Hans Müller-Kray (13 October 1908 – 30 May 1969) was a German conductor,

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

and academic teacher.

Life and career

Hans Müller was born in Essen-Kray. He grew up as the youngest of 14 children of the mining foreman Karl Müller, who from 1882 until his death in July 1937 was the leader of the local miners' music corps (''Knappenmusikkorps''). Müller learned to play the piano and cello while still at school. After completing primary school and grammar school, he first turned to commercial training, but then studied music at the

Folkwangschule The Folkwang University of the Arts is a university for music, theater, dance, design, and academic studies, located in four German cities of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 1927, its traditional main location has been in the former Werden Abbey in E ...

. He passed the final examination as a state-certified music teacher. He worked as a choral conductor and pianist, touring the world as an accompanist. He directed choirs in Essen-Werden and Essen-Steele. He was

Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

at the Stadttheater Essen, the municipal opera of

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...

from 1932. In the 1933/34 season, he was the pianist of the ballet ''Der Grüne Tisch'', worked with Kurt Jooss, also on a tour in Germany and other countries. From 1934 to 1941, he was Kapellmeister at the

Theater Münster Theater Münster (formerly: Städtische Bühnen Münster) is a municipal theatre in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, for plays and music theatre (opera, operetta, musical, ballet). When it opened in 1956 it was regarded as the first ne ...

. He became Kapellmeister of the Reichssender Frankfurt broadcaster on 15 May 1942. After World War II, he was Kapellmeister at the

Staatstheater Wiesbaden The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden ('Hessian State Theatre Wiesbaden') is a German theatre located in Wiesbaden, in the German state Hesse. The company produces operas, plays, ballets, musicals and concerts on four stages. Known also as the ...

from 1945 to 1948. In 1948, he was appointed by the Office of Military Government, United States as head of the main music department and at the same time chief conductor of the

Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: ''Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR'') was a German radio orchestra based in Stuttgart in Germany. History The ensemble was founded in 1945 by American occupation authorities as the orchest ...

of Süddeutscher Rundfunk. He worked in this double function until his death, with the title Generalmusikdirektor from 1951. He cultivated the broad symphonic repertoire, including

contemporary music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included serial ...

which had been suppressed under the Nazi regime. He also conducted opera, including over 30 complete recordings. He changed his surname to Müller-Kray officially on 22 June 1955. He taught at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart from 1958, appointed professor in 1961. Müller-Kray died at his workplace in the Stuttgart Funkhaus of sudden heart failure at the age of 60. His grave is in the cemetery of

Steinenbronn Steinenbronn is a town in the district of Böblingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The district has one public school and five kindergartens. The east side is industrial while the west side of the town is rather urban. Geography Steinenbron ...

Recordings

Müller-Kray conducted in 1951 the first complete recording of Schumann's opera '' Genoveva'' with the forces of the Staatsoper Stuttgart, including

Friederike Sailer Friederike Sailer (20 February 1920 – June 1994) was a German soprano in opera and concert. She was a member of the Stuttgart Opera, later a voice teacher at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart. She performed at International festivals and recorded wit ...

in the title role. The same year, he conducted a radio production of Verdi's ''

Ernani ''Ernani'' is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1830 play ''Hernani (drama), Hernani'' by Victor Hugo. Verdi was commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice in V ...

''. He led several recordings with the tenor Fritz Wunderlich, including Cherubini's '' Der Wasserträger''.

References

External links

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Der Spiegel der Prinzessin. Ballett von Hans Müller-Kray
deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de {{DEFAULTSORT:MullerKray, Hans 20th-century German conductors (music) 1908 births 1969 deaths Musicians from Essen

Life and career

Recordings

Further reading

References

External links