Karl Anschütz (1813/1815

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

– 30 December 1870 New York City) was a

-born musical director and composer who founded the German Opera in New York City. He was the son of Josef Andreas Anschütz and the brother of Hermann Anschütz.

Biography

Anschütz's father Joseph Andreas Anschütz was an eminent musician and was in charge of a school for vocal and instrumental instruction. His early musical studies were made under his father, and in 1837 he was sent to study under

Friedrich Schneider Johann Christian Friedrich Schneider (3 January 1786 in Alt-Waltersdorf – 23 November 1853 in Dessau) was a German pianist, composer, organist, and conductor. Schneider studied piano first with his father Johann Gottlob Schneider (senior), and ...

, of

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

, whose daughter he married. His brother was the painter Hermann Anschütz. He then returned to Koblenz, where he became conductor of the royal musical institution and of the orchestra at the theatre, with the title of royal musical director. In 1848 he led the orchestra at

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

, and in 1849 was conductor of the German opera at

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. During the same year, he went to London with a German opera troupe, and subsequently he became leader of the orchestra at

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...

. He conducted in 1849 and 1850 the Wednesday Concerts in

Exeter Hall Exeter Hall was a large public meeting place on the north side of the Strand in central London, opposite where the Savoy Hotel now stands. From 1831 until 1907 Exeter Hall was the venue for many great gatherings of activists for various cause ...

; at this venue he gave

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's ninth symphony with an orchestra of 250 musicians and a chorus of 500 singers. He also conducted the Italian opera at

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, and elsewhere in Great Britain. In 1857 he came to the United States with Bernard Ullman's Italian opera troupe, which he conducted until 1860. From 1860 to 1862, he was conductor for the

Arion Society The Arion Society was a German-American musical society. It was founded in January 1854 to promote "the perpetuation of love for some of the characteristic elements of German civilization". It was disbanded because of Anti-German sentiment follow ...

. In 1862, he founded the German opera in New York, and was active in the establishment of the New York Conservatory of Music. In 1869 he served as musical director of the New York section of the mass choruses at the

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

singing festival. He was also a composer of some ability, and wrote out for

brass instruments A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. The term ''labrosone'', from Latin elements meaning "lip" and "sound", ...

the nine symphonies of Beethoven, of which two were performed.

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anschutz, Karl 1810s births 1870 deaths 19th-century American male musicians 19th-century American classical composers 19th-century German composers American male classical composers 19th-century German classical composers Prussian emigrants to the United States Immigrants to the United States German male classical composers Musicians from the Rhine Province 19th-century German male musicians