Leopold Damrosch
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Leopold Damrosch (October 22, 1832 – February 15, 1885) was a
German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...
orchestral conductor and composer.


Biography

Damrosch was born in Posen (Poznań),
Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...
, the son of Heinrich Damrosch. His father was Jewish and his mother was Lutheran. Leopold Damrosch was baptized a Lutheran when marrying his wife, former opera singer Helene von Heimburg. Damrosch began his musical education at the age of nine, learning the violin against the wishes of his parents, who wanted him to become a doctor. Capitulating to the wishes of his parents he entered the
University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
and completed his PhD in
medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
but during his spare time he studied violin under
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, and
thoroughbass Figured bass is musical notation in which numerals and symbols appear above or below (or next to) a bass note. The numerals and symbols (often accidentals) indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones that a musician playing piano, harpsi ...
with Dehn and Bohmer. After he completed his degree Damrosch decided to dedicate his life and energy to music. He gained fame as a violinist and began to play to large audiences in many major German cities including Berlin and
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
. He went to Weimar, and was received by
Franz 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 ...
, who appointed him solo-violinist in the Ducal orchestra. It has been said mistakenly that Liszt dedicated his
Symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ''T ...
№ 2 ('' Tasso, Lamento e Trionfo'') to Damrosch. However, Liszt did dedicate the similarly named Le Triomphe funèbre du Tasse, the third part of Trois odes funèbres, to Damrosch who conducted the first performance in New York on March 24, 1877. Damrosch first appeared as a conductor during the season of 1859 where he conducted the
Philharmonic An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola ...
concerts in Breslau. He continued to conduct the Philharmonic for three years due to the success of this season. In 1862 Damrosch founded a symphonic society in Breslau with an
orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
of eighty performers, modelled after the
Gewandhaus Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, the home of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. History The first Gewandhaus (''Altes Gewandhaus'') The f ...
concerts of
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 ...
. This society gained fame throughout Germany and Damrosch invited Liszt to conduct several of the performances, an invitation which he accepted.
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
also accepted the invitation to conduct his own manuscript compositions in the winter of 1867. In 1871, Damrosch emigrated to the United States of America at the invitation of 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 following ...
in New York. At his first concerts in the United States he introduced himself as conductor, composer, and violinist. At his successful debut in New York on 6 May 1871, Leopold Damrosch played as violin soloist at the first time with the
New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
, performing
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 classical ...
''
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 ...
'' with his own cadenza on the program at the Academy of Music. He participated in many concerts over this period and in 1873 he founded the
Oratorio Society of New York The Oratorio Society of New York is a not-for-profit membership organization that performs choral music in the oratorio style. Founded in 1873 by conductor Leopold Damrosch and is the third oldest musical organization in New York City. The Society h ...
. The first concert of this society was later that year and consisted of a programme of works by
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
,
Georg Friedrich Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
,
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina ( – 2 February 1594) was an Italian composer of late Renaissance music. The central representative of the Roman School, with Orlande de Lassus and Tomás Luis de Victoria, Palestrina is considered the leading ...
and others. In 1874 Damrosch gave another concert at the Oratorio Society, this the first with a full orchestra, consisting of Handel's ''
Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...
''. For Christmas that year ''
Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...
'' was performed. In 1876, Damrosch succeeded Carl Bergmann at the helm of the New York Philharmonic, but his high-minded programming – e.g. the entire first act of
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
's ''
Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), WWV 86B, is the second of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National Theatre Munich on ...
'' – frightened the typical New York subscriber, so his tenure with the orchestra was over. In 1877 Damrosch, in connection with a number of persons interested in the cultivation of orchestral music, established the Symphony society. This society became closely identified with the Oratorio Society and several joint performances were organized. The co-operation of these societies reached its climax in the great "musical festival" which was held in the armory of the 7th regiment in New York, from 3 till 7 May 1881. The chorus numbered 1,200, the main body being the Oratorio Society, which was augmented by various choral societies from neighboring towns. An additional chorus of 1,000 young ladies from the Normal College and 250 boys from the Church choirs took part in the afternoon concerts. The orchestra was composed of 250 pieces, and Dr. Damrosch selected a large number of artists for soloists. Among the choral works performed were Handel's ''Dettingen Te Deum'' and ''Messiah''; Rubinstein's ''Tower of Babel'' (first time); Berlioz's ''Grande Messe des Mortes'' (first time); and
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 classical ...
's Ninth Symphony. The audience numbered from 8,000 to 10,000 at each concert, and the enthusiasm for the projector of this enterprise resulted in an ovation on the last night. The degree of Doctor of Music was conferred upon him by Columbia in 1880. In 1883, Damrosch traveled extensively through the west with his orchestra. In September 1884, he began a remarkable series of operatic performances as General Manager and chief conductor of the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
in New York. The company had experienced great financial losses during its first season of Italian opera under director Henry Abbey. For its second season it turned to Damrosch to direct the company in German repertory. The company comprised some of the greatest artists of the German opera houses, and, in contrast with the hitherto prevailing mode, every part, even the smallest, was carefully presented. Twelve of the operas performed were comparative novelties, the most important of which were Wagner's ''
Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1 ...
'', ''
Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in Germany, German Arthurian literature. The son of Percival, Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which fi ...
'', and ''
Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), WWV 86B, is the second of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National Theatre Munich on ...
'', and Beethoven's ''
Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, with ...
''. This proved to be Damrosch's last effort. He conducted every performance except during the last week of his life, when he took a severe cold, from which he never recovered. He died in New York City in 1885. Damrosch was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.


