Hans Sommer (composer)
Hans Sommer was a German composer and mathematician.
Hans Sommer was born Hans Friedrich August Zincke in Braunschweig in 1837.
Before going into music full-time Sommer, who had studied mathematics and physics in Braunschweig and Göttingen, was also a noted mathematician. He served as the director of the Braunschweig University of Technology, where he taught mathematics, from 1875 to 1881.
He was most successful as a composer for the theatre. Several of his operas used librettos based on fairy tales and were first produced at Brunswick: Der Nachtwächter, Loreley, Rübezahl und der Sackpfeifer von Neisse, Riquet mit dem Schopf and Der Waldschratt .Saint Foix, a one-act opera, was given at Munich in 1894 and Der Meermann at Weimar in 1896; Der Vetter aus Bremen, Augustin and Münchhausen were not performed. His incidental music to Hans von Wolzogen's Das Schloss der Herzen was first performed in 1897 in Berlin, in concert form. He placed great importance on the literary quality of his librettos, and corresponded with numerous librettists and composers. His many songs, at one time known in England, include the cycles Der Rattenfänger von Hameln, Der wilde Jäger and Sapphos Gesänge; he also wrote orchestral works and male-voice choruses.
Sommer was active in initiating the institution of composer's performance rights, and was instrumental in recruiting Richard Strauss to that cause.Selected works
Lieder
- Fünf Lieder op. 1, Litolff Braunschweig 1876
- Hunold Singuf op. 4, Litolff Braunschweig 1884
- Sapphos Gesänge op. 6, Litolff Braunschweig 1884
- Sechs Balladen und Romanzen op. 8, Litolff Braunschweig 1886
- Zehn Lieder op. 9, Litolff Braunschweig 1886
- Sieben Balladen und Romanzen op. 11, Litolff Braunschweig 1886
- Sieben Lieder op. 16, Leede Leipzig 1892
- Eliland op. 33, Litolff Braunschweig 1900
- Fünf Brettl-Lieder op. 34, Leede Leipzig 1901
- 21 Lieder, o. op., in Teilen veröffentlicht, Litolff Braunschweig 1932/1937
Operas
- Der Nachtwächter, Operette 1 Akt, o. op., UA Braunschweig 1865, nicht gedruckt
- Der Vetter aus Bremen, Operette 1 Akt, o. op., nicht gedruckt
- Lorelei Bühnenspiel 3 Akte, op. 13, UA Braunschweig 1891, Leede Leipzig 1889
- Saint Foix heiteres Bühnenspiel 1 Akt, op. 20, UA München 1894, Leede Leipzig 1893
- Der Meermann nordische Legende 1 Akt, op. 28, UA Weimar 1896, Leede Leipzig 1895
- Münchhausen, Ein Schelmenstück 3 Akte, op. 31, Leede Leipzig 1897
- Augustin, Fasnachtspiel 1 Akt, op. 32, Leede Leipzig 1899
- Rübezahl und der Sackpfeifer von Neisse, Dichtung und Musik 4 Akte, op. 36, UA Braunschweig 1904, Leede Leipzig 1904
- Riquet mit dem Schopf, Märchenspiel 3 Akte, op. 38, UA Braunschweig 1907, Leede Leipzig 1907
- Der Waldschratt, Spiel 3 Akte, op. 42, UA Braunschweig 1912, Leede Leipzig 1910
Chamber music
- Klaviertrio d-Moll o. op.
- Klavierquartett g-Moll o. op.
- Klaviertrio Es-Dur o. op.
