Jean-Siegfried Blumann (2 February 1887 – 1965) was a German conductor and composer.
Life
Blumann was born in Osnabrück, in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
according to other sources.
[Ecke ''Siegfried Blumann 25 Jahre Dirigent''](_blank)
In '' Volksstimme.'' 6 October 1931. Already at the age of four he showed interest in music and played
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...
. At the age of seven he received music lessons, at 13 he performed in public for the first time. Blumann attended the
Kapellmeister
( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...
class at the
Hamburger Konservatorium. His studies also led him to the Conservatory in Vienna. On 5 October 1906 he conducted an orchestra for the first time in an examination concert in the . The Adagio by
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
, which he had instrumentalized himself, was performed. He then conducted a small amateur orchestra as well as a women's choir until he went to the
Mecklenburg State Theatre
The Mecklenburg State Theatre () is the principal theatre of Schwerin in Germany. Its main theatre (or ''Großes Haus'') seats 650 people and is used for the performance of plays, opera, musical theatre and ballet. Designed by Georg Daniel, the p ...
as
répétiteur
A (; from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. The feminine form is .
Opera
In opera, a is the person responsible for coaching singers ...
in 1908. Two years later he became choir director and kapellmeister in
Lübeck
Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...
.
Further engagements took him to
Braunschweig
Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...
,
Breslau and to the
Kroll Opera House
The Kroll Opera House () in Berlin, Germany, was in the Tiergarten district on the western edge of the '' Königsplatz'' square (today ''Platz der Republik''), facing the Reichstag building. It was built in 1844 as an entertainment venue for th ...
in Berlin.
In 1912 he went to the
Stadttheater Magdeburg
Stadttheater Magdeburg was the municipal theatre of Magdeburg, Germany. It was opened in 1878, was at times of national importance for operas, and was destroyed during World War II.
History Building
Between 1873 and 1876, a new municipal ...
, where he became municipal Kapellmeister in 1924. He worked as an opera conductor and also conducted folk concerts, so in the circus, in the and also in the . In addition, he also appeared as a pianist. As a composer he created two
ballet pantomimes, two Christmas fairy tales, a suite for orchestra, several
étude
An étude (; ) or study is an instrumental musical composition, designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular musical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidly growing popu ...
, songs, orchestral pieces, a concert piece for
cello
The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
,
incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as th ...
for drama and cheerful pieces. At least around 1916 he lived in
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river.
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
at the address ''Hindenburgstraße 17''
[''Magdeburger Adreßbuch 1916'', I. Teil, Verlag August Scherl, page 28] (today ''Albert-Vater-Straße'') in the district .
On 7 April 1933, Blumann, who presumably came from a Jewish family, was granted leave by the newly appointed National Socialist theatre management. Between 1933 and 1938 he fled from Germany and went to France where he lived during World War II as well as in the post-war period. At least in 1960 he lived in
Tours
Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...
and conducted orchestras in
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...
and
Niort
Niort (; Poitevin: ''Nià u''; ; ) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.
The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area.
Geography
T ...
. In 1960 he received support from the artists' aid of the
Süddeutscher Rundfunk.
Work
* ''Harlekinade'', for salon orchestra, Magdeburg: Heinrichshofen, 1929.
* ''Menelaus'', Foxtrot for salon orchestra, Magdeburg: Heinrichshofen, 1929.
* ''Auf dem gelben Fluß'', for trumpet, piano and organ
* ''Robert und Bertram'', New arrangement of the folk play in four parts for song and dance by Gustav Raeder and
Robert Adolf Stemmle
Robert Adolf Stemmle (10 June 1903 – 24 February 1974) was a German screenwriter and film director. He wrote for more than 80 films between 1932 and 1967. He also directed 46 films between 1934 and 1970. His 1959 film '' Die unvollkommene ...
, Berlin, 1930.
* ''Nun leb’ wohl du kleine Gasse'', humorous variations on the folk song of the same name
References
External links
*
Matthias Pasdzierny: Jean-Siegfried Blumann in the ''
Lexikon verfolgter Musiker und Musikerinnen der NS-Zeit
The ''Lexikon verfolgter Musiker und Musikerinnen der NS-Zeit'' (LexM) is an online encyclopedia of the University of Hamburg, which has been developed as a work in progress since 2005.
Publication/contents
The editors today are Sophie Fetthau ...
'', Claudia Maurer Zenck, Peter Petersen (ed.), Hamburg: University of Hamburg, 2009
Ecke ''Siegfried Blumann 25 Jahre Dirigent''In ''
Volksstimme.'' 6 October 1931
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blumann, JeanSiegfried
1887 births
1965 deaths
Musicians from Osnabrück
German conductors (music)
20th-century German composers
Emigrants from Nazi Germany to France