Family

His sons
Frank Damrosch Frank Heino Damrosch (June 22, 1859 – October 22, 1937) was a German-born American music conductor and educator. In 1905, Damrosch founded the New York Institute of Musical Art, a predecessor of the Juilliard School. Life and career Damrosch w ...
and
Walter Johannes Damrosch Walter Johannes Damrosch (January 30, 1862December 22, 1950) was a German-born American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Ge ...
, both born in Breslau, in 1859 and 1862 respectively, both succeeded him as conductors of the
Oratorio Society of New York The Oratorio Society of New York is a not-for-profit membership organization that performs choral music in the oratorio style. Founded in 1873 by conductor Leopold Damrosch and is the third oldest musical organization in New York City. The Society h ...
. His daughter,
Clara Mannes Clara Mannes (born Clara Damrosch; 12 December 1869, Breslau, Silesia – 16 March 1948, New York City) was a German-born American musician and music educator. She and her brother Frank Damrosch also taught at the Veltin School for Girls in Manha ...
, was a music teacher. His grandchildren were musician
Leopold Mannes Leopold Damrosch Mannes (December 26, 1899 – August 11, 1964) was an American musician, who, together with Leopold Godowsky Jr., created the first practical color transparency film, Kodachrome. Life and career Mannes was born in New York Cit ...
, writer
Marya Mannes Marya Mannes (November 14, 1904 – September 13, 1990) was a 20th-century American writer and critic, known for her caustic but insightful observations of American life. Mannes also wrote under the pen name of "Sec." Life and career Mannes lived m ...
, and artist
Helen Damrosch Tee-Van Helen Damrosch Tee-Van (May 26, 1893 – July 29, 1976) was a German-American illustrator best known for her precise scientific illustrations. She participated in 13 international expeditions with the New York Zoological Society (Wildlife Conse ...
.


