George Posca, who was he?

[ErlingI]

Hi! I am trying to find out more about the works and life of George Posca. His composition «Am Strande» is fairly well know, but his life and the other compositions is difficult to trace. I have doen some research and he was born 1847(48), studied in Leipzig 1872-76 and lived in Hamburg at least between 1883-1933. I do not know when he died. He at least have 31 opus, written from 1878 onwards. I will search further, but perhaps someone here know more about this composer, his life and compositions? Erling

[Martin Eastick]

I would also wish to find out more about Posca, and in particular obtain copies of his piano music (other than Op8 No2!) A few years ago there was a substantial collection (in one volume) on offer on the Abebooks website, but I missed out on this which was most disappointing. In consolation though, I did manage to obtain a large autographed volume consisting of most of his songs - and I do have a few of the piano works. He was obviously a fairly minor composer but nevertheless the music is interesting and attractive enough. Nearly all the music I have was published by rather obscure Hamburg publishers, so it would seem that his activities were mainly confined to this location.

[ErlingI]

Hi. Very glad someone responded. His total absence from «the Net», and music history, made me curious.
I have read some articles about his work, written in the 1880s in Norway. There he gets good credits for his work. Apperently a norwegian (lady) pianist studied with him in Leipzig. That put me on track, and I got a copy of some of his «study papers» from Leipzig from the Leipzig music conservatory. They were very helpfull!
These papers show that he came to Leipzig from Iowa!!
I  found him leaving (on second class!) from Germany to US in the 1860s.
I also got  papers showing his birth and family details.

As for his music (apart from op 8!), his op 31, «In the twilight» is quite nice. Found it in an American Magazine, «Etude», from 1916. And his Op 12 is also to be traced on the net (I do not like these pieces though!). I have «recorded» what I have found in Musescore.
He had an «Academie die Klavierspiel» in Hamburg for some years. And he lived in Große Theaterstrasse in Hamburg from 1925-1933. But I do not find when he died.
He might  have been married. A George Posca is married in the 1880s, with same parents names.
But  there is no woman living on «his» adress in Hamburg in the 1880s. 
His (our  composer) middle name was Ferdinand(?) and the married guy had some extra names (cannot remember now as i write!), so perhaps their parents used Georg Posca as a part of the name for all their sons!!
In spilte of these «findings» his life and music is «in the dark» to me.
But perhaps a common effort could add some light to this composers life and music!
Regards Erling

[ErlingI]

Hi again.
I realize I was lacking details about the Posca information I have so here is a more detailed summary:

George Ferdinand Posca :
Born 7 Nov. 1848 in Neuberun in Province Posen (in Preussen at that time).
Father Ferdinand Posca (1812 – 2/12 1894)
Mother Pauline Posca (Knobloch) (1815 – 1890)
28 Apr 1866 he left for Amerika from Hamburg to New York with the ship Germania. (on 2 class!)
His profession is ,,Kaufmann"and his residence in Germany is Striegau, Preussen.
He studied 3 years piano with Otto Thieme in Burlington Iowa.
(Otto Thieme (14/5 1816 – 1/8 1871) was from Preussen in Germany and emigrated (Hamburg- Southampton-New York) in 1867 to Burlington / Iowa USA)
Posca started at Music-conservatorium in Leipzig 4. Oct. 1872 and finished Easter 1876.
He came to Leipzig from Fort Madison (!) in Iowa.
His father, Ferdinand Posca, was working as ,,Royal "???"  in Striegau in Schlesien (Now Strzegom – Poland?)

30. July 1883:
Julius Louis Georg Posca born 7th Nov 1847(!), living in Hamburg, married Agathe Louise Alwine Lange in Striegau, Preussen. Father: Ferdinand Posca, Mother: Pauline Posca.
Here is a slightly different name, but with same parents and exactly one-year earlier birth: Is this the same person?
(A Louis Posca (age 36) arrived in New York from Bremen 19th Oct. 1885 with wife Anna Posca)

Hamburg 1884 - 1923: George Posca, Akademie für Klavierspiel – Gerhofstrasse. 9
Hamburg 1924 - 1933: Gorge Posca, Tonkünstler, gr. Theaterstr. 31

