Siegfried Wilhelm (von) Dehn (24 or 25 February 1799 – 12 April 1858) was a German music theorist, editor, teacher and librarian. Born in Altona, Dehn was the son of a banker and learned to play the cello as a boy. Intent on becoming a diplomat, he studied law in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

but also took music lessons from J. A. Dröbs. While attached to the Swedish embassy in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Dehn developed an interest in musical research, studying with

Bernhard Klein Bernhard Joseph Klein (6 March 1793 – 9 September 1832) was a German composer. Life Klein was born in Cologne. He married Lili Parthey (1800–1829) who was the sister of Gustav Parthey (1798–1872) and the granddaughter of Friedrich Nicolai ...

. He was left destitute by the failure of the family bank in 1830 and decided to devote himself to music; he soon became known and respected widely as a musical theorist and teacher.Warrack and Deaville, ''New Grove (2001)'', 7:140. In 1842, composer Giacomo Meyerbeer recommended Dehn to fill the post of custodian of the Prussian royal library. Dehn threw himself into cataloging the collection, bringing it into order and adding to it copiously from libraries all over

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

. Among the collections he amassed were those of

Anton Schindler Anton Felix Schindler (13 June 1795 in Medlov – 16 January 1864 in Bockenheim (Frankfurt am Main)) was an Austrian law clerk and associate, secretary, and early biographer of Ludwig van Beethoven. Life Schindler moved to Vienna in 1813 to s ...

and Georg Pölchau; the latter was especially notable for its manuscripts by

Johann Sebastian 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 ...

and

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...

. Dehn was also editor of ''Cäcilia'' from 1842 to 1848 and professor of the Royal Academy of the Arts from 1849. On the death of

Friedrich Konrad Griepenkerl Friedrich Konrad Griepenkerl (10 December 1782 – 6 April 1849) was a German Germanist, pedagogue, musicologist and conductor. Life Griepenkerl was born in Peine the son of a preacher, he first attended the school in Peine and changed in ...

in 1849, Dehn helped edit J.S. Bach's instrumental music for the Peters Edition. He was responsible for, among other works, the first publishing of the

Brandenburg concertos The ''Brandenburg Concertos'' by Johann Sebastian Bach (Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, BWV 1046–1051), are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt, Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg ...

. He also edited a large number of

Lassus Orlande de Lassus ( various other names; probably – 14 June 1594) was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school, Lassus stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Pales ...

motets. Dehn was widely respected as a teacher. His students included Albert Becker,

Ludwig Bussler Ludwig Bussler (26 November 1838 – 18 January 1900) was a German musical instructor, critic and conductor. He was born in Berlin. His father, Robert Bussler, was a painter, author and privy counsellor. He was a pupil of A.E. Grell, Siegfried ...

Peter Cornelius Carl August Peter Cornelius (24 December 1824 – 26 October 1874) was a German composer, writer about music, poet and translator. Life He was born in Mainz to Carl Joseph Gerhard (1793–1843) and Friederike (1789–1867) Cornelius, actors i ...

, Mikhail Glinka, Heinrich Hofmann,

Gustav Nottebohm Martin Gustav Nottebohm (12 November 1817, Lüdenscheid, Westphalia – 29 October 1882, Graz) was a pianist, teacher, musical editor and composer who spent most of his career in Vienna. He is particularly celebrated for his studies of Beethoven. ...

, and

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein ( rus, Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, r=Anton Grigor'evič Rubinštejn; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Sa ...

. He died in Berlin.

Works

* ''Theoretisch-praktische Harmonielehre mit angefügten Generalbaßbeispielen'', Berlin, 1840 * ''Analyse dreier Fugen von S. Bach und einer Vocalfuge von A. M. Bononcini's'', 1858 * ''Lehre vom Contrapunkt, Canon und Fuge'', 1859 * ''Orlandus Lassus Psalmi VII poenitentiales'' o.J. (Hg.) * ''12 Hefte mehrstimmiger Gesänge des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts'', o.J. (Hg.) ;Editions * Bach, J. S., WV 211Joh. Seb. Bach. ''Komische Cantaten. No. I. Schlendrian mit seiner Tochter Liefsgen (Coffee-Cantate:).'' Herausgegeben von S. W. Dehn. Interdum et Socrates equitabat arundine longa, a. 1830 31 pp. (Partitur) * Bach, Johann Sebastian (1685-1750),

WV 1042 West Virginia is a U.S. state, state in the Appalachian Mountains, Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Burea ...

''Deuxieme Concerto en Mi majeur pour le Violon avec Accompagnament de deux Violons, Viola et Basse…'', publie pour la premiere fois par S. W. Dehn artitur Leipzig, Peters (V. Nr. 3888) a. 1875 20 lithogr.

Bibliography

*Warrack, John and James Deaville, ed. Stanley Sadie, "Dehn, Siegfried (Wilhelm)," ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Edition'' (London: Macmilian, 2001), 29 vols. .

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dehn, Siegfried 1799 births 1858 deaths German music theorists Musicologists from Berlin 19th-century German musicologists German librarians