Karl Wilhelm Julius Hugo Riemann (18 July 1849 – 10 July 1919) 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
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 Defi ...
who was among the founders of modern musicology. The leading European music scholar of his time, he was active and influential as both a
music theorist
Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the " rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (k ...
and
music historian
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is a highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies music from a historical point of view.
In theory, "music history" could refer to the study of the history o ...
. Many of his contributions are now termed as
Riemannian theory
"Riemannian theory" in general refers to the musical theories of German theorist Hugo Riemann (1849–1919). His theoretical writings cover many topics, including musical logic, notation, harmony, melody, phraseology, the history of music theo ...
, a variety of related ideas on many aspects of music theory.
Biography
Riemann was born at
Grossmehlra,
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with its capital at Sondershausen.
History
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a county until 1697. In that year, it became a principality, which la ...
.
His first musical training came from his father Robert Riemann, a land owner, bailiff and, to judge from locally surviving listings of his songs and choral works, an active music enthusiast. Hugo Riemann was educated by Heinrich Frankenberger, the Sondershausen Choir Master, in
Music theory
Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...
. He was taught the piano by
August Barthel
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...
and
Theodor Ratzenberger (who had once studied under
Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
).
He studied law, and finally philosophy and history at
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 ...
and
Tübingen
Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...
. After participating in the
Franco-Prussian War he decided to devote his life to music, and studied accordingly at the
Leipzig Conservatory
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig) is a public university in Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn ...
. He then went to
Bielefeld
Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...
for some years as a teacher and conductor, but in 1878 returned 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 wel ...
as a
visiting professor (''"Privatdozent"'') at the
University
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
.
As a much-desired appointment at the Conservatory did not materialize, Riemann went to
Bromberg in 1880, but 1881–90 he was a teacher of piano and theory at Hamburg Conservatory. After a short time at the Sondershausen Conservatory, he held a post in the conservatory at
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
(1890–95). He eventually returned to
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 ...
as lecturer in 1895. In 1901, he was appointed professor, and in 1914 he was made Director of the Institute of Musicology.
Eight days before he would have turned 70, he died of
jaundice
Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme meta ...
.
Writings
Riemann is one of the most influential music theorists. In his publications and lectures he coined various terms which are still in every day use, such as the harmonic
function theory (therein popular terms such as the ''tonic'', the ''dominant'', the ''subdominant'' and the ''parallel''). In addition, the term and theory of the metric and rhythmic
phrase
In syntax and grammar, a phrase is a group of words or singular word acting as a grammatical unit. For instance, the English expression "the very happy squirrel" is a noun phrase which contains the adjective phrase "very happy". Phrases can consi ...
, a basic element of today's music education, originate in Riemann.
[System der musikalischen Rhythmik und Metrik (Leipzig, 1903)]
Among his best-known works are the ''Musik-Lexikon'' (1882; 5th ed. 1899; Eng. trans., 1893–96), a complete dictionary of
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
and musicians, the ''Geschichte der musiktheorie im IX.-XIX. jahrhundert''(1898), a history of music theory in Europe through the 19th century, the ''Handbuch der Harmonielehre'', a work on the study of
harmony
In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...
, and the ''Lehrbuch des Contrapunkts'', a similar work on
counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...
, all of which have been translated into English. He was an advocate of
harmonic dualism
"Riemannian theory" in general refers to the musical theories of German theorist Hugo Riemann (1849–1919). His theoretical writings cover many topics, including musical logic, notation, harmony, melody, phraseology, the history of music theor ...
, and his theory of harmonic function is the foundation of harmonic theory as it is still taught in Germany. He also elaborated a set of harmonic transformations that was adapted by the American theorist
David Lewin
David Benjamin Lewin (July 2, 1933 – May 5, 2003) was an American music theorist, music critic and composer. Called "the most original and far-ranging theorist of his generation", he did his most influential theoretical work on the development ...
, and eventually evolved into a significant strain of
neo-Riemannian theory Neo-Riemannian theory is a loose collection of ideas present in the writings of music theorists such as David Lewin, Brian Hyer, Richard Cohn, and Henry Klumpenhouwer. What binds these ideas is a central commitment to relating harmonies directly t ...
. Another pillar of modern neo-Riemannian theory, the
Tonnetz
In musical tuning and harmony, the (German for 'tone network') is a conceptual lattice diagram representing tonal space first described by Leonhard Euler in 1739. Various visual representations of the ''Tonnetz'' can be used to show traditi ...
, was not Riemann's own invention, but he played an important role in popularizing and disseminating it.
He authored many works on many different branches of music. His pupils included the German composer, pianist, organist, and conductor
Max Reger
Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, as a musical director at the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Leipzig University ...
and the musicologist and composer
Walter Niemann.
Compositions
He wrote many pieces for piano, songs, a piano sonata, six sonatinas, a violin sonata, and a string quartet.
See also
*
Riemannian theory
"Riemannian theory" in general refers to the musical theories of German theorist Hugo Riemann (1849–1919). His theoretical writings cover many topics, including musical logic, notation, harmony, melody, phraseology, the history of music theo ...
*
Neo-Riemannian theory Neo-Riemannian theory is a loose collection of ideas present in the writings of music theorists such as David Lewin, Brian Hyer, Richard Cohn, and Henry Klumpenhouwer. What binds these ideas is a central commitment to relating harmonies directly t ...
*
Chordal space
Music theorists have often used graphs, tilings, and geometrical spaces to represent the relationship between chords. We can describe these spaces as ''chord spaces'' or ''chordal spaces'', though the terms are relatively recent in origin.
His ...
*
Modulatory space The spaces described in this article are pitch class spaces which model the relationships between pitch classes in some musical system. These models are often graphs, groups or lattices. Closely related to pitch class space is pitch space, which r ...
*
Functional harmony
*
Parallel and counter parallel
Parallel and counter parallel chords are terms derived from the German (''Parallelklang'', ''Gegenparallelklang'') to denote what is more often called in English the "relative", and possibly the "counter relative" chords. In Hugo Riemann' ...
Notes
References
*
* Alexander Rehding: ''Hugo Riemann and the birth of modern musical thought''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
*
* Edward Gollin and Alexander Rehding, ''The Oxford Handbook of Neo-Riemannian Music Theories''. Oxford University Press, 2011.
* Daniel Harrison, ''Harmonic Function in Chromatic Music''. University of Chicago Press, 1994.
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riemann, Hugo
1849 births
1919 deaths
German composers
German music theorists
German musicologists
Leipzig University faculty
People from Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis
People from Schwarzburg-Sondershausen