Carl Püttmann (14 November 1843 – 12 January 1899), often referred to as Carl or Charles Puttmann, was a music teacher and composer of South Australia.
History
Püttmann was born in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
(Köln), Prussia, the third son of Hermann Püttmann. His father was a man of considerable poetic ability on the literary staff of the ''
Kölnische Zeitung'' (''Cologne Gazette''), but was prompted by the civil unrest of 1848–1849 to emigrate to England, and later to
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, where he died on 27 December 1874. He was a prominent contributor to the local German newspapers, and published an account in German of the
Burke and Wills
The Burke and Wills expedition (originally called the Victorian Exploring Expedition) was an exploration expedition organised by the Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) in Australia in 1860–61.
The exploration party initially consisted of nine ...
expedition, several volumes of poetry, and in 1874 edited a history of the
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
of 1870–1871.
Püttmann studied violin under the best teachers in Victoria, and by 1858 was playing professionally. He accompanied the Lyster Opera Company on their first grand tour through New Zealand and Australia. On arrival in Adelaide in 1863 he decided to remain, and established himself as a teacher of music and singing. In 1865 he married a daughter of the Rev. Dr Loessel, and following the death of Wilhelm Spietschka on 21 January 1867 was appointed conductor of the
Adelaide Liedertafel, a post he held for nearly 20 years, to be followed by
C. E. Mumme in 1886. The first performance given by the Society under his baton was a comic opera ''Die Mordgrundbruck bei Dresden'' at the
Theatre Royal in 1868; the first amateur opera given in Adelaide.
He was teacher of music at
St. Peter's College,
Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College is a private, independent, day school, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town, South Australia, Kent Town, near the Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, South Australia. One of th ...
, and the
Christian Brothers' College, as well as a large private practice. He was succeeded at PAC around 1875 by
W. B. Chinner.
Püttmann also gained a reputation as a composer; his ''Victorian Cantata'' was composed for the
Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition
The Adelaide International Jubilee Exhibition of 1887 was a celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne on 20 June 1837, held in Adelaide, South Australia in 1887. It was also ...
of 1887, and performed at the closing ceremony to great applause. It opened with variations on the theme of ''
Song of Australia
"The Song of Australia" was composed as the result of 1859 competition to create a "patriotic song", sponsored by the Gawler Institute in Adelaide. The winning lyrics were written by an English-born poet, Caroline Carleton, and the music chos ...
'', and concluded with a
fugue
In classical music, a fugue (, from Latin ''fuga'', meaning "flight" or "escape""Fugue, ''n''." ''The Concise Oxford English Dictionary'', eleventh edition, revised, ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (Oxford and New York: Oxford Universit ...
on ''
God Save the Queen
"God Save the King" ("God Save the Queen" when the monarch is female) is '' de facto'' the national anthem of the United Kingdom. It is one of two national anthems of New Zealand and the royal anthem of the Isle of Man, Australia, Canada and ...
''.
He was known as a fine violinist and was frequently called upon to accompany visiting soloists. A ''
Register
Register or registration may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc.
* ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller
* Registration (organ), ...
'' report of Kate Thayer's concert in 1882 read: —
Mr. Puttmann contributed greatly to the success of the evening by his skilful rendering of Ernst
Ernst is both a surname and a given name, the German, Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
* Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) German botanist known by the author abbreviation "Ernst"
* Anton Ernst (born ...
's violin solo ''Élégie'' in which, by his excellent bowing and double-stopping, he proved himself to be a master of the instrument.
Late December 1898 he was in a two-horse
trap driven by E. W. Clarke with two others returning from the
National Park, Belair to the city, when one of the horses tripped and the passengers were thrown to the ground. Carl suffered facial bruising and a severely swollen leg where perhaps a wheel had run over him, and appeared for a time to recover, but two weeks later he died of a coronary embolism at his home on South Road, Edwardstown. He was that day to have taken the train to Jamestown where he had some students. He was buried at Mitcham Cemetery. The Liedertafel sang at the grave the very chorus the late musician had taught them years before – ''Es ist bestimmt Gottes Rath'' by
Ernst Freiherr von Feuchtersleben (1806–1849)
Family
Püttmann married Maria Helene Loessel (died 1941) in 1866. She was a daughter of Rev. Dr.
Carl Heinrich Conrad Loessel (30 October 1812 – 24 December 1879), a founder of the Lutheran Church in
Flinders Street, Adelaide
Flinders Street is a main street in the city centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It runs from the northern end of Victoria Square to East Terrace. It is one of the intermediate-width streets of the Adelaide grid, at wide. , and pastor of the church at
Lobethal
Lobethal is a town in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area, and is nestled on the banks of a creek between the hills and up the sides of the valley. It was once the centre ...
. It is likely, but not certain, that their children adopted the Anglicized version of their surname:
*Henriette Franziska Maria Puttmann (1867–1905) married John George Kelly in 1891. He was a vigneron of Maclaren Vale. She was the second woman to graduate Mus. Bac. in South Australia.
*Alexander Hermann Heinrich Puttmann (1869–1895), one of two sons who showed great musical talent then died of tuberculosis
*Ernst Adolph Puttmann (1873–1964) married Elizabeth Cornelius in 1907
*Alfred Waldemar Alexander Puttmann (1876–1897), the other son who showed great musical talent then died of tuberculosis
*Anna Ella Georgina Puttmann (1878–1962)
*Otto Wilhelm Loessel Puttmann (1880–1956) married Mabel Elizabeth March in 1912
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puttmann, Carl
Australian music educators
19th-century Australian composers
1843 births
1899 deaths
19th-century Prussian people
Colony of South Australia people
German emigrants to Australia
19th-century Australian educators