Emil Mollenhauer (1855–1927) was an American musician, an orchestra violinist and conductor.

Biography

Emil Mollenhauer was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, on August 4, 1855, to Frederick Mollenhauer of

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

, Germany, who was himself a violinist. He attended public school in Brooklyn. He was a musical prodigy and was playing in the orchestra of

Niblo's Garden Niblo's Garden was a theater on Broadway and Crosby Street, near Prince Street, in SoHo, Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1823 as "Columbia Garden" which in 1828 gained the name of the ''Sans Souci'' and was later the property ...

in February 1864 before he was nine years old. From the age of sixteen he played in the orchestras of the

Booth Theatre The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the It ...

, where his uncle led the orchestra, that of Theodore Thomas at Central Park Garden, and the Damrosch Orchestra, where he also played piano. He left New York City for Boston where he played at the Bijou Opera House. He played first violin in the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...

from 1884 to 1888. He turned to conducting and led the Germania Orchestra for several years and then led several annual tours as head of the

Boston Festival Orchestra Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...

, leading concerts with such notable soloists as

Emma Calvé Emma Calvé, born Rosa Emma Calvet (15 August 1858 – 6 January 1942) was a French operatic dramatic soprano. Calvé was probably the most famous French female opera singer of the Belle Époque. Hers was an international career, and she sang ...

Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the f ...

, and

Eugène Ysaÿe Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (; 16 July 185812 May 1931) was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar". Early years Born in Liège, Ysaÿe began ...

. Mollenhauer was conductor of the Apollo Club of Boston, an acclaimed men's chorus, from November 1901 through April 1927. He became conductor of Boston's

Handel and Haydn Society The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest serving suc ...

in 1899 and held that post until his death. Mollenhauer married Mary Laverty, a professional singer. He died at his home in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, on December 10, 1927. He was scheduled to conduct a concert the day following his death.

References

External links

Biographical history of Massachusetts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mollenhauer, Emil 1855 births 1927 deaths Musicians from Brooklyn American conductors (music) American male conductors (music) American violinists American male violinists Classical musicians from New York (state)