Hans Münch (9 March 1893 - 7 September 1983) was a Swiss

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

of Alsatian birth. His compositional output includes one

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

(premiered 1951), ''Symphonische Improvisationen'' (1971), and a number of

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

Life and career

Born into a family of musicians in

Mülhausen Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

(new Mulhouse, in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

), Münch was the son of conductor Eugen Münch and the nephew of organist and choral conductor

Ernst Münch Ernst Münch (26 November 1876 – 9 October 1946) was a German plant physiologist who proposed the pressure flow hypothesis in 1930. He studied in Aschaffenburg, and then in Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of ...

(1859-1928). He began his musical training with his father before pursuing studies in the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

and

music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

with

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was a German and French polymath from Alsace. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. As a Lutheran minister, ...

. In 1912 he moved to

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, ultimately becoming a naturalized citizen of Switzerland. He studied at the Basel Conservatory with Emil Braun (cello), Adolf Hamm (organ), and Hans Huber (composition). From 1914 to 1916 Münch was a cellist in the Basel Symphony Orchestra. In 1918 he joined the faculty of the Basel Conservatory where he taught piano through 1932. He served as the director of the conservatory from 1935 to 1947. One of his notable students was Armando Santiago. From 1921 to 1926 Münch conducted the Bach Choir in Basel, after which he was active directing various choral societies in the city like the Basel Gesangverein and the Basel Liedertafel. From 1935 to 1966 he conducted the Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft in Basel. He died in Basel at the age of 90.

References

1893 births 1983 deaths Musicians from Mulhouse Musicians from the German Empire People from Alsace-Lorraine Alsatian-German people Swiss male classical composers German male classical composers Swiss male conductors (music) German male conductors (music) Swiss cellists German classical cellists Swiss male classical pianists German male classical pianists Swiss organists German organists Male organists Swiss music educators German music educators Piano educators 20th-century Swiss conductors (music) 20th-century pianists 20th-century organists 20th-century male musicians 20th-century Swiss composers 20th-century German composers 20th-century cellists Hans {{Switzerland-composer-stub