Richard Wetz (26 February 1875 – 16 January 1935) was a German late Romantic composer best known for his three symphonies. In these works, he "seems to have aimed to be an immediate continuation of

Bruckner Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germa ...

, as a result of which he actually ended up on the margin of music history".

Biography

1875–1906: Youth

Richard Wetz was born to a merchant family in Gleiwitz,

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...

(now

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

). Although his family owned a piano, no family member was particularly interested in music. The young Richard, who felt drawn to music early on, did not receive regular piano lessons until the age of eight years, but quickly taught himself by composing smaller piano and song pieces. He later stated that he resolved to dedicate his life to music by the age of 13. After passing his final examinations in 1897, he went to

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 ...

to study at the

conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

under such tutors as Carl Reinecke and Salomon Jadassohn. After only 6 weeks, however, he discontinued his studies after suffering from disillusionment regarding what he considered overly academic lessons. He instead took private lessons from

Richard Hofmann Richard Hofmann (8 February 1906 – 5 May 1983) was a German football player. He played in 25 internationals for Germany as a centre forward, scoring 24 goals, including the first ever international hat-trick against England by a player from ...

, then leader of the Leipzig music academy, for half a year. At the same time, he took up studies at

Leipzig University Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December ...

, including philosophy, psychology and literature. He studied poets such as

Friedrich Hölderlin Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (, ; ; 20 March 1770 – 7 June 1843) was a German poet and philosopher. Described by Norbert von Hellingrath as "the most German of Germans", Hölderlin was a key figure of German Romanticism. Part ...

Heinrich von Kleist Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (18 October 177721 November 1811) was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, short story writer and journalist. His best known works are the theatre plays '' Das Käthchen von Heilbronn'', ''The Broken Jug'', ''Amph ...

and particularly

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

, who had great influence on his later work as a composer. Likewise, he became a follower of the philosophical ideas of Arthur Schopenhauer. In the Autumn of 1899, Wetz left Leipzig and moved to Munich, where he began to study music with

Ludwig Thuille Ludwig Wilhelm Andreas Maria Thuille (Bozen, 30 November 1861 – 5 February 1907) was an Austrian composer and teacher, numbered for a while among the leading operatic composers of the so-called Munich School of composers, whose most famous repre ...

. Again in 1900, Wetz interrupted his study and moved to Stralsund where

Felix Weingartner Paul Felix Weingartner, Edler von Münzberg (2 June 1863 – 7 May 1942) was an Austrian conductor, composer and pianist. Life and career Weingartner was born in Zara, Dalmatia, Austria-Hungary (now Zadar, Croatia), to Austrian parents. ...

found him employment as a theatrical bandmaster. After some months he was in the same position in Barmen (now

Wuppertal Wuppertal (; "''Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and tow ...

), but only a short time later he found himself again unemployed in Leipzig. Here he educated himself further in music history, also studying scores of classical and modern composers. Anton Bruckner and Franz Liszt became his most important role models.

1906–1935

Wetz was appointed a manager of the

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

music association in 1906. He fell in love with the town and remained there for the rest of his life. Until this point, Wetz's published compositional works had almost exclusively been piano songs, though he twice tried to write opera. He wrote the librettros for both works, ''Judith'' ( op. 13) and ''The Eternal Fire'' (op. 19). His one act play, ''The Eternal Fire'', was performed in 1907 in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

and

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...

, but with little success. In 1909 he received a better reception with his ''Kleist-Ouvertüre'' (op. 16) which

Arthur Nikisch Arthur Nikisch (12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London, Leipzig and—most importantly—Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of B ...

conducted in Leipzig.
Musical Times link
During the following years, Wetz devoted himself to the music profession. He gave lessons in the Erfurt city conservatoire (in 1911–1921, composition and history of music), and honed his skills in conducting various choirs (the Erfurt Song Academy in 1914/15, the "Riedelscher Gesangverein" in Leipzig, and after 1918, the "Engelbrechtscher Madrigalchor"). He also worked in composing choral music, '' a cappella'', and orchestral accompaniments. Some of the most notable works of the period were the ''Song of Life'' (op. 29), ''Hyperion'' (op. 32) (after