Works

* Am Manzanares, op. 11 no. 10 * An, op. 8 no. 5 * An den Mond, op. 17 no. 4 * Bedeckt mich mit Blumen, op. 11 no. 7 * Bedeckt mich mit Blumen, op. 11 no. 3 * Bitte, op. 5 no. 1 * Cantatas 1 – 7 * Das Meer erstrahlt im Sonnenschein, op. 16 no. 1 * Dereinst, dereinst, op. 11 no. 4 * Dich lieb' ich inniglich, op. 7 no. 3 (E. Kern) * Die blauen Frühlingsaugen, op. 13 no. 3 * Die du bist so schön und rein, op. 10 no. 3 * Es war ein alter König, op. 10 no. 4 * Fantasie for Violin and Orchestra * Frühling, op. 16 no. 2 * Frühlingslied, op. 6 no. 3 * Geh, Geliebter, geh jetzt!, op. 11 no. 6 * Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen, op. 10 no. 2 * Ich halte ihr die Augen zu, op. 16 no. 4 * Ich hatte einst ein schönes Vaterland, op. 13 no. 2 * Ich liebe dich, op. 8 no. 1 * In der Ferne, op. 10 no. 1 * Jedweder Geselle, sein Mädel im Arm, op. 16 no. 5 * Kalt und schneidend weht der Wind, op. 8 no. 8 * Kommen und Scheiden, op. 5 no. 4 * Liebesfrühling, op. 5 no. 5 * Liebesgruss, op. 14 no. 1 (Volkslieder (Folksongs)) * Lied des Fischerknaben * Mädchen mit dem rotten Mündchen, op. 10 no. 6 * Mignon, op. 17 no. 2 * Nachhall, op. 5 no. 2 ((Ignaz) Julius Lasker) * Nachtgesang, op. 17 no. 3 * Nähe des Geliebten, op. 17 no. 1 * Nelken wind' ich und Jasmin, op. 11 no. 5 * Orchesterstück (1859) * Schiller's "Joan of Arc" * Siegfrieds Schwert * Sulamith * Symphony in A Major (1878)Damrosch, Leopold; Agócs, Kati, ed. (2005). . Middleton, Wis.: A-R Editions. . * Trost, op. 8 no. 6 (Joseph Christian Freiherrn von Zedlitz) * Violin Concerto in D minor (pub. by Bote & Bock, 1878). One of at least two violin concertos by the composer; the other, also in D minor, dates from 1874.That said, there are manuscript piano scores and parts for other violin concertos by Damrosch – an "Op. 8" dated 1858 October 9 at the New York Public Library, and in the Library of Congress Mannes-Damrosch Collection, two parts of violin concertos, both called Zweites Concert, in F minor and in G major. * Von dem Rosenbusch, o Mutter, op. 11 no. 2 * Wandl' ich in dem Wald des Abends, op. 16 no. 3 * Wenn ich auf dem Lager liege, op. 10 no. 5 * Wenn ich ihn nur habe, op. 7 no. 2 * Wieder möcht' ich dir begegnen, op. 8 no. 9 * Zuléikha, op. 6 no. 2 * Zuversicht, op. 5 no. 3 ((Ignaz) Julius Lasker)


See also

*
Walter Johannes Damrosch Walter Johannes Damrosch (January 30, 1862December 22, 1950) was a German-born American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Ge ...
*
Frank Damrosch Frank Heino Damrosch (June 22, 1859 – October 22, 1937) was a German-born American music conductor and educator. In 1905, Damrosch founded the New York Institute of Musical Art, a predecessor of the Juilliard School. Life and career Damrosch w ...


References


External links


Damrosch Song Cycle and Art Song list


* * ttps://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu007003 Mannes-Damrosch collection, 1848–1986at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Damrosch-Tee Van collection, 1856–1969
at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Damrosch, Leopold 1832 births 1885 deaths American classical violinists Male classical violinists American conductors (music) American male conductors (music) German classical violinists German conductors (music) German male conductors (music) German emigrants to the United States German people of Jewish descent People from the Grand Duchy of Posen Musicians from Poznań German Romantic composers Conductors of the Metropolitan Opera Music directors of the New York Philharmonic 19th-century classical composers 19th-century conductors (music) German male classical composers 19th-century American musicians 19th-century German composers 19th-century classical violinists American male violinists Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)