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Scan 287
A biographical dictionary of musicians, 1905
6 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 275. See the scan on archive.org.
1concerts, and as a music-teacher. In 1754 he became tutor to the son of Count Brühl at Dresden, whom he accompanied in 1758 to Leipzig. Here he finally settled, and devoted himself to a revival of the Subscription Concerts in 1763. These developed into the famous "Gewandhaus" concerts, of which he was app. cond. In 1771 he founded a singing-school, and from 1789-1801 was Cantor and Musikdirector of the Thomasschule as successor of Doles. As composer, cond., teacher, and author his industry was astonishing.—H. was the originator of