Hermann Friedrich Oskar Kaul (11 October 1885 – 17 July 1968) 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 mu ...

and professor at the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...

Life

Kaul was born in 1885 as the son of the chemist Alexander Kaul (1845-1913) and Clara Hoffmanns (b. 1855) in

Upper Bavaria Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat o ...

Bruckmühl Bruckmühl is a market town in the district of Rosenheim, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Mangfall, 16 km west of Rosenheim Rosenheim is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is an independent city located in the centre of the ...

community. After elementary school he attended a

Humanistisches Gymnasium ''Gymnasium'' (; German plural: ''Gymnasien''), in the German education system, is the most advanced and highest of the three types of German secondary schools, the others being ''Hauptschule'' (lowest) and ''Realschule'' (middle). ''Gymnasi ...

in Cologne, then in 1905 he went to study music at the

Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln The Cologne University of Music ( is a music college in Cologne, Germany. Founded in 1850, it is Europe's largest academy of music. History The academy was founded by Ferdinand Hiller in 1850 as ''Conservatorium der Musik in Coeln''. In 1895 Ger ...

there. Among others, he was student of Max van de Sandt,

Lazzaro Uzielli Lazzaro Uzielli (4 February 1861 − 8 October 1943) was an Italian pianist and music educator. Life Born in Florence, Uzielli studied in his home town with Luigi Vannuccini und Giuseppe Buonamici, then with Ernst Rudorff in Berlin, and with ...

Fritz Steinbach Fritz Steinbach (17 June 1855 – 13 August 1916) was a German conductor and composer who was particularly associated with the works of Johannes Brahms. Born in Grünsfeld, he was the brother of conductor Emil Steinbach. He studied at the Leipz ...

, Ewald Straeßer and

Waldemar von Baußnern Waldemar Edler von Baußnern (also ''Baussnern'' or ''Bausznern''; 29 November 1866 – 20 August 1931) was a German composer and music teacher. Life Born in Berlin, and descended from Transylvanian Saxons, Baußnern was the son of a financial ...

. At the same time he studied German literature and philosophy at the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...

. In 1908 he moved to the

Hochschule für Musik und Theater München The University of Music and Performing Arts Munich (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater München), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is t ...

and studied

musicology 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 mu ...

among others with

Adolf Sandberger Adolf Wilhelm August Sandberger (19 December 1864 in Würzburg – 14 January 1943 in Munich) was a German musicologist and composer, with a particular interest in 16th-century music. He founded the School of Musicology at the University of Munic ...

and

Theodor Kroyer Theodor Kroyer (9 September 1873 – 12 January 1945) was a German musicologist. Life Kroyer was born in Munich. After he won his Abitur in 1893 at the Wilhelmsgymnasium (Munich) he studied at the University of Munich and at the Akademie für To ...

. He also became a member of the . Kaul obtained his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

there in 1911 with a dissertation on ''The vocal works of

Antonio Rosetti Francesco Antonio Rosetti (c. 1750 – 30 June 1792) was a classical era composer and double bass player, and was a contemporary of Haydn and Mozart. There is considerable confusion regarding his name. The occasional mention of a supposed, ...

''. A one-year teaching position at the Krefeld Conservatory was followed in 1912 by a call to the

Hochschule für Musik Würzburg The Hochschule für Musik Würzburg (University of Music Würzburg) was founded in 1797 by Franz Joseph Fröhlich as Collegium musicum academicum (Academic college of music). From 1921 to 1973, it was named Bayerisches Staatskonservatorium der Mu ...

. Ten years later he was

habilitated Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

with a

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

on the ''History of the Würzburger Hofmusik im 18 Jahrhundert''. In the summer he finally gave lectures - for the first time in the history of the Würzburg Music School - on historical musicology. Kaul strove to expand musicology and achieved this goal: in 1928 he was appointed extraordinary professor. In the Third Reich the topic became more important for ideological reasons. In 1941, at Kaul's insistence, a regular musicological seminar was approved and established by the

Reich Ministry of Science, Education and Culture The Reich Ministry of Science, Education and Culture (german: , also unofficially known as the "Reich Education Ministry" (german: ), or "REM") existed from 1934 until 1945 under the leadership of Bernhard Rust and was responsible for unifying t ...

in Würzburg for the first Academic quarter; he himself was appointed to the seminar board. During this time, from 1942 to 1944, he was also active in the Würzburg music scene as of the Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers SS. During the Second World War Kaul left the university. In 1957 he was co-founder of the , whose chairman he was until 1967. On 17 July 1968 Kaul died at the age of 82 in

Unterwössen Unterwössen is a municipality in the district of Traunstein in Bavaria, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, ...

, Upper Bavaria.

Publications

* 1980: ''Musica Herbipolensis. Aus Würzburgs musikalischer Vergangenheit''. Publisher: Frohmut Dangel-Hofmann. Gress, Marktbreit, . * 1968: ''Thematisches Verzeichnis der Instrumentalwerke von Anton Rosetti''. Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden. * 1935: ''Zur Musikgeschichte der ehemaligen Reichsstadt Schweinfurt''. Becker, Würzburg. * 1925: ''Von deutscher Tonkunst. Eine Auslese aus dem musikalischen Schrifttum''. R. Oldenbourg, Munich, . * 1924: ''Geschichte der Würzburger Hofmusik im 18.Jahrhundert''. C.F. Becker, Würzburg, (habilitation text). * 1911: ''Die Vokalwerke Anton Rosettis''.''Die Vokalwerke Anton Rosettis''
on WorldCat Greven & Bechtold (Dissertation).

References

External links

*
Kaul, Oskar
on {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaul, Oskar 1885 births 1968 deaths People from Rosenheim 20th-century German musicologists German music historians Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg