![Julius Stern](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Julius_Stern.jpg)
Julius Stern (8 August 1820 – 27 February 1883) was a Jewish German musical pedagogue and composer.
Biography
Stern was born at
Breslau. He received his elementary education in music from the violinist
Peter Lüstner, and at the age of nine played at concerts. In 1832 his parents removed to Berlin, where Stern studied first under
Ludwig Wilhelm Maurer,
Moritz Ganz, and , and later under
Rungenhagen at the
Königliche Akademie der Künste. As a result of several compositions which he had written while a pupil of the academy, King
Frederick William IV of Prussia
Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...
, who was an ardent lover of art, granted Stern a stipend which enabled him to pursue his studies. He went to
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
, where he received instruction from
Johann Aloys Miksch; and thence to Paris, where he subsequently was appointed leader of the Deutscher Gesangverein Society. While in the latter city he conducted, among other works, the
incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...
by
Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...
to
Sophocles
Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or co ...
' ''
Antigone
In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...
''.
[Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954, Vol. VIII, p. 81]
In 1846 Stern returned to Berlin, where, in the following year, he founded the Stern Gesangverein. The first performance of Mendelssohn's oratorio ''
Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books of ...
'' (October 1847) established Stern's reputation as one of the foremost conductors of his day, and his choir constantly increased in size and efficiency, so that the repertoire of the society soon embraced not only the standard works of
Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
,
Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
, and
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 ...
, but also those of contemporary composers. In 1872 the Gesangverein celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary amid great enthusiasm; two years later Stern was compelled to resign his directorship on account of ill health.
Of even greater importance for the development of music was the
Stern Conservatory The Stern Conservatory (''Stern'sches Konservatorium'') was a private music school in Berlin with many distinguished tutors and alumni. The school is now part of Berlin University of the Arts.
History
It was founded in 1850 as the ''Berliner Musi ...
, founded conjointly in 1850 by Stern,
Theodor Kullak
Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor.
List of people with the given name Theodor
* Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher
* Theodor Aman, Romanian painter
* Theodor Blueger, ...
and
Adolf Bernhard Marx
Friedrich Heinrich Adolf Bernhard Marx . B. Marx(15 May 1795, Halle – 17 May 1866, Berlin) was a German music theorist, critic, and musicologist.
Life
Marx was the son of a Jewish doctor in Halle who, though a member of the congregation, was ...
. On the resignation of Kullak in 1855, and of Marx in 1857, Stern became sole proprietor of the institution, which he managed until his death. From 1869 to 1871 he conducted the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, and from 1873 to 1874 the concerts in the
Reichshalle, where he found an opportunity of carrying out his favorite idea of bringing the works of talented young musicians before the public. In 1849 he received the title of "Royal Musical Director," and in 1860 that of "Professor."
Stern died at Berlin in 1883, aged 62.
References
Bibliography
*Richard Stern, Erinnerungsblätter an Julius Stern, Berlin, 1886;
*Mendel, Musikalisches Konversations-Lexikon;
*Riemann, Musik-Lexikon;
*Meyers Konversations-Lexikon.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Julius
1820 births
1883 deaths
German Romantic composers
Jewish musicians
19th-century German Jews
Musicians from Wrocław
People from the Province of Silesia
19th-century classical composers
German male classical composers
19th-century German composers
19th-century German male musicians