![Radegaster Straße 4 Zörbig OskarFleischer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Radegaster_Stra%C3%9Fe_4_Z%C3%B6rbig_OskarFleischer.jpg)
Oskar Fleischer (2 November 1856 – 8 February 1933) was a German
musicologist
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...
.
Life
Born in
Zörbig
Zörbig () is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km west of Bitterfeld, and 20 km northeast of Halle (Saale). Zörbig is well known for its molasses made from sugar ...
Anhalt-Bitterfeld
Anhalt-Bitterfeld is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Its capital is Köthen (Anhalt). Its area is .
History
This district was established by merging the former districts of Bitterfeld, Köthen and a large part of Anhalt-Zerbst as part o ...
, after attending the Latin secondary school at the
Francke Foundations
The Francke Foundations (Franckesche Stiftungen), also known as Glauchasche Anstalten were founded in 1695 in Halle, Germany as a Christian, social and educational work by August Hermann Francke
The Francke Foundations are today a non-profit ...
in
Halle, Fleischer studied ancient and modern languages, history of literature and philosophy at the
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university in ...
from 1882 to 1886 and was promoted to Dr. phil. He then completed a four-year degree in musicology (with
Philipp Spitta
Julius August Philipp Spitta (27 December 1841 – 13 April 1894) was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Life
He was born in , near Hoya, and his father, also called Phil ...
) in Berlin. In 1888, he took over the management of the "Royal Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments" at the
Berlin University of the Arts
The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universit ...
, whose holdings he was able to expand considerably with the acquisition of Snoeck's private collection. From 1892, he worked as a "
Privatdozent", and from 1895 (until 1925) as an associate professor of musicology at the
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
. Among his best-known students were the Mozart scholar
Hermann Abert,
Komitas Vardapet
Soghomon Soghomonian, ordained and commonly known as Komitas, ( hy, Կոմիտաս; 22 October 1935) was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster, who is considered the founder of the Armenian national sch ...
and his successor
Curt Sachs
Curt Sachs (; 29 June 1881 – 5 February 1959) was a German musicologist. He was one of the founders of modern organology (the study of musical instruments). Among his contributions was the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which he created with Er ...
.
In 1899, he was a co-founder of the International Music Society and editor of its publication organs (''Sammelbände der Internationalen Musikgesellschaft'', ''Zeitschrift der Internationalen Musikgesellschaft''). His main academic field was not so much the study of musical instruments but rather the study of medieval and ancient Greek chant scales (neume genesis). In the last years of his life, he became an outsider with his attempt to reconstruct a "Germanic neume script" and published in the völkisch-national journal ''Die Sonne''. He was a "
Geheimrat
''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic r ...
" (Privy Councillor).
Fleischer died in Berlin aged 76. After being reburied, he found his final resting place at the .
Publications
![Sammelbände der internationalen Musikgesellschaft 1899 Titel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Sammelb%C3%A4nde_der_internationalen_Musikgesellschaft_1899_Titel.png)
* ''Das Accentuationssystem Notkers in seinem Boethius'', Halle 1882 (Diss.)
* ''Denis Gaulthier''. In VfMw 2 (1886),
* ''Neumenstudien. Abhandlungen über mittelalterliche Gesangs-Tonschriften''. 3 volumes., vol.I, Leipzig 1895, vol.II, Leipzig 1897, vol.III, Berlin 1904
* ''Königliche Hochschule für Musik zu Berlin. Führer durch die Sammlung Alter Musikinstrumente,'' Berlin 1892
* ''Die Bedeutung der internationalen Musik- und Theaterausstellung in Wien für Kunst und Wissenschaft der Musik'', Leipzig 1894
* ''Die Reste der altgriechischen Tonkunst'',
''Die Reste der altgriechischen Tonkunst''
on WorldCat Leipzig 1899
* ''C.F. Weitzmann: Geschichte der Klaviermusik'', Leipzig 1899 (Neubearbeitung mit Max Seiffert)
* ''Mozart'' (Geisteshelden Bd. 33), Berlin 1900
* ''Führer durch die Bach-Ausstellung im Festsaale des Berliner Rathauses,'' Berlin 1901
* ''Zur Phonophotographie. Eine Abwehr'', Berlin 1904
* ''Musikalische Bilder aus Deutschlands Vergangenheit'', Berlin 1913
* ''Vom Kriege gegen die deutsche Kultur – ein Beitrag zur Selbsterkenntnis des deutschen Volkes'', Berlin 1915
* ''Eine astronomisch-musikalische Zeichen-Schrift in neolithischer Zeit'', Berlin 1915
* ''Die germanischen Neumen als Schlüssel zum altchristlichen und gregorianischen Gesang'', Frankfurt 1923
* ''Vor- und frühgeschichtliche Urgründe des Volkslieds.'' In ''Die Sonne. Monatsschrift für nordische Weltanschauung und Lebensgestaltung'' 5 (1928).
References
Further reading
* F. Jansa: ''Deutsche Tonkünstler und Musiker in Wort und Bild'', 2.A., Leipzig 1911
* H. Abert: ''Illustriertes Musik-Lexikon'', Stuttgart 1927
* A. Einstein: ''Oskar Fleischer'' achruf In ZfMw 5(1932/33),
* H.J. Moser: ''Musiklexikon'', 4.A. vol. 1, Hamburg 1955.
* ''Dizionario di musica'', Paravia 1956,
* H. Riemann: ''MusikLexikon'', vol. 1, Mainz 1959,
* D.Hiley: ''Oskar Fleischer'', in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', London 1980, .
* W. Rathert: ''Oskar Fleischer'', In ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', vol. 6, Kassel etc. 2001,
* Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie, 2.A, vol. 3, Munich 2006,
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleischer, Oskar
19th-century German musicologists
20th-century German musicologists
Directors of museums in Germany
Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin
1856 births
1933 deaths
People from Zörbig