Hans Sommer (born 20 July 1837 in Braunschweig (Brunswick) – 26 April 1922 in Braunschweig) was a German composer and mathematician. Sommer was born Hans Friedrich August Zincke in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

in 1837. Before going into music full-time, Sommer, who had studied mathematics and physics in Braunschweig and

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

, was also a noted mathematician. He served as the director of the

Braunschweig University of Technology Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the No ...

, 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'' (1865), ''Loreley'' (1891), '' Rübezahl und der Sackpfeifer von Neisse'' (1904), ''Riquet mit dem Schopf'' (1907) and ''Der Waldschratt ''(1912).''Saint Foix'', a one-act opera, was given at Munich in 1894 and ''Der Meermann at Weimar'' in 1896; ''Der Vetter aus Bremen'' (1865), ''Augustin'' (1898) and ''Münchhausen'' (1896–8) were not performed. His incidental music to Hans von Wolzogen's '' Das Schloss der Herzen'' (1891) was first performed in 1897 in Berlin, in

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

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 Performing rights are the right to perform music in public. It is part of copyright law and demands payment to the music's composer/lyricist and publisher (with the royalties generally split 50/50 between the two). Performances are considered "pu ...

and was instrumental in recruiting

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and early Modernism (music), modern eras, he has been descr ...

to that cause.Charles Youmans -''The Cambridge Companion to Richard Strauss'' 2010 p252 1139828525 "Far too many authors misstate Strauss's role in the initial phases of this crusade by making him the instigator, when in fact Hans Sommer was the intellectual father of the cause.48 it was only after Sommer had published an article on the issue in early 1898 and then sent a copy to Strauss..."

Selected works

Lieder

* Fünf Lieder op. 1 (1872/1873), Litolff Braunschweig 1876 * Hunold Singuf (33 Rattenfängerlieder, J. Wolff) op. 4 (1882), Litolff Braunschweig 1884 * Sapphos Gesänge ( C. Sylva) op. 6 (1883/1884), Litolff Braunschweig 1884 uch orchestriert 1884/1885, Universal Edition 2010">Universal_Edition.html" ;"title="uch orchestriert 1884/1885, Universal Edition">uch orchestriert 1884/1885, J. Eichendorff) op. 9 (komp. etwa 1885), Litolff Braunschweig 1886 * Sieben Balladen und Romanzen op. 11 (1886), Litolff Braunschweig 1886 * Sieben Lieder ( G. Keller) op. 16 (1891), Leede Leipzig 1892 * Eliland (Karl Stieler">K. Stieler) op. 33 (1891/1892), Litolff Braunschweig 1900 * Fünf Brettl-Lieder op. 34 (1895/1901), Leede Leipzig 1901 * 21 Lieder ( J. W. Goethe), o. op. (1919–1922), in Teilen veröffentlicht, Litolff Braunschweig 1932/1937 Goethe">J. W. Goethe), o. op. (1919–1922), in Teilen veröffentlicht, Litolff Braunschweig 1932/1937 [20 Lieder orchestriert, in Teilen veröffentlicht 2003/2010 (Universal Edition)

Operas

* Der Nachtwächter (E. T. Neckniz/''Pseudonym des Komponisten'', nach Theodor Körner), Operette 1 Akt, o. op., UA Braunschweig 1865, nicht gedruckt * Der Vetter aus Bremen (E. T. Neckniz/''Pseudonym des Komponisten'', nach Theodor Körner), Operette 1 Akt, o. op., nicht gedruckt * Lorelei (Gustav Gurski) Bühnenspiel 3 Akte, op. 13, UA Braunschweig 1891, Leede Leipzig 1889 * Saint Foix (Hans von Wolzogen (Schriftsteller)">Hans von Wolzogen) heiteres Bühnenspiel 1 Akt, op. 20, UA München 1894, Leede Leipzig 1893 * Der Meermann (ders.) nordische Legende 1 Akt, op. 28, UA Weimar 1896, Leede Leipzig 1895 * Münchhausen (ders. mit Ferdinand Graf Sporck und Hans Sommer), Ein Schelmenstück 3 Akte, op. 31, Leede Leipzig 1897 * Augustin (Hans von Wolzogen), Fasnachtspiel 1 Akt, op. 32, Leede Leipzig 1899 * Rübezahl und der Sackpfeifer von Neisse ( Eberhard König), Dichtung und Musik 4 Akte, op. 36, UA Braunschweig 1904, Leede Leipzig 1904 * Riquet mit dem Schopf (ders.), Märchenspiel 3 Akte, op. 38, UA Braunschweig 1907, Leede Leipzig 1907 * Der Waldschratt (ders.), Spiel 3 Akte, op. 42, UA Braunschweig 1912, Leede Leipzig 1910

Chamber music

* Klaviertrio d-Moll o. op. (komp. 1858) * Klavierquartett g-Moll o. op. (komp. 1870/2. Fass. 1884) * Klaviertrio Es-Dur o. op. (komp. 1884)

Sources

*J.A. Fuller Maitland/Bernd Wiechert. The ''

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

'', edited by Stanley Sadie (1992), and

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sommer, Hans 1837 births 1922 deaths German opera composers Male opera composers 19th-century German mathematicians Musicians from Braunschweig People from the Duchy of Brunswick Technical University of Braunschweig alumni University of Göttingen alumni Technical University of Braunschweig faculty German male classical composers 19th-century German musicians 19th-century German male musicians