Otto Naumann (1871-1932)

[Wheesht]

Musik und Musiker am Mittelrhein looks like a rewarding website to spend time exploring. The second edition is an updated online version.

One of the entries is for Otto Naumann, whose cantata "Der Tod und die Mutter" was conducted by Franz Schreker at the Musikverein in Vienna on 5 March 1909.

Here's the translation of the MMM2 entry:

NAUMANN, OTTO (FÜRCHTEGOTT) * Berthelsdorf (Erzgebirge) 5 May 1871 | † Mainz-Mombach 6 Aug. 1932; conductor, composer
After his training at the Leipzig Conservatory (enrolment 1891) and further studies with Richard Strauss in Munich, Otto Naumann, the son of a pastor, initially worked as a music teacher and club conductor in Bremen before being appointed second and choirmaster at the municipal theatres in Posen (1900), Kiel (1901), Aachen (1902–03) and Riga (1904–06). In 1907, he applied for the position of music director at the University of Tübingen (where he was shortlisted along with Fritz →Volbach, Karl Hasse and Hermann →Zilcher) and for the position of conductor of the Mainzer Liedertafel, and also held negotiations in Stuttgart. On 2 January 1908, he was elected (from almost 100 applicants) as the director of the Mainzer Liedertafel (and thus as the successor to Volbach, who in turn took up the position in Tübingen) and held this position until 1930. On the one hand, Naumann continued the tradition of Handel performances begun by his predecessor 'with skill and a sure sense of style', but he also presented 'numerous modern choral works' (Fischer 1927, p. 983). He was also the conductor of the teachers' choral societies in Mainz (from 1910 at the latest) and Wiesbaden (from 1924, succeeding Fritz Zecch), as well as the federal choirmaster of the Hessian Singers' Association. He also continued his work as a music teacher in Mainz, where in 1922 he was appointed 'provisional singing teacher [...] to senior teacher at the Higher Girls' School and the Teachers' Seminar' (Hessisches Regierungsblatt (Supplement No. 8 ), 25 July 1922). He had been active as a composer since 1901 – several of his works, including the cantata Der Tod und die Mutter (1905), whose text was written by Naumann's mother, were performed at general German composers' festivals. Naumann was married to Rosa, née Hornung (b. 27 Jan. 1877).
Works: Prelude and Double Fugue in C sharp minor (1893, intended for performance at the Leipzig Conservatory); unpublished and lost <> Two Songs (1. 'Matt giesst der Mond vom Wolkensaum', 2. Maiwunder; Sst., Kl.) op. 1, Munich: Aibl [1898]; formerly D-B, D-Hhfmt, D-Hs (No. 2), D-Mbs <> Junker Übermuth. Ein Scherzo (gr. Orch.) op. 2 (UA Heidelberg 1901), Magdeburg: Heinrichshofen [1902]; D-B, D-KNh, US-PHf, US-STu <> Vier Lieder (1. Zuversicht, 2. Das Nest, 3. Es naht der Herbst, 4. Das Totenvöglein; Sst., Kl.) op. 3, ebd. [1908]; D-B, D-Dl <> Sternzauber (Sst., Kl.) op. 4 Nr. 1, in: Liedersammlung 2. Halbband, Leipzig: Verlag der Musikwoche (1905); D-DTbhm <> Vier Lieder ( 1. Hans the shoemaker, 2. Fulfillment, 3. Stormy night, 4. 'Already busy, dear goldsmith?'; Sst., Kl.) op. 5, Berlin: Dreililien [1908]; D-B <> Death and the Mother. Cantata (lyrics: Dora Naumann, freely adapted from Andersen; soli, choir, orchestra) op. 6 ('Dem Andenken unserer Grethel geweiht') (first performed in Graz in 1905, first revised version performed in Bremen in 1908), Berlin: Simrock [1907]; D-B (part., vn ), D-BMs (KlA., Part.), D-Dl (KlA., Part.), D-KNh (Part.) <> Four Songs (1. The Spinner, 2. The Peasant, 3. The Seamstress, 4. The Blacksmith; Sst., Kl.) op. 7, Berlin: Dre ililien [1908]; D-B <> Six Songs (1. Heilige Nacht, 2. An der Wiege, 3. Altes Lied, 4. Sonne und Kind, 5. Der Regen singt, 6. Regenhusch im Frühjahr; Sst., Kl.) op. 8, ibid. [1908]; D-B <> Bismarck. Ein Hymnus (Mch., Orch.) op. 9 (UA Wiesbaden 1909), Mainz: Schott [1908/09]; D-B (Part., KlA.), ehem. D-DS, US-Bp <> Nis Randers. Ballad (Mch., orch.) op. 10 (prem. Wiesbaden 1912), Leipzig: Kistner [1911]; CH-Bu, D-B (Part., KlA.) <> Die Handwerksburschen. Ballad(Sst., orch./kl.) op. 11, ibid. [1912]; D-B (both ed.), D-HEms <> Three Songs (1. Mutterglück, 2. Gondelliedchen, 3. Der erste Schritt; Sst., Kl.) op. 12, Cologne: Tischer & Jagenberg [1913]; D-B, D-Hs (Nr. 2) <> Wächterlied (Mch., Kl./Orch.) op. 13, Mainz: Schott [1913]; D-B <> Sonnwendspruch (Mch., Bläserorch.) op. 14, Leipzig: Kistner [1913]; D-B, D-SPlb <> Mantje Timpe Te. Märchenkomödie in 3 Akten (Text: Otto Ernst) op. 16 ('Meinem lieben Albert Naumann' gew.) (UA Dresden 1918), Mainz: Selbstverlag 1916; D-Bim (KlA.), D-Dl (Part., Chor-St. (digital), Orch.-St , KlA.), D-MZu, D-SWl (Part.), US-CAt (KlA.) – Libretto, ibid. 1916; D-B <> [4] Lore-Lieder (Sst., Kl.; Text: Ella Marx) op. 18 ("Familie Ludwig Marx in Mainz' ), Mainz: Ebling (in print) 1919; D-MZsch <> Christkönig (Sst., Kl./Org.), in: Lieder zu dem Festtage von einem Priester der Diözese Mainz, Mainz: Druckerei Lehrlingshaus 1926 <> Es sitzt der Spatz vor seinem Nest. A little song about the fourth interval (Mch.) op. 20, Leipzig: Eulenburg [1928]; D-B <> Grave Song (EA Wiesbaden 1932); unprinted and lost <> Arrangements: Georg Friedrich Händel, Samson in der Neugestaltung von Friedrich Chrysander (KlA.), [Mainz]: Verlag der Kaiserin Friedrich Stiftung (1909); D-B, D-Bdhm, D-BNms, D-Gs, D-Hhfmt, D-HVh D-Mbs, D-MZu, D-SWl, D-W, D-WIl, D-WRh, GB-Lbl – several further editions <> of the same text, Israel in Egypt in the new version by Friedrich Chrysander (KlA.), [Mainz]: Verlag der Kaiserin Friedrich Stiftung (1913); D-DT, D-MZu
Source material – registry office records Mainz <> address books Bremen <> letters, see Kalliope <> verification file (collection S1); D-DSsa <> Rosa Naumann's salary master card (collection G 35 E no. 16069); D-DSsa <> annual reports of the board of the Mainz Liedertafel and Ladies' Singing Society (esp. 19 07/08) <> Programme booklets for performances by the Kaiserin Friedrich Foundation 1909, 1913; D-MZsa <> List of first-time registrations at the Leipzig Conservatory 1883–1900 (list of the Sophie Drinker Institute) <> Neuer Theater-Almanach 1900–1906 <> MMB <> Musik alisches Wochenblatt 2 March 1893, 16 March 1893, 24 Oct. 1907, 16 Jan. 1908, 12 March 1908, 3 June 1909, 17 June 1909; Signale für die Musikalische Welt 10. Feb. 1900, 4 Feb. 1914, 20 May 1914, 20 May 1914, 20 Aug. 1918, 16 Oct. 1918, 25 Sept. 1929; Deutsche Kunst- und Musik-Zeitung 25 May 1 901; Die Lyra 1 May 1905; Wiesbadener Tagblatt 10 June 1905, 29 Sept. 1908, 26 Oct. 1908, 20 Mar. 1909, 22 Mar. 1909, 12 Apr. 1910, 3 Oct. 1912, 1 Dec. 1912; Wiesbadener Bade-Blatt 18 Oct. 1908, 25 Oct. 1908, 21 Mar. 1909, 3 May 1921, 28 Apr. 1922, 26 Feb. 1924, 27 February 1924, 9 April 1924, 18 April 1924, 19 November 1924, 22 November 1924, 21 March 1925, 24 March 1925, 10 December 1925, 12 Dec. 1925, 15 Dec. 1925, 13 Mar. 1926, 16 Mar. 1926, 16 Apr. 1929, 27 Sept. 1929, 28 Apr. 1931, 3 May 1931, 26 Nov. 1932, 29 Nov. 1932; Wiesbadener General-Anzeiger 24 Oct. 1908, 13 Mar. 1909, 20 Mar. 1909, 1 Nov. 1912, 6 June 1913; Wiesbadener ener Zeitung 19 April 1915, 15 November 1918; Hessisches Regierungsblatt 25 July 1922 (Supplement No. , 8 November 1932 (Suppl. No. 16); ZfM 12 May 1923, No. 5 (May) 192 4, No. 6 (June) 1925, No. 2 (Feb.) 1926, No. 7/8 (July/Aug.) 1926, No. 6 (June) 1927, No. 3 (March) 1928, No. 9 (Sept.) 1928, No. 1 (Jan.) 1930, No. 8 (Aug.) 1930, No. 11 (Nov.) 1930, No. 5 (May) 1931, No. 1 (Jan.) 1932 (J. L., Hundert Jahre Mainzer Liedertafel), No. 10 (Oct.) 1932; Flörsheimer Zeitung, 24 June June 1925; Darmstädter Tagblatt 11 Aug. 1932 (obituary), 23 Nov. 1932
Literature and reference works – Article Naumann, Otto, in: Frank/Altmann 121926 <> Ludwig Fischer, The 'Mainzer Liedertafel' and its conductor, in: Allgemeine Musikzeitung no. 39 (Mainz special edition) 30 Sept. 1927, p. 983 <> StiegerO <> Ulrich Nilles, Die Händelaufführungen in Mainz unter Fritz Volbach, in: MittAGm 47 (1983), pp. 261–277 <> Gabriela Rothmund-Gaul, Zwischen Taktstock und Hörsaal. The Office of University Music Director in Tübingen 1817–1952, Stuttgart/Weimar 1998, pp. 169–171
Illustration: Portrait of Naumann, in: Allgemeine Musikzeitung 30 Sept. 1927
Kristina Krämer

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for this - another composer to investigate.