) and a setting of the Third Psalm (op. 37). However, his mature style had not yet fully developed. In 1917, Wetz become a lecturer (assistant professor), and in 1920 professor, of the history of music and composition to the ducal college for music in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

. In 1917 he completed his First Symphony in C minor (op. 40). The symphonies No. 2 in A major (op. 47) and No. 3 in B flat minor (described as B flat major, op. 48) followed in 1919 and 1922. In parallel, Wetz worked on his two string quartets in F minor (op. 43) and E minor (op. 49). Afterwards, he devoted himself to working on choral pieces. Thus originated the Requiem in B minor (op. 50) and the Christmas Oratorio on Old-German poems (op. 53), possibly his most significant compositions. Wetz also wrote monographs about models Anton Bruckner (1922) and Franz Liszt (1925) as well as

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

(1927). In the mid-1920s the composer organized and led in Erfurt numerous music parties in which he performed his own works. He resigned the formal management of the Erfurt music association in 1925, but remained the central figure of the musical life of the city. In 1928 Wetz and Igor Stravinsky were appointed foreign members of the Prussian Academy of the Arts. A short time later Wetz was called to the Berlin College of Music where he rose to be one of the most successful composition teachers. He left, however, in favor of his posts in Erfurt and Weimar. During the last years of his life, the work at the Weimar college of music increasingly took up his time. Nevertheless, he managed to produce further compositions. As his last great work, in 1933 he completed his

violin concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

in B minor (op. 57). In 1934, the town appointed him the music representative of the city of Erfurt. In October of that year, Wetz was diagnosed with lung cancer, brought about by excessive smoking. Although strongly impaired, the composer continued with unbroken creative urge, working on the outlines of an oratorio, ''Love, Life, Eternity'' after the texts of

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

, which he wanted to be a monument to his favorite poet. The work, however, was left unfinished on his death. A fourth symphony was also left in a fragmentary state, and a third string quartet was also found incomplete amongst his papers. Richard Wetz died on 16 January 1935 in Erfurt, age 59. According to his will the fragments of the Goethe oratorio were to be completed by the composer Werner Trenkner, who Wetz considered his greatest pupil. Trenkner failed at completing the work due to civil disputes, and the sketches have since been lost.

Reception

:~ Richard Wetz, 1932 During Wetz's lifetime, his works remained little known outside the circle of his devotees and music-lovers in his home region, to the point that he became nearly unknown after his death. Since that time, his compositions have continued to draw few fans despite the eagerness of his enthusiasts and his reputation as a great music pedagogue. Politically, Wetz made decisions towards the end of his life that may have had an effect on his standing after his death: after the end of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he became a confessed nationalist who saw the position of his vanquished Germany as a humiliation and longed for resurgence of national greatness, which seemed possible to him in 1933 with the seizure of power by the National Socialists (the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

). In May of that same year he enrolled into the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

and took over the leadership of the music department of the Erfurt branch of the Kampfbund für deutsche Kultur, where he hoped he could thereby gain the goodwill and the support of the Nazi rulers. This, however, had little influence on his ability to spread his work, leaving him the role of composing primarily propaganda pieces. His most significant interpreter was the conductor

Peter Raabe Peter Raabe (27 November 1872 – 12 April 1945) was a German composer and conductor. Biography Raabe graduated from 3 schools: the Higher Musical School in Berlin; and the universities of Munich; and Jena. In 1894–98 Raabe worked in König ...

, who performed for the first time all of the Wetz symphonies, and was appointed shortly after Wetz's death in 1935 to be the chairman of the imperial music hall. It was Raabe who founded a Richard Wetz society in 1943 in Gleiwitz. Raabe's work remained greatly hampered, however, by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. In the post-war period, Wetz's reputation suffered from his identification with National Socialist ideology, as well as the rapid developments of contemporary music at that time which had passed over the tradition-conscious late romantic. The fact that Wetz had preferred the life in provincial Erfurt to that of the real music metropolises, and that he was never moved to create popular compositions which could have increased his reputation, did little to bring Wetz and his works to the broader general public. Indeed, some conductors questioned the quality of his compositions until the 1990s (especially during the arrangements for celebrations in his honour in Erfurt in 1955, 20th anniversary of his death and what would be his 80th birthday). Only recently have his creations been rediscovered. For example, the requiem of the composer was performed for the first time in sixty years in September 2003 at the Erfurt church's music festival, under the direction of George Alexander Albrecht.

