Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag (abbreviated to Hofmeister) is a publisher of classical music, founded by Friedrich Hofmeister in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

in 1807. Early listings included composers

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

and

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

. Hofmeister was the first to publish Mahler's Second Symphony. Pedagogical works, such as a Violinenschule of

Hubert Ries Pieter Hubert Ries (1 April 1802 – 14 September 1886) was a German violinist and composer. Life and career Ries was born in Bonn, the son of Franz Anton Ries and younger brother of Ferdinand Ries; after studying with his father, Hubert stu ...

(1841), are still in use. The company sells sheet music internationally, including Asia and America.

History

Friedrich Hofmeister, born in 1787, first founded a music store in Leipzig in April, 1807. Early listings include composers

Luigi Cherubini Luigi Cherubini ( ; ; 8 or 14 SeptemberWillis, in Sadie (Ed.), p. 833 1760 – 15 March 1842) was an Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the gre ...

Franz Anton Hoffmeister Franz Anton Hoffmeister (12 May 1754 – 9 February 1812) was an Austrian composer and History of music publishing, music publisher. Early years Franz Anton Hoffmeister was born in Rottenburg am Neckar (Further Austria) on 12 May 1754. At ...

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his opera ...

Johann Nepomuk Hummel Johann Nepomuk Hummel (14 November 177817 October 1837) was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the Transition from Classical to Romantic music, transition from the Classical period (music), Classical to the Romantic ...

, John Field and

. In the early years, he published a balance of music by popular composers, pedagogical material, and young composers such as

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

, Chopin, Clara Wieck-Schumann and

Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

. Pedagogical volumes included a Gitarrenschule (guitar) by Johann Traugott Lehmann (1811); the Violinenschule (violin) of

(1841) is still in use, and several volumes of etudes published in the 19th century. Hofmeister's early publishing practices sometimes brought him into conflict with composers. In 1833 Berlioz objected to publication by Hofmeister of an unauthorized four-handed piano version of his Franc-Juges overture, saying "your arranger has butchered my score, clipped its wings, ... and sewn it back up again such that I find a ridiculous monster..." Although Hofmeister maintained friendly as well as professional relations with Liszt for many years, in 1839 his company published a pirated edition of twelve études by Liszt, which led to later disputes with the composer. After 1847, control of the company largely devolved onto Hofmeister's two sons, Adolph Moritz Hofmeister and Wilhelm Hofmeister. Hofmeister was one of four major publishers to disseminate the music of Gustav Mahler and the first to publish Mahler's Second Symphony. Hofmeister also published several songs in the early 20th century by composer

Eugen Haile Eugen Haile (February 21, 1873 – August 14, 1933) was a German-American composer, singer, and accompanist, primarily known for his songs."Haile, Eugen." ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians''. 8th ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 2001. In ...

. In the twentieth century, the company had various owners until its appropriation by

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

after World War II. It remains in operation today, with branches in Frankfurt and Leipzig. The company supports projects of regional importance, such as "Edition Denkmäler Mitteldeutscher Barockmusik". The collection of works by composers from Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt started with a Passion

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

as a

pasticcio In music, a ''pasticcio'' or ''pastiche'' is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, o ...

Altnickol Johann Christoph Altnickol, or Altnikol, (baptised 1 January 1720, buried 25 July 1759) was a German organist, bass singer, and composer. He was a student, copyist and son-in-law of Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography Altnikol was born in Berna bei ...

J. S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

, Graun,

Kuhnau Johann Kuhnau (; 6 April 16605 June 1722) was a German polymath, known primarily as a composer today. He was also active as a novelist, translator, lawyer, and music theorist, and was able to combine these activities with his duties in his offici ...

and

Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesh ...

in 1997, and includes

Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel (13 January 1690 in – 27 November 1749 in Gotha) was a prolific German composer of the Baroque era. Stölzel was an accomplished German stylist who wrote a good many of the poetic texts for his vocal works. Biogra ...

's Christmas cantatas (2007) and the Bockes-Passion (2011). Hofmeister kept the tradition of the publishing the works of new composers, including

Harald Banter Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardrad ...

Vytautas Barkauskas Vytautas Barkauskas (25 March 1931 – 25 April 2020) was a Lithuanian composer and Professor of Composition of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Life and career Barkauskas was born in Kaunas. He studied music at the Vilnius Con ...

