... never mind, another thread.

[mjkFendrich]

this review of one of the cello sonatas (in the Fin de siècle recording, with sonatas by Weigl and early works by Webern) doesn't mention an opus number, just year of composition or publication

I've got this CD from Othmar Müller, there the sonata is clearly given as op.17!

BTW, is there any news about any of the forthcoming recordings of Weigl's violin sonatas?

[Wheesht]

That book on Austrian woman composers has Op. 16 for cello and piano, no key, first performed Vienna 22 Nov 1915 and Op. 17 also cello and piano in G major, first performed Vienna 7 April 1923. Based on this information, it does look as if they are two different works.

[giles.enders]

Are there any details about the songs in the book referred to?

[semloh]

"That book on Austrian woman composers has Op. 16 for cello and piano, no key, first performed Vienna 22 Nov 1915 and Op. 17 also cello and piano in G major, first performed Vienna 7 April 1923. Based on this information, it does look as if they are two different works."

It seems that the contributors to the New Grove got it all wrong. It has Op.16 as a choral-orchestral work Der sterbende Schwan, and has just one cello sonata, the Op.17 for which it doesn't give the key.

[Wheesht]

There is a long list of her songs in the book referred to (which was 15 years in the making and is a very reliable tome as far as I can tell) - and I hope to get around to writing it down here later today or tomorrow.

[eschiss1]

Well, Der Sterbende Schwan (no final "n"- it's mispelled in the list at the top) is a work of hers (given Op.24 in that list, though, not Op.16 as per Grove.) A performance of it, I think, took place in 1914 (reviewed in NZM. No idea about publication status

[Wheesht]

Yes, it is Der sterbende Schwan Op. 24 (Soprano, mixed choir and orchestra)- first performed in Vienna, 26 Jan 1914. Published: Vienna, Universal Edition Nr. 10079 (no date given).

Here is what my book has about her songs:
•   Seven songs  Op.1 (1. Wiegenlied. 2. Tod in Ähren. 3. Liebesreim. 4. Mein Frühling. 5. Dunkle Rosen. 6. Wiedersehen. 7. Am Bach.) (Singing voice, piano). Texts: H. Ibsen, D. v. Lilienkron, R. Huch. J. Müller-Hermann. Vienna, Gutmann (1898-1903). First performance [FP] Vienna 1904.
•   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 singing voice, piano). Texts: J. Müller-Hermann, R. Huch. Vienna, Doblinger (no date).
•   Four songs  Op.4 (1. Wandle wie im Traum. 2. Die stille Stadt. 3. Wanderlied. 4. Mondbeglänzt im stillen Wald.) (Deep singing voice, piano). Texts: J. Müller-Hermann, R. Dehmel, R. Huch, F. W. Weber. Vienna, Doblinger (1904-1908). FP: Vienna 1923.
•   Two songs  Op.11 (1. Nähe des Geliebten. 2. An die Entfernte.) (High singing voice, piano). Texts: J. W. v. Goethe. Vienna, Universal Edition [UE] 1939.
•   Four songs  Op.14 (1. Landschaft. 2. Sonnenuntergang. 3. Den Lenz laß kommen. 4. Polka.) (Singing voice, piano). Texts: J.P. Jacobsen. Vienna, UE 1915. FP: Vienna 1921.
•   Two duets  Op.15 (1. Abendlied. 2. Tanzlied.) (Two sopranos, viola, piano). Texts: J. Bierbaum. FP: Vienna 16 June 1918.
•   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.) (Singing voice, piano/orchestra). Texts: W. Calé. Vienna, UE 1915. FP (piano score) Vienna 22 Nov 1915; (orchestral version) Vienna 9 Apr 1916.
•   Three songs  Op.19 (1. Sehnsucht. 2. Liebesreim. 3. Geheimnis.) (Singing voice, piano). Texts: R. Huch. Vienna, UE 1940.
•   Four songs  Op.20 (1. Widmung. 2. Herbst. 3. Waldseligkeit. 4. Wie eine Vollmondnacht.) (Deep singing voice, piano). Texts: W. Calé, after Böcklin's 'Herbstgedanken', R. Dehmel, J.A. Rinaldini. Vienna, UE 1940.
•   Two songs  Op.26 (1. Am See. 2. Frühling.) (Soprano, orchestra/piano). Vienna, UE Nr. 10076/77. FP (piano score) Vienna, 9 Apr 1920; (orchestral version) Vienna 13 Oct 1924.
•   Autumn songs  Op.28 (1. Herbstabend. 2. Minnelied. 3. Intermezzo. 4. Regenlied. 5. In memoriam.) (Singing voice, piano). Texts: J.A. Rinaldini. Vienna, UE 1940. FP Vienna 9 Apr 1920.
•   Three songs  Op.32 (1. Am Strand. 2. Du schlank und rein. 3. Im Traum und Gesang.) (High singing voice, piano). Texts: St. George, R.A. Schröder. Vienna, UE 1939.
•   Three songs  Op.33 (1. Vorfrühling. 2. Trauminsel. 3. Liebeshymnus). Soprano, orchestra/singing voice, piano). Texts: Tona v. Hermann. Vienna, 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). Texts: W. Calé. FP: Vienna 20 Nov 1936

[eschiss1]

Hrm. From a plate-table of Universal Edition, that publication date could be sometime maybe 1929-1937... hrm. Will try to get a better estimate (and even then, plate tables provide estimates and maybes and "well, though maybe this other thing happened"s, not definite info...)

[giles.enders]

I am still uncertain about JM-H's birth date, If 1868 is correct it would suggest that she didn't compose anything until she was 30. It would also mean that at least two of her teachers were her contemporaries.  Klassika gives both 1868 and 1878 on the same page!  There are two sources which quote 1868 and five including Bakers and New Grove who say 1878.  Wikipedia says 1878 but the source for this is Bakers. Has any one seen a copy of her birth certificate of her death certificate which would give her age?

[semloh]

The New Grove Dictionary of Women Composers (1994) gives 15th Jan. 1878, but it has not proven to be reliable as far as the works list is concerned. 

[Wheesht]

I haven't found a birth record (yet), but according to my trusted book, she graduated from the k&k Staats-Lehreinnen-Bildungsanstalt (Imperial & Royal teacher training college) in Vienna in 1890 and then worked as a primary school teacher for a few years. Her marriage to Otto Müller-Martini (1870-1942) on 19 October 1893 brought about the financial security that she needed to take up her musical studies again. Her sister Tona von Hermann, herself a composer and a singer, is also in my book - as the youngest child, born Vienna 7 December 1871, died Vienna 15 February 1969.
All this does seem to point to 1868 as the correct birth year in my opinion.

[Wheesht]

I have just come across a link to translations of a few of her songs with links to sound recordings – in Sophie, A Digital Library of Works by German-Speaking Women: http://sophie.byu.edu/authors/johanna-müller-hermann