A summary of what I have found regarding his music.
1878: Opus 1 ,,Drei lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte" was published by
Luckhardt, Berlin.   His Opus 2 – 4 is also published by Luckhardt.
1881 (?): Opus 7 was published by Jean Harding, Hamburg, who also published Opus 9,12,14,15 and 19 (and 20?).
(I do not know who published his Op. 8! which contains "Am Strande")
1890: Op. 21 was published by Ollendorff in Berlin.
1899: Op 27 was published by Meyer, Hamburg.
As for opus 28 ("Vier lieder") and Op. 31 ,,In der Dämmerung", I do not know who published them and when.
His Op. 31 (no 1) was published in the Magazine "Etude" in October 1916.
There Posca is mentioned as "a successful contemporary writer, with a European reputation. He excels in drawing-room pieces of the best class."
Regarding his other opus-numbers I have no knowledge or information.

(I have "recorded", in Musescore, the score sheets for Op 8, no 2 (Am Strande"), Op 12, and Op 31. https://musescore.com/artist/george_posca-222805 )

I still have "open" threads in my little "project".
When and where did he die?
Is there a complete list of his music?
Was he really married, and did he have children?
(Is he related to Edith Posca, the famous actress, born 1892 in Hamburg?!)

This is so far my "mini-wiki" on Posca!

[dmitterd]

There is a more extensive list of his compositions available by searching Hofmeister - http://www.hofmeister.rhul.ac.uk/2008/content/database/search/basic.html

Kind regards,
Daniel

[Alan Howe]

Here's the full listing:
http://www.hofmeister.rhul.ac.uk/2008/content/database/search/page-all;jsessionid=7B3C3DF39E37E11A2FEAF50E4500C2D6.balancer3

[Alan Howe]

...seems he wrote only piano music and songs. Could he be described as a composer of salon music?

[ErlingI]

Thanks to you guys for links to the Hofmeister database. I did look there once, but somehow forgot. So until 1900 there should be good documentation. I will update my "papers".
As for him being a "composer" perhaps he says it all himself as he describes himself as "Tonkünstler"!

As for the real scores, I see nothing in the IMSLP score-database. Perhaps someone.....?

[Alan Howe]

'Tonkünstler' (lit. 'sound artist') is indeed a wider term than 'composer'; in English the closest equivalent would be 'musician'.

[cypressdome]

Between 1900 and 1918 the only works published by Posca that were noted in Hofmeister were Opp. 28, 29, and 30.

• Op.28 - 4 Lieder (Hamburg: Meyer, 1901). See: Hofmeister's Monatsbericht, 1901 pp.365-366.
• Op.29 - 3 Lieder (Hamburg: Meyer, 1903). See: Hofmeister's Monatsbericht, 1903 p.241.
• Op.30 - 3 Lieder (Hamburg: Festenburg-Pakisch, 1910). See: Hofmeister's Monatsbericht, 1910 p.178.

A search of the U.S. Catalog of Copyright Entries only shows two piano pieces both published by Presser in 1907 and 1916 ("By the Sea/Am Strande" and "In the Twilight/In der dammerung").  The few other pieces published in the U.S. were either arrangements or editions of Am Strande.

I found it somewhat surprising that with so much of his work published in Hamburg that the Hamburg State Library only had a copy of his opus 12 lieder.  That has been digitized but for some unknown reason whenever I download the pdf the file is corrupt.

I have added Posca at IMSLP and have posted the Presser copy of Op. 8 No. 2.

[Martin Eastick]

Just for ease of reference, I have compiled a list of Posca's opus numbers as follows. I have original copies of those marked with an asterisk.

Op1 3 Lieder
Op2 3 kleine Klavierstücke
Op3 2 Mazurkas (A & B flat)
Op4 6 Lieder
Op5 2 Mazurkas (A & Eflat)
Op6 Notturno & Impromptu for piano
Op7 3 Lieder*
Op8 Erinnerungen: 6 poetische Tonstücke for piano (* but No2 ONLY)
Op9 6 Lieder (* but I am missing No6!)
Op10 6 Walzer nach Motiven von Fr.Schubert for piano (* but No1 ONLY)
Op11 8 Lieder*
Op12 6 Lieder*
Op13 3 Romanzen for piano (* numbers 1 & 2 ONLY)
Op14 6 Lieder*
Op15 6 Lieder*
Op16 3 Ländler (* but No1 ONLY)
Op17 Menuet & Mazurka for piano*
Op18 Walzer-Caprice for piano
Op19 3 Lieder*
Op20 Liebesscene "Tannhäuser" - Duet for soprano & baritone*
Op21 3 Lieder
Op22 Mazurka-Impromptu for piano
Op23 "Zwiegesang der Elfen "- Duet for soprano and alto*
Op24 "Mein Herz schlägt laut"  - song*
Op25 Ländler for piano
Op26 3 Lieder*
Op27 4 Lieder
Op28 4 Lieder
Op29 3 Lieder
Op30 3 Lieder
Op31 ? Piano works - including "In der Dämmerung" - or is this the collective title of the complete opus number?
Op32 and onwards???