Árni Egilsson Árni is an Icelandic given name of Old Norse () origin. Notable people with the name include: * Árni Gautur Arason (born 1975), Icelandic football goalkeeper * Árni Már Árnason (born 1987), Icelandic Olympic swimmer * Árni Páll Árnason ...

Elisenda Fábregas Elisenda Fábregas (born 1955 in Terrassa, Province of Barcelona, Spain) is a Spanish/American Composer. Biography Fábregas studied piano at the Conservatory of Barcelona until 1978. She came to the USA and studied for her bachelor's and maste ...

Christoph Förster Christoph Förster (30 November 1693 – 6 December 1745) was a German composer of the baroque period. Life Christoph Förster (spelled Johann Christoph Friedrich in his death register) was born in Bibra, Thuringia as the son of council tre ...

Bernd Franke Bernd Franke (born 12 February 1948) is a German former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Also an outfield player in his youth, young Bernd Franke made his steps towards the professional game following his impressiveness in the ranks of Sa ...

, Patrick Hagen,

Timo Jouko Herrmann Timo Jouko Herrmann (born September 22, 1978, in Heidelberg) is a German composer, musicologist and conductor. Biography Herrmann studied composition with Ulrich Leyendecker and musicology with Hermann Jung at the Hochschule für Musik und Dar ...

Walter Thomas Heyn Walter Thomas Heyn (born 14 November 1953) is a German guitarist, composer and music producer. Life Born in Görlitz, Heyn was initially musically self-taught. From the age of fourteen he played guitar and performed in singing clubs. From 1974 ...

, C. René Hirschfeld, Stephan König, Ralf Kubicek, Claus Kühnl, Martin Kürschner, Rainer Lischka, Rafael Lukjanik, Peter Mai,

Cecilia McDowall Cecilia McDowall (born 1951 in London, England) is a British composer, particularly known for her choral compositions. Life and career McDowall read music at the University of Edinburgh, continuing her studies at Trinity College of Music, Lond ...

, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Gisbert Näther, Loretta K. Notareschi,

Lorenzo Palomo Lorenzo Palomo (Ciudad Real, 1938) is a Spaniards, Spanish composer and conductor. He was chief conductor of the Valencia Orchestra, Valencia Symphony Orchestra, Spain, from 1973 to 1976 and conductor and pianist of the Deutsche Oper Berlin from ...

, Hannes Pohlit, Kateřina Růžičková,

Stefan Schäfer Stefan Schäfer (born 6 January 1986) is a German road and Track cycling, track cyclist. He competed in the individual pursuit and team pursuit event at the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Major results ;2003 : National Junior Road C ...

, Kurt Schwaen,

Siegfried Thiele Siegfried Thiele (born 28 March 1934) is a German composer. From 1990 to 1997 he was rector of the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig. Life Born in Chemnitz Thiele was born the son of a craftsman. Already at the age of twelve he created h ...

Karl Ottomar Treibmann Karl Ottomar Treibmann (14 January 1936 – 13 February 2017) was a German composer and music educator. From 1981 until his retirement in 2001, he was professor of music theory and at the Leipzig University. He was one of the representatives of ...

, Siegfried Tiefensee,

Graham Waterhouse Graham Waterhouse (born 2 November 1962) is an English composer and cellist who specializes in chamber music. He has composed a cello concerto, ''Three Pieces for Solo Cello'' and ''Variations for Cello Solo'' for his own instrument, and string ...

, and

Elsa Laura Wolzogen Elsa Laura Seemann von Mangern von Wolzogen (5 August 1876 – 25 April 1945) was a German composer, lute player, and singer. She was born and grew up in Dresden, where her family owned a guesthouse which entertained well-known artists and scholars ...

References

Literature

* Anita Punkt: ''Der Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag. Sein Profil in Geschichte und Gegenwart''. dissertation.de, Berlin 2007, (''Dissertation.de'' 1404)

External links

Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag
website, history

state of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag
muziekuitgevers.com
Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag
Music China 2010

the founder, in "The music of Gustav Mahler" {{Authority control Hofmeister Hofmeister Mass media in Leipzig German companies established in 1807 Publishing companies established in 1807