Style

If one considers the life of Richard Wetz, it is not surprising that in the 1929 ''Riemann Music Encyclopedia'' he was stated to have "arranged to be a loner ". His stature was less than other composers of the time and the new achievements of contemporaries such as Arnold Schoenberg, Maurice Ravel or Franz Schreker left him behind. Increasingly, the accepted cultural pessimism violently railed against the kind of music that Wetz was writing. Wetz was more related in attitude with such keepers of 19th century tradition such as Sergei Rachmaninoff,

Hans Pfitzner Hans Erich Pfitzner (5 May 1869 – 22 May 1949) was a German composer, conductor and polemicist who was a self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera ''Palestrina'' (1917), loosely based on the life of the ...

and Franz Schmidt, than his contemporaries. According to his own statements, he depended on familiar surroundings for his composition: "I can compose only with myself at home. Neither on a summer holiday nor during longer vacations I have ever created anything". Statements like this explain why Wetz began to devote himself increasingly to the composition of symphonies and larger choral works only when he settled in Erfurt, but also why he later refused all offers for more lucrative positions and commissions. The seclusion - bordering on isolation - from the mainstream of the German music scene of the past allowed Wetz to concentrate completely upon the development of his own personal style. Wetz wrote only vocal works in his early days. He often returned to this style until his dying days, which explains why this is the largest part of his output. Wetz counts as one of the most important song composers of his generation. The authorities in this field that Wetz looked to were

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

, Franz Liszt,

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 ...

and Hugo Wolf. Liszt, especially, strongly influenced the tonal patterns of Wetz's early work, although even then Wetz was already forging his own path. This creative period culminates in two operas and ''Kleist-Ouvertüre'', an orchestral work inspired by the tragic destiny of the poet. From the beginning of Wetz's Erfurt years, his choral works moved away from Liszt's influence bit by bit and Anton Bruckner began to influence the composer. His striving to imitate Bruckner's tonal language shows in the fact that no stylistic break arises between these compositions and earlier works. Wetz learned even more from Bruckner, his clear form structures and the sense of an organic growth of the music without it being overwhelming. Nevertheless, a large measure due to Bruckner, he typically composed powerful and ceremonious effects without stylistic peculiarities. Wetz's three symphonies are powerful, introverted works in the style of late romantic symphonic music being cultivated at the time, yet his works show their own distinct personalities separating them from the tradition. For Wetz, the subdued nature of the closing passages of his works confirm the integrity of these works. The first symphony's end, for instance, begins in the key of C minor (as Bruckner did also) and almost dissolves in a bright major key before, after a recall of earlier music, an austere and minor-mode conclusion not heard in any Bruckner finale (closer to the mood of the conclusions to some Bruckner opening movements) comes around. This was certainly influenced by the spirit of the times in which he lived, which were certainly not typical. His quartets follow the same techniques in form and gesture as his symphonies, but these were invested with substantially more intense feeling than the more public symphonies. In his later works, Richard Wetz increasingly refined his style. He began to use chromatic harmonies in even stronger measure in his tonal language. A change to a more polyphonic style already apparent in the string quartets becomes apparent in other works, most notably in the organ piece ''Passacaglia and Fugue'' (op. 55 of 1930). After that point, the influence of Bruckner drops away. In his masterpieces, the requiem and the Christmas oratorio, Wetz discovers a synthesis of symphonic and vocal music in which he summarizes his accumulated musical experience. The violin concerto shows what is probably the most daring formal arrangement in the whole output of the composer and is comparable to the similar violin concerto by Pfitzner, written in the same key (B minor). Although illness and death took Wetz prematurely, he remains nevertheless "One of the great and unmistakable talents of German late romanticism".

