Gustav Hinrichs
Encyclopedia
Gustav Ludwig Wilhelm HinrichsNot to be confused with Gustav Dethlef Hinrichs
, a noted scientist of the 19th century, or Gustav Hinrichs, of Berlin, a German historian and classicist who collaborated with the Brothers Grimm in addition to many of his own writings.http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3A%22Hinrichs%2C+Gustav%2C%22&qt=hot_author (later Anglicized to Hinricks) (10 December 1850 - 26 March 1942) was a German-born
American conductor
and composer
. He immigrated to the United states at the age of twenty, conducting opera in San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia where he founded his own opera company. His compositions include an opera and an accompanying score to the 1925 silent film The Phantom of the Opera
.
near Ludwigslust
, Germany
to August Hinrichs and Sophie neé Havekoss. He studied music, first with his father, and later with Marxsen in Hamburg
. At the age of fifteen he started studying conducting. By the age of twenty he was sufficiently accomplished to obtain a position as a conductor in the United States. Leaving from Hamburg
via Le Havre
, he arrived in the United States on the Silesia on 4 April 1870. In San Francisco he taught music and conducted the Fabbri Opera and served as the music director of the Tivoli Opera House. One of the operas he directed there was The Prince of Pilsen by Henry W. Savage. In 1881 he founded the San Francisco Philharmonic Society, precursor of the San Francisco Symphony
. His conducting of the newly established orchestra played to mixed reviews. While in San Francisco he conducted the Grand Military Band at the Authors' Carnival given for the Associated Charities of San Francisco, October 18 to October 28, 1880.
In 1885, he moved to New York where he became assistant conductor of the American Opera Company
under director Theodore Thomas.
In 1888, he founded the Gustav Hinrichs Opera Company in Philadelphia
which survived for ten seasons. On 28 July 1890, he produced and conducted the première of his own opera, Onti-Ora. He also conducted the American premières of Cavalleria rusticana
(9 Sept. 1891), L'amico Fritz
(8 June 1892), Les Pêcheurs de perles
(1893) and Manon Lescaut
(29 Aug. 1894). He conducted the première American performance of I Pagliacci in New York on 15 June 1893. He also conducted Hänsel und Gretel in Philadelphia
He moved back to New York where he conducted and held a professorship at Columbia University
from 1895 to 1906 and taught at the National Conservatory
. He conducted at the Metropolitan Opera
for several seasons from 1899 to 1904 conducting Faust
(19 Oct. 1899) at the house and Il Barbiere di Siviglia (14 Oct. 1899) while the Met was on tour in Syracuse, New York
.
From October 11 to October 16, 1909 he conducted La Loie Fuller and the Muses
at the National Theatre, Washington, D.C.
Hinrichs translated Boccaccio, by Franz von Suppé
, into English.
Hinrichs was a very active arranger, orchestrating a large number of songs and other works by Rudolf Friml
, Bizet, Gounod and others.
. Gustav Hinrichs died in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey
on 26 March 1942.
Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs
Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs was a chemist who published his findings on periodic laws within the chemical elements well before Dmitri Mendeleev or Lothar Meyer.-Life:...
, a noted scientist of the 19th century, or Gustav Hinrichs, of Berlin, a German historian and classicist who collaborated with the Brothers Grimm in addition to many of his own writings.http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3A%22Hinrichs%2C+Gustav%2C%22&qt=hot_author (later Anglicized to Hinricks) (10 December 1850 - 26 March 1942) was a German-born
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
American conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He immigrated to the United states at the age of twenty, conducting opera in San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia where he founded his own opera company. His compositions include an opera and an accompanying score to the 1925 silent film The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)
The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel of the same title directed by Rupert Julian. The film featured Lon Chaney in the title role as the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to force...
.
Career
Gustav Hinrichs was born in GrabowGrabow
Grabow is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Elde, 7 km southeast of Ludwigslust, and 34 km northwest of Wittenberge.-History:...
near Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. It was the capital of the former district of Ludwigslust, and is part of the district Ludwigslust-Parchim since September 2011.-History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to August Hinrichs and Sophie neé Havekoss. He studied music, first with his father, and later with Marxsen in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. At the age of fifteen he started studying conducting. By the age of twenty he was sufficiently accomplished to obtain a position as a conductor in the United States. Leaving from Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
via Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, he arrived in the United States on the Silesia on 4 April 1870. In San Francisco he taught music and conducted the Fabbri Opera and served as the music director of the Tivoli Opera House. One of the operas he directed there was The Prince of Pilsen by Henry W. Savage. In 1881 he founded the San Francisco Philharmonic Society, precursor of the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
. His conducting of the newly established orchestra played to mixed reviews. While in San Francisco he conducted the Grand Military Band at the Authors' Carnival given for the Associated Charities of San Francisco, October 18 to October 28, 1880.
In 1885, he moved to New York where he became assistant conductor of the American Opera Company
American Opera Company
The American Opera Company was the name of four different opera companies active in the United States. The first company was a short-lived opera company founded in New York City in February, 1886 that lasted only one season...
under director Theodore Thomas.
In 1888, he founded the Gustav Hinrichs Opera Company in Philadelphia
Music of Philadelphia
The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is home to a vibrant and well-documented musical heritage, stretching back to colonial times. Innovations in classical music, opera, R&B, jazz and soul have earned the music of Philadelphia national and international renown...
which survived for ten seasons. On 28 July 1890, he produced and conducted the première of his own opera, Onti-Ora. He also conducted the American premières of Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
(9 Sept. 1891), L'amico Fritz
L'amico Fritz
L'amico Fritz is an opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni, premiered in 1891 from a libretto by P. Suardon , based on the French novel L'ami Fritz by Émile Erckmann and Pierre-Alexandre Chatrian.While the opera enjoyed some success in its day and is probably Mascagni's most famous work after...
(8 June 1892), Les Pêcheurs de perles
Les pêcheurs de perles
Les pêcheurs de perles is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was first performed on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in its initial run...
(1893) and Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut is a short novel by French author Abbé Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité . It was controversial in its time and was banned in France upon publication...
(29 Aug. 1894). He conducted the première American performance of I Pagliacci in New York on 15 June 1893. He also conducted Hänsel und Gretel in Philadelphia
He moved back to New York where he conducted and held a professorship at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
from 1895 to 1906 and taught at the National Conservatory
National Conservatory
National Conservatory may refer to:* National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts of Paris* National Conservatoire * National Conservatory of Music...
. He conducted at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
for several seasons from 1899 to 1904 conducting Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
(19 Oct. 1899) at the house and Il Barbiere di Siviglia (14 Oct. 1899) while the Met was on tour in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
.
From October 11 to October 16, 1909 he conducted La Loie Fuller and the Muses
Loie Fuller
Loie Fuller Loie Fuller Loie Fuller (also Loïe Fuller; (January 15, 1862 – January 1, 1928) was a pioneer of both modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques.-Career:...
at the National Theatre, Washington, D.C.
National Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
The National Theatre is located in Washington, D.C., and is a venue for a variety of live stage productions with seating for 1,676.Despite its name, it is not a governmentally funded national theatre, but operated by a private, non-profit organization....
Hinrichs translated Boccaccio, by Franz von Suppé
Franz von Suppé
Franz von Suppé or Francesco Suppé Demelli was an Austrian composer of light operas who was born in what is now Croatia during the time his father was working in this outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
, into English.
Hinrichs was a very active arranger, orchestrating a large number of songs and other works by Rudolf Friml
Rudolf Friml
Rudolf Friml was a composer of operettas, musicals, songs and piano pieces, as well as a pianist. After musical training and a brief performing career in his native Prague, Friml moved to the United States, where he became a composer...
, Bizet, Gounod and others.
Compositions
In addition to his opera, Hinrichs wrote an orchestral accompniment to the 1925 silent film The Phantom of the Opera. The score was not ready for the première but was completed in time for its general release. He also wrote a symphonic suite and several compositions for voice.Family
Hinrichs was married to the soprano Katherine Fleming (b. Texarkana, Miller County, Arkansas, 27 Jan. 1870 - 10 Jul. 1939) in 1897. Twin girls, Irene Fleming and Julia Gustava, were born on 1 June 1899. His brothers Julius and August were a cellist and violinist respectively and both lived and played in San Francisco. August was the leader of the Ye Liberty Playhouse orchestra in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. Gustav Hinrichs died in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey
Mountain Lakes, New Jersey
Mountain Lakes is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 4,256....
on 26 March 1942.
Further reading
- June C. Ottenberg (2003) Gustav Hinrichs (1850-1942): American Conductor and Composer, Harmonie Park Press ISBN 0-89990-117-4
- Opera Quarterly Volume15, Issue2 pp. 196–223, "Gustav Hinrichs and Opera in Philadelphia, 1888—1896"
- New York Times (May 22, 1893) "FUSS IN MR. HINRICHS'S BIRDCAGE.; Some of His Songsters Got Favorable Notices and Others Couldn't." http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50715FB3F5515738DDDAB0A94DD405B8385F0D3
- New York Times (Dec. 27, 1905) "MANY APPLY FOR PLACES But Church Choir Singers Are Turned Away" http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10A13F8345913738DDDAE0A94DA415B858CF1D3