August Högn (2 August 187813 December 1961) was a German

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

Biography

August Högn was born on 2 August 1878, the middle of five children to married bookbinders Andreas and Helene Högn in

Deggendorf Deggendorf () is a town in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the Deggendorf district. It is located on the left bank approximately in the middle between the Danube cities of Regensburg and Passau. The Danube forms the town's natural border towards th ...

. Like all children of the later municipality authorities, county commissioners and legislative representatives, Andreas taught August piano. He continued his studies and trained to teach at the prep school in Deggendorf (1891–1894) and at the teaching school in Straubing (1894–1896). As a young teacher he was placed in many locations (

, Neukirchen (Niederbayern),Schaufling, Geratskirchen, Zeilarn, Wallersdorf, Eberhardsreuth). On 20 June 1904 Högn married Emme Gerstl in

Wallersdorf Wallersdorf is a market town and municipality in the district of Dingolfing-Landau in Bavaria in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country ...

. From this marriage came two children (Elfriede, 14 August 1906; August, 17 January 1912). Högn was sent to Ruhmannsfelden, where he remained until his death. In his first years there he made a name for himself as dean of the gymnastics club (21 May 1910 – 27 December 1913), secretary of the Ruhmannsfelden volunteer fire dept. (26 December 1910 – 26 December 1950), and parish clerk for the neighboring Zachenberg (1913–1920). Högn's wife Emma died 26 June 1926. Following this Högn hired his housekeeper Rosa Beischmied, who lived and worked with him until his death. In the

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Högn was bound to political events as "community section leader," "subgroup leader," and commissioner for "Protector of Common Property". (Volksgut meaning the national cultural treasures that are poetry, stories, music etc..) Högn supposedly maintained good relations with his son-in-law, Karl Schlumprecht, who was the mayor of the city of

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

and a member of the National-Socialist party. One should not underestimate the influence this relationship may have had on his political views during the time of Third Reich. Högn was suspended in 1945 as a result of the

nazification The Nazi term () or "coordination" was the process of Nazification by which Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party successively established a system of totalitarian control and coordination over all aspects of German society and societies occupied b ...

of teaching. He held various positions of headmaster at the school since 1921. After a short teaching stint in 1947 he retired. Högn suffered from a stroke in 1953 and was partially paralyzed. He died on 13 December 1961 in Ruhmannsfelden and was buried on 15 December in Deggendorf. From 1926-1929 newspaper articles from Högn on local history were published. In his retirement he published three large essays regarding local history, (“History of Ruhmannsfelden” 1949, “History and Chronicles of the Ruhmannsfelden Volunteer Fire Department” 1951, and “Local History of the Zachenberg Community” 1953.) In 1919 Högn engaged himself as singing and orchestral director of the Ruhmannsfelden gymnastics club. The musical comedy “The Holledauer Fidel” from Erhard Kutschenreuter was performed under his direction, being the largest and most successful offering of the gymnastics club. From the ages of 20 to 76, Högn was active as singer, organist and choir leader of multiple church choirs in the

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

and

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

dioceses. In Ruhmannsfelden he operated most notably for 43 years as organist and in three phases as choir leader (1921–24, 1927–29, and 1940–53). His numerous religious works, including three Mass songs and thirteen Marienlieder predominantly originate from his time as choir director in Ruhmannsfelden. His first composition (Veni creator spiritus B-Dur) originates from 1898, and his final in 1960 (Marienlied Nr.13 Es-Dur). In 1905 his march ''

In Treue fest ''In Treue fest'' (German for " steadfast in loyalty; firm in fidelity") was the motto of the Kingdom of Bavaria (1805–1918) and of its Wittelsbach rulers, after the end of World War I used by Bavarian monarchists. The motto originates a ...

'' was published.

