Hugo Wilhelm Ludwig Kaun (21 March 1863 – 2 April 1932) was a German composer, conductor, and music teacher.

Biography

Kaun was born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Germany and completed his musical training in his native city. In 1886 (or 1887), he left Germany for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and settled in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, Wisconsin, which was home to a well-established German immigrant community. As the conductor of local

choral societies A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

, such as the Milwaukee Liederkranz and the Milwaukee Men's Choir, Kaun quickly acquired an important influence in the city's musical life. He also taught at the conservatory, where his colleagues included

Wilhelm Middelschulte Wilhelm Middelschulte (April 3, 1863, Werve, Kreis Hamm, now part of Kamen – May 4, 1943, Dortmund) was a German organist and composer who resided in America for most of his career. Life Middelschulte initially studied organ with August Knabe ...

. Kaun's eldest son,

Bernhard Kaun Bernhard Kaun (5 April 1899 – 3 January 1980) was an American composer and orchestrator. He is known for the ''Frankenstein'' (1931) theme. Filmography *'' Platinum Blonde'' (1931) *''Frankenstein'' (1931) *''What Price Hollywood?'' (1932) *' ...

, later became a composer of

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. At the turn of the century, Kaun returned to Germany and continued his teaching in Berlin. Although he received numerous lucrative offers of employment from abroad, these inducements could not persuade him to leave Berlin a second time. In 1912, he was appointed to the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts (German: ''Preußische Akademie der Künste'') was a state arts academy first established in Berlin, Brandenburg, in 1694/1696 by prince-elector Frederick III, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and late ...

. He chronicled his eventful life in his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

''Aus meinem Leben'' (''From My Life''). He died in Berlin.

Music

Kaun composed in a Romantic style for a wide range of genres, including

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

, symphonies, tone poems, pieces for solo organ and piano, as well as works for other combinations of instruments. His opera ''Der Fremde'' was first performed at the Dresden Hofoper (now the

Semperoper The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the ...

) on 23 February 1920, with a cast including

Richard Tauber Richard Tauber (16 May 1891 – 8 January 1948) was an Austrian tenor and film actor. Early life Richard Tauber was born in Linz, Austria, to Elisabeth Seifferth (née Denemy), a widow and an actress who played soubrette roles at the local theat ...

Elisabeth Rethberg Elisabeth Rethberg ( Lisbeth Sättler; 22 September 1894 – 6 June 1976) was a German operatic soprano singer who was active from the period of the First World War through the early 1940s. Early years Rethberg was born Lisbeth Sättler ...

and

Friedrich Plaschke Friedrich Plaschke (7 January 1875 – 4 February 1952) was a Czech operatic bass-baritone. From 1900 to 1937 he was a member of the Dresden Hofoper. He also appeared as a guest artist with companies in the United States, the Bayreuth Festival, ...

, conducted by

Fritz Reiner Frederick Martin "Fritz" Reiner (December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose t ...

. Notable students include composer

Fannie Charles Dillon Fannie Charles Dillon (March 16, 1881February 21, 1947) was an American pianist, music educator and composer. Life Fannie Charles Dillon was born in Denver, Colorado in 1881. She moved with her family to Long Beach, California in 1890. She stu ...

and pianist

Myrtle Elvyn Myrtle Elvyn (born circa 1887 — died February 1975), later Myrtle Elvyn-Bloch, was an American pianist and composer. Early life Myrtle Elvyn was born in Sherman, Texas and raised in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Edward Elvyn and Fannie M. G ...

Notable works

Operas

* ''Der Pietist'' ("The

Pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...

", or "Oliver Brown") (1885) * ''Sappho'', musical drama (1917) * ''Der Fremde'' (''The Stranger'', 1920) * ''Menandra'' (1927)

Orchestral

* Symphonies: ** Symphony No. 1 in D minor, "To My Fatherland", Op. 22 (1898) ** Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 85 (1908) ** Symphony No. 3 in E minor, Op. 96 (1913) * ''Vineta'',

symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ''T ...

, Op. 16 (1886) * ''The Painter of Antwerp'', Overture (1899) * ''Sir John

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

'', symphonic poem, Op. 60 (1904) * ''Märkische Suite'' for

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

, Op. 92 (1914) * ''Hanne Nüte'', Ouvertüre, Op. 107 (1918) * ''Juventuti et Patriae'', academic overture, Op. 126 (1930)

Concertos

Piano Concerto A piano concerto is a type of concerto, a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for a piano player, which is typically accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuoso showpiec ...

in B minor, WoO, withdrawn (1898) * Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat minor, Op. 50 (1901) * Piano concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 115 (1921) * ''Fantasiestück'' for violin and orchestra, op. 66. (1905)

Chamber music

Octet Octet may refer to: Music * Octet (music), ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or composition written for such an ensemble ** String octet, a piece of music written for eight string instruments *** Octet (Mendelssohn), 1825 compos ...

, Op. 34 *

Piano Trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of musi ...

No. 2, Op. 58 * Humoresques for piano, Op. 79 * Choralvorspiele for organ, Op. 89

References

External links

Hugo Kaun papers
in th
Music Division
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* 1863 births 1932 deaths 19th-century German male musicians 20th-century German conductors (music) 20th-century German male musicians German male classical composers German male conductors (music) German Romantic composers Pupils of Bernhard Ziehn {{Germany-conductor-stub