Jan Meyerowitz (23 April 1913 – 15 December 1998) was a German–American composer, conductor, pianist and writer.

Life

Meyerowitz was born Hans-Hermann Meyerowitz in Breslau (today

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

), the son of a manufacturer. From 1927, he studied in Berlin with

Walter Gmeindl Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

and

Alexander von Zemlinsky Alexander Zemlinsky or Alexander von Zemlinsky (14 October 1871 – 15 March 1942) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher. Biography Early life Zemlinsky was born in Vienna to a highly diverse family. Zemlinsky's grandfather, Anton S ...

. In 1933, he was forced to leave Germany because he was Jewish and continue his education in Rome with

Ottorino Respighi Ottorino Respighi ( , , ; 9 July 187918 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. List of compositions by Ottorino Respighi, His compositions r ...

Alfredo Casella Alfredo Casella (25 July 18835 March 1947) was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor. Life and career Casella was born in Turin, the son of Maria (née Bordino) and Carlo Casella. His family included many musicians: his grandfather, a f ...

and the conductor

Bernardino Molinari Bernardino Molinari (11 April 1880 – 25 December 1952) was an Italian conductor. Molinari studied under Renzi and Falchi at the Accademia (then "Liceo Musicale") of Santa Cecilia in his home town of Rome. In 1912, he was appointed artisti ...

. In 1938, he moved to Belgium and in 1939 to the South of France, where he made contact with the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. His future wife, the singer Marguerite Fricker, helped him in Marseille to survive the

Nazi occupation of France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

. In 1946 Meyerowitz emigrated to the U.S. and became an assistant to

Boris Goldovsky Boris Goldovsky (Борис Анисимович Голдовский; June 7, 1908 - February 15, 2001) was a Russian Empire-born conductor and broadcast commentator, active in the United States. He has been called an important "popularizer" of op ...

, director of the opera program at

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937. Tanglewood is also home to three music schools: the T ...

. In 1951 he became an American citizen. Meyerowitz taught at

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

(1956–1962) and at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

. In 1956 Meyerowitz was awarded the first of two

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

s. After his retirement, he returned to France where he died in

Colmar Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is ...

Selected works

Compositions

Stage works

* ''Simoon'' (1949). Opera in one act.

Libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Peter John Stephens Peter John Stephens (31 July 1912 in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire – 11 June 2002) was a writer of historical fiction books for teens and three children’s books. He was also a poet, a lyricist for operas and musicals, and a playwrig ...

(after

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

). Premiere 2 August 1949 Tanglewood / Massachusetts * ''The Barrier'' (''Die Schranke'' or ''The Mulatto'', ''Il Mulatto''; 1949). Opera in 2 acts. Libretto:

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

. Premiere 18 January 1950 New York (Columbia University) * ''Emily Dickinson'' (earlier: ''Eastward in Eden''; 1951). opera in 4 acts. Libretto: Dorothy Gardner. Premiere 16 November 1951 Detroit) ** 2. acts as separate pieces: ''The Meeting''. UA 16. September 1955 Falmouth / Massachusetts * ''Bad Boys in School'' (1952). opera-farce in one act. Libretto: Jan Meyerowitz (after

Johann Nestroy Johann Nepomuk Eduard Ambrosius Nestroy (; 7 December 1801 – 25 May 1862) was a singer, actor and playwright in the popular Austrian tradition of the Biedermeier period and its immediate aftermath. He participated in the 1848 revolutions an ...

). Premiere 17 August 1953 Tanglewood / Massachusetts * ''

Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

'' (1957–60). Opera in one act. Libretto: Langston Hughes. Premiere 4 August 1960 Tanglewood / Massachusetts * ''Godfather Death'' (1960/61). Chamber opera in 3 acts. Libretto: Peter John Stephens. Premiere 1 June 1961 New York * ''Die Winterballade oder Die Doppelgängerin'' (1966/67). Opera in 3 Acts. Libretto: Jan Meyerowitz (after

Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into his work as well. He recei ...

). Premiere 29 January 1967

Staatsoper Hannover Hanover State Opera (german: Staatsoper Hannover) is an opera company in Hanover, the state capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. The company is resident in the Hanover Opera House (), and is part of a publicly-funded umbrella performing arts organ ...

; Conductor: Reinhard Petersen

Vocal compositions

* ''The Five Foolish Virgins''. Cantata * ''The Story of Ruth'' for coloratura and piano * ''Missa Rachel Plorans'' (1954). mass for choir a cappella * ''The Glory Around His Head'' (1955). Easter cantata for middle voices, 4-voice mixed choir and piano. Libretto:

* ''How Godly Is the House of God'' for 4-voice mixed choir and piano. Libretto: Langston Hughes * ''

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...

Cantata''. Libretto: Dorothy Gardner * ''New Plymouth Cantata'' for soloist, 4-voice mixed choir and piano. Libretto: Dorothy Gardner * ''Hérodiade''. Text:

Stéphane Mallarmé Stéphane Mallarmé ( , ; 18 March 1842 – 9 September 1898), pen name of Étienne Mallarmé, was a French poet and critic. He was a major French symbolist poet, and his work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools of ...

* ''Arvit Shir hadash l'shabbat'' (''Ein neues Lied für den Sabbat''). premiere 1962 New York (

Park Avenue Synagogue The Park Avenue Synagogue ( he, אגודת ישרים, ''Agudat Yesharim'', The Association of the Righteous) is a Conservative Jewish congregation located at 50 East 87th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1882 ...

; Cantor: David Putterman) * ''Hebrew Service'' (1962) * ''Fünf Geistliche Lieder'' (1963) for bass and orchestra ( 2.2.2.2 – 4.2.3.1 – harp – timpani, percussion – strings) * Other cantatas, songs and song cycles with lyrics

E. E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...

, Robert Herrick,

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculo ...

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he starte ...

and others

Orchestral works

* ''Midrash Esther'' (1954). symphony. premiere 1957 New York (

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

, Conductor:

Dimitri Mitropoulos Dimitri Mitropoulos ( el, Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος; The dates 18 February 1896 and 1 March 1896 both appear in the literature. Many of Mitropoulos's early interviews and program notes gave 18 February. In his later interviews, howe ...

) * ''Flemish Overture'' (1959) for orchestra (3.3.3.3 – 4.3.3.1 – harp – percussion – strings) * ''Oboenkonzert'' (1962; orchestra: 2.0.2.2 – 4.2.2.0 – harp – timpani, percussion – strings) * ''Flötenkonzert'' * ''Four Movements for Wind Symphony'' (1974) * ''Four Romantic Pieces for Concert Band'' (1978) * ''Three Comments on War'' for Concert Band (1964)

Chamber music

* ''Streichquartett'' (1936–55) * Sonata for violine and violoncello * ''Short Suite'' for Brass (3.3.2.1)

Writings

* ''Arnold Schönberg''. Berlin (Colloquium) 1967 (Köpfe des 20. Jahrhunderts, volume 47) * ''Der echte jüdische Witz''. Berlin (Colloquium) 1971. re-issue: Berlin (arani) 1997.

Bibliography

* Hans-Jürgen Winterhoff and

Helmut Loos Helmut Loos (born 5 July 1950) is a German musicologist and emeritus scholar. Life Born in Niederkrüchten, Loos studied music education from 1971 to 1974 and musicology, art history and philosophy from 1974 to 1980 at the University of B ...

(edits.): ''Fünf schlesische Komponisten des 20–Jahrhunderts''. Ernst August Voelkel (1886–1960), Fritz Lubrich (1888–1971), Edmund von Borck (1906–1944), Jan Meyerowitz, Martin Christoph Redel (born 1947). Bonn (Schröder) 1994 (Deutsche Musik im Osten, volume 4).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyerowitz, Jan Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to France Musicians from Wrocław American male composers American male conductors (music) 1913 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American composers 20th-century American pianists American male pianists 20th-century American male musicians Brooklyn College faculty Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States