Anna Hegner (1 March 1881 – 3 February 1963) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

violinist, music composer and pedagogue. She was well-known as a violin soloist, and played concerts in

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 ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She taught in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Basel and

Münchenstein Münchenstein (Swiss German: ''Minggestai'') is a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland. Historical records Münchenstein is first mentioned in 1196 as ''Kekingen''. In 1270, it was mentione ...

, and founded a string quartet in Freiburg-im-Brisgau. Her notable students include

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advo ...

. Anna-Hegner-Strasse in Basel was named in her honor.

Biography

Anna Hegner was born in

into a respected family of musicians. Her father was Magnus Hegner, and her mother Anna Viccelio. Hegner studied violin with Adolphe Ludwig Stiehle and

Hugo Heermann Hugo Heermann (3 March 1844, in Heilbronn – 6 November 1935, in Meran, Italy) was a German violinist. He studied the violin with Lambert Joseph Meerts at the Koninklijk Conservatorium (Brussels), Koninklijk Conservatorium in Brussels, and later ...

, before attending the Hochsen Conservatory in

. Hegner became well known as a violin soloist. She was recognised for her concerts in Basel, Berlin, Leipzig and London. For some time she lived and worked in Frankfurt and was

's private violin teacher. She taught for three years in Basel. In 1908 she moved to Münchenstein and there she organized classical concerts in the Catholic Church (also performing as soloist) and organized summer concerts in the small gorge behind her house. She was the Basel Symphony Orchestra's first woman leader. She later lived in Freiburg-im-Brisgau and founded a string quartet there in 1911. Hegner composed many violin pieces and some songs. She died in hospital in 1963 from the effects of an accident. Soon after her death, Anna-Hegner-Strasse was named after her and for a long time she was the only woman in the Basel area to be honored with a street name.

References

Sources

''Münchenstein Heimatkunde''. Verlag des Kantons Basel-Landschaft, Liestal 1995, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Hegner, Anna Musicians from Basel-Stadt Münchenstein Swiss classical violinists Swiss women composers Swiss women violinists Swiss music educators Swiss women music educators 20th-century Swiss women educators 20th-century Swiss educators 1881 births 1963 deaths 20th-century women musicians 20th-century classical violinists Women classical violinists