[ErlingI]

Hi all!
Thank you for the feedback to this thread.
It's very encouraging to see you adding info to the thread.
And gradually we all get to "move" an old composer "out of the shed! Agreed, not among the great composers, but still....
His "Am Strande" makes him immortal to any piano-student!!
(Even the Norwegian Queen had this score-sheet in her childhood as a piano lesson!)
So, thanks to @cypressdome for adding this score to IMSLP!
Also @cypressdome: I had no problems downloading the OP 12 score from Hamburg-site. Strange.
Also, thanks to Martin Eastick for his detailed list of compositions.
I have created a small spreadsheet which contains the information I have about his music so far.
I present it as a separate link.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQEYI-hxG6usiwlxQC2cyuxSU_iDUgvpe7aqBtnAzvuN3pAf40Svp-GP93ytfZ-4UVbWLnHFwnjt5S_/pubhtml
(Sorry about the link name, Google ' don't allow me any options)

Regarding Posca music I have found 3 reviews in a Norwegian newspaper all from "Dagbladet" ("Daily Paper")
24 January 1885. Op 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12 & 14 is reviewed.
The (to me) unknown person doing the review prices Op. 1, Nr. 3 ("Must have been created in a very happy moment"!!).
Op 4 no 5 also gets a positive review as does the whole op. 7.
There is a looong story about the background for Op 10. (Perhaps this is also somewhere recorded in the Schubert literature?).
The reviewer also put the readers attention to Op. 11, No 2 and 6, and Op 12, No 2.
As for Op 14 he mentions nr. 5 as "a masterpiece".
Op 11, No 2 and 6 is apparently on the repertoire of a famous(?) German opera singer: Hr. P. Ehrke
23. august 1885 the same reviewer has Op. 13 on his piano! No 3 is the favourite!
@alan howe: The reviewer indeed uses the word "salon music" as description of Op 13 No 2 (good Salon-music!)
28. February 1892 Op 19, 20 and 21 are reviewed (same reviewer). Overall very positive!
It spite of the positive reviews he gets in this paper, the only piece I find being sung/played at concert in the 1880s- 1900 is.... "Am Strande"!
(And on a couple of occasion his Op 19 No 1, "Liebeslied".).
From 1900 to this very day, the only piece to trace in Norway's "music life" is "Am Strande"!
As for the life of Posca, it's very difficult (for me at least!) to get further details.
Seems the "Academie für Klavierspiel" lasted from 1884 – 1901.
After that he is "only" mentioned as "Tonkünstler" i.e. "Musician" - rightly translated by @Alan Howe, I think.
A small "clue" to his "destiny" might be the fact that in 1928 his Op 8 was again published,
this time by Benjamin in Leipzig. Benjamin and family, being Jewish faced tragedy when 1933 arrived.
Perhaps Posca was also of Jewish background and decided to leave Hamburg / Germany?
It all started in 1933.
However, being 85 at the time, it would not the easiest decision to make, but who knows?

[eschiss1]

Op.16, "Drei Ländler f. Pfte" is missing from your list above.  Published (not necessarily first published- Hofmeister is not a reference source compiled after, it's a "this stuff was received by us lately and we're notifying you of it now" contemporary source, it's quite possible it was published earlier) - by Haring and received by Hofmeister in/by October 1886.

[ErlingI]

Hi. Glad you are "alert" to this topic and try to "complete" the information about Posca.
However: I'm not sure which post you are responding to.
In my spreadsheet-link in my posting above, the Op 16 "Drei Ländler" is listed (in B, F and G-flat).
(Can "people" see the link?. Perhaps I should paste it all in here?)
Kind regards Erling

[Martin Eastick]

My apologies, I must have just slipped up here - especially as I have a copy of NO1!! Duly corrected!