Max Schönherr (23 November 190313 December 1984) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n composer, arranger and conductor.

Biography

Born in

Maribor Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...

, Schönherr studied in

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

under Roderich Mojsisovics von Mojsvar and was a composer of light orchestral music in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. He died in

Baden bei Wien Baden (German for " Baths"; Central Bavarian: ''Bodn''), unofficially distinguished from other Badens as Baden bei Wien (Baden near Vienna), is a spa town in Austria. It serves as the capital of Baden District in the state of Lower Austria. Loc ...

. Outside his native country, Schönherr was best known for his ''Austrian Peasant Dances Op. 14'', which became widely popular internationally. His other compositions include a ''Concertino for Piano and small Orchestra'', ''Festive Musical for Piano and small Orchestra'', ''Dances of Salzburg'' for small or salon orchestra, ''Perpetual Motion Op. 29", ''Das Trünkene Mucklein'', and the ballet ''Hotel Sacher''. Modern recordings of his work are limited to two CDs, conducted by Manfred Müssauer with the Donau Philharmonie Wien and released in 2006-7; as well as a 2-CD Introduction to his work on the Orf (Liebermann) label, consisting of older recordings. There are also a number of examples of Schönherr's work as a conductor available on disc. Older records include a 78rpm recording (

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

C. 2905) from the late 1940s entitled ''Austrian Peasant Dances'', which has Schönherr as the arranger: the conductor is

Walter Goehr Walter Goehr (; 28 May 19034 December 1960) was a German composer and conductor. Biography Goehr was born in Berlin, where he studied with Arnold Schoenberg and embarked on a conducting career, before being forced as a Jew to seek employment outsi ...

and the orchestra is listed generically as ''Symphony Orchestra''. A well-known 1963 LP from

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

(

Dynagroove Dynagroove is a recording process introduced in 1963 by RCA Victor that, for the first time, used analog computers to modify the audio signal used to produce master discs for LPs. The intent was to boost bass on quiet passages, and reduce t ...

LSC-2677) featuring

Arthur Fiedler Arthur Fiedler (December 17, 1894 – July 10, 1979) was an American conductor known for his association with both the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one o ...

and the

Boston Pops Orchestra The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...

entitled ''Concert in the Park'', features a Wedding March not found on HMV C. 2905; whilst that recording contains two dances not recorded on the RCA LP. The most extended recording was by Henry Krips and the

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, W ...

, recorded in 1958, comprising ''Hochzeitsmarsch aus Ebensee'', ''Schuhplattler'', ''Gugga Polka'', ''Salzburger Schustertanz'', ''Gstrampfter'', ''Polsterltanz aus Ischl'', ''Sautanz'', and ''Bauerngalopp''.

References

* Max Schönherr, ''The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music'', Oxford University Press, 1994 1903 births 1984 deaths 20th-century Austrian people 20th-century Austrian composers Austrian male composers Austrian composers Male conductors (music) Musicians from Maribor 20th-century Austrian conductors (music) 20th-century Austrian male musicians {{Austria-composer-stub