Works

The list of works of Richard Wetz contains 58 Opuses, in addition there are a small number of compositions which were published without numbering. Op. 1-4 and Op. 6 are not considered discoverable any longer, and the composer declared some other early works provided with opus figures as invalid. Opera * ''Judith'', Op. 13 (3 Acts; Libretto: Richard Wetz) * ''Das ewige Feuer'' (''The Eternal Fire''), Op. 19 (1 Act; Libretto: Richard Wetz. 1904; published 1905, premiered 1907) Choir works *''Traumsommernacht'' (''Summer's-Night Dream''), Op. 14 for women's choir and orchestra (pub. Kistner, 1912) : (Recording: Augsburg college of music chamber choir,

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

State Philharmonic, Werner Andreas Albert, 2004) * ''Gesang des Lebens'' (''Song of Life''), Op. 29 for boys' choir and orchestra (pub. Kistner, 1910) : (Recording: Rhineland-Palatinate State Philharmonic and State Youth Choir,

Werner Andreas Albert Werner Andreas Albert (10 January 1935 – 10 November 2019) was a German-born Australian conductor. Personal life Albert was born in Weinheim. He began his studies in musicology and history, and later studied conducting with Herbert von Ka ...

, 2001) * ''Chorlied aus Oedipus auf Colonos "Nicht geboren ist das Beste"'' (''Choir song from Oedipus on Colonos: "Not born is the best"''), Op. 31 for mixed choir and orchestra (after

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 c ...

) (pub. Kistner, 1912) * ''Hyperion'', Op. 32 for baritone, mixed choir and orchestra (after Hölderlin), vocal score published by Kistner, 1912 : (Recording: Markus Köhler, Augsburg college of music chamber choir, Rhineland-Palatinate State Philharmonic, Werner Andreas Albert, 2004) * ''Der dritte Psalm'' (''The third Psalm''), Op. 37 for baritone, mixed choir and orchestra * Four secular songs (Kyrie, Et incarnatus est, Crucifixus, Agnus Dei) for choir, A cappella, Op. 44 * ''Kreuzfahrerlied'' (''Crusader song''), Op. 46 for mixed choir (after

Hartmann von Aue Hartmann von Aue, also known as Hartmann von Ouwe, (born ''c.'' 1160–70, died ''c.'' 1210–20) was a German knight and poet. With his works including ''Erec'', ''Iwein'', '' Gregorius'', and ''Der arme Heinrich'', he introduced the Arthuria ...

) (published 1910) * Requiem in B minor, Op. 50 for soprano, baritone, mixed choir and orchestra (pub. 1925) : (Recording: Marietta Zumbült, Mario Hoff, Erfurt Cathedral Choir, Weimar Philharmonic Choir, Thuringian Weimar State Orchestra,

George Alexander Albrecht George Alexander Albrecht (15 February 1935 – 21 December 2021) was a German conductor and composer, who also worked as a musicologist and academic teacher. A prolific composer at a young age, he was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Staatsope ...

,CPO 2003.) * ''Ein Weihnachts-Oratorium auf alt-deutsche Gedichte '' (''A Christmas Oratorio on old-German poems''), Op. 53 for soprano, baritone, mixed choir and orchestra * ''Drei Weihnachtsmotetten für unbegleiteten gem. Chor'', Op. 58 * ''Liebe, Leben, Ewigkeit'', (''Love, life, eternity'') Oratory fragment (after

, missing) Orchestral works * ''Kleist-Ouvertüre'' in D minor, Op. 16 (Kistner, 1908) : (Recording: Rhineland-Palatinate State Philharmonic, Werner Andreas Albert, CPO 1999) * Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 40 (pub. Simrock, 1924) : (Recording: Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra, Roland Bader, CPO 1994) * Symphony No. 2 in A major, Op. 47 (pub. 1921) : (Recording: Rhineland-Palatinate State Philharmonic, Werner Andreas Albert, CPO 1999) * Symphony No. 3 in B minor, Op. 48 : (Recordings: Rhineland-Palatinate State Philharmonic, Werner Andreas Albert, CPO 2001) : (

Konzerthausorchester Berlin The Konzerthausorchester Berlin is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. The orchestra is resident at the Konzerthaus Berlin, designed by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The building was destroyed during World War II, and was rebui ...

, Erich Peter, 1981, Sterling) * Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 57 (pub. 1933) : (Recording: Ulf Wallin (Violin), Rhineland-Palatinate State Philharmonic, Werner Andreas Albert, CPO 2003) Chamber music * Sonata for Solo Violin in G major, Op. 33 (Kistner, 1913) * String Quartet No. 1 in F minor, Op. 43 (Kistner, 1918) * String Quartet No. 2 in E minor, Op. 49 (Simrock, 1924) Organ music * Passacaglia and Fugue in D minor, Op. 55 (pub. 1930) : (Recording: "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", Silvius von Kessel, 2000, Motette) : (Recording: "Orgelland Niederlausitz Vol. 1", Lothar Knappe, 2003, H'ART) * Kleine Toccata in E minor Piano music * ''Romantische Variationen über ein Originalthema'' (''Romantic variations on an original theme''), Op. 42 (published 1917) Songs * over 100 songs for voice and piano, including: ** Op. 5, ''6 Lieder für eine mittlere Singstimme mit Begleitung des Klaviers.'', a set published in 1901, including ''Wiegenlied'' (''Cradle song''), Op. 5 No. 3 ** ''Die Muschel'' (''The shell'') Op. 9 No. 2 (poem by Richard Schaukal. Published 1904) ** Op. 10. Five songs for soprano with piano accompaniment ** Op. 15. Six songs for mezzo-soprano with piano accompaniment ** Op. 20. Five songs for baritone or mezzo-soprano with piano accompaniment ** Op. 21. Five songs for mezzo-soprano with piano accompaniment. ** Op. 22. Five songs for soprano or mezzo-soprano with piano accompaniment. * also some songs with orchestral accompaniment, including ** Op. 51. Two songs for voice and small orchestra (published 1929 by Greiner & Pfeiffer). Writings * '' Anton Bruckner. Sein Leben und Schaffen'' (''Anton Bruckner. His life and work''), 1922 * '' Franz Liszt'', pub. Leipzig: Reclam, 1925 * ''

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

. Die geistigen Grundlagen seines Schaffens'' (''Beethoven. The mental foundation of his work''), 1927

References

English

* John Williamson, ''The Cambridge Companion to Bruckner'', p. 260, * Derek Watson, ''Bruckner (Master Musicians)'', p. 71-, * Arthur Elson, ''The Book Of Musical Knowledge'', p. 232, * Charles J. Hull, ''Chronology of European Classical: Vol 2 '', p. 651- (Multivolume),

German

* G. Armin: ''Die Lieder von Richard Wetz'' (''The songs of Richard Wetz''), Leipzig 1911. * E. L. Schellenberg: ''Richard Wetz'', Leipzig 1911. * H. Polack: ''Richard Wetz'', Leipzig 1935. * E. Peter und A. Perlick (editors): ''Richard Wetz als Mensch und Künstler seiner Zeit'' (''Richard Wetz as a human and an artist of his time'', publication of the East Central Europe research center; A 28), Dortmund 1975—Extensive volume with first hand reports and self certifications. * W. Huschke: ''Zukunft Musik. Eine Geschichte der Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar'' (''Future music. A History of the Franz Liszt Conservatory of Music at Weimar''), Weimar 2006, —Wetz' activity as a composition teacher receives detailed mention.

External links

English

Musicweb: Biography of Richard Wetz
February 2, 2002

May 1, 2001

Tony Gualtieri
Classicstoday
review of ''Symphony No. 3; Gesang des Lebens'' *

German

Literature on Richard Wetz
in the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

klassika.info – Short profile of composer, includes picture and list of works

erfurt.de – Short profile of Richard Wetz

* ttp://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/search/-/dosearch/1/fastsearch/richard+wetz JPC Music - Richard Wetz (Commercial site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wetz, Richard 1875 births 1935 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century German composers 19th-century German male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century German composers 20th-century German male musicians German male classical composers German opera composers German Romantic composers Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar Male opera composers People from Gliwice People from the Province of Silesia Pupils of Salomon Jadassohn

Biography

1875–1906: Youth

1906–1935

Reception

Style

Works

See also

References

English

German

Further reading

External links

English

German