Works

Compositions

Religious music

Secular music

* Marsch "In Treue fest!" D-Dur (Klavier) (Neuausgabe) * Weihegesang Es-Dur (fragmentarisch) (4-st. gem. Chor, Blechbläserquartett) * Lied von Gotteszell G-Dur op. 42 (Arrangement) (4-st. Männerchor)

Historical works

* Geschichte von Ruhmannsfelden (Ausgabe 2003) * Geschichte von Zachenberg (August Högn / Anton Trellinger) (Ausgabe 2003) * Geschichte der Freiwilligen Feuerwehr Ruhmannsfelden (Ausgabe 2003) * heimatkundliche Zeitungsartikel: (Ausgabe 2003) **"Durch Gäu und Wald", Beilage zum Deggendorfer Donauboten, 6. November 1926 - "Geschichtliches vom Markt Ruhmannsfelden: Der Name "Ruhmannsfelden"; Die Bezeichnung "Markt"" **"Durch Gäu und Wald", Beilage zum Deggendorfer Donauboten, 15. Dezember 1926 - "Geschichtliches vom Markt Ruhmannsfelden: Das Wappen von Ruhmannsfelden; Schloss und Schlossberg Ruhmannsfelden" **"Durch Gäu und Wald", Beilage zum Deggendorfer Donauboten, 20. August 1927 - "Geschichtliches vom Markt Ruhmannsfelden: Von der Schule in Ruhmannsfelden in früherer Zeit bis 1835" **"Geschichtliches vom Markt Ruhmannsfelden: Von der Schule in Ruhmannsfelden ab 1835" (Quelle aus der Chronik der Volksschule Ruhmannsfelden, vermutlich Abschrift eines Zeitungsartikels von Högn) **"Durch Gäu und Wald", Beilage zum Deggendorfer Donauboten, Nr. 23 / 1927 "Das Wallfahrtskirchlein Osterbrünnl bei Ruhmannsfelden" **"Durch Gäu und Wald", Beilage zum Deggendorfer Donauboten, Nr. 2 / 1928 - "Das Wallfahrtskirchlein Osterbrünnlein bei Ruhmannsfelden" ** Viechtacher Tagblatt, 9. September 1928 - "Was Ruhmannsfelden für Jubiläen feiern könnte?" ** Viechtacher Tagblatt, 25. Oktober 1928 - "Wie hat es um Ruhmannsfelden herum ausgesehen vor seiner Entstehung?" ** Viechtacher Tagblatt, 1928/29 - "Pfarrkirche St. Laurentius Ruhmannsfelden" (in drei Artikeln erschienen)

Recordings

Josephi-Messe F-Dur op. 62 (Kirchenchor Ruhmannsfelden, Kirchenchor Gotteszell, Leitung: Josef Friedrich) * * * * * * Laurentius-Messe C-Dur op. 14 (Kirchenchor Ruhmannsfelden, Brassoholics (Leitung: Andreas Stich), Gesamtleitung: August Lankes * * * * * selected works * * * * * * * *

Interviews with coevals

* Interview with Wilhelm Ederer, Aug. 2002 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Interview mit Lilo Leuze, 14.1.2005 *

Literature

* Josef Friedrich: ''Der ''Mozart'' von Ruhmannsfelden - Leben und Werk des Schulrektors, Heimatforschers und Komponisten August Högn (1878 - 1961)''. Verlag Karl Stutz, Passau 2007, * Josef Friedrich: ''"Der Mozart von Ruhmannsfelden!" - Leben und Werk des Ruhmannsfeldener Schulrektors, Heimatforschers und Komponisten August Högn (1878 - 1961)'', Zulassungsarbeit zur ersten Staatsprüfung für das Lehramt an Gymnasien, eingereicht bei Prof. Dr. Siegfried Mauser im Fach historische Musikwissenschaft, Ruhmannsfelden, München, April 2005

External links

Website about life and works of August Högn

all compositions of August Högn on IMSLP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hogn, August 1878 births 1961 deaths German composers 20th-century German historians Heads of schools in Germany German conductors (music) German male conductors (music) People from Deggendorf People from Regen (district) German male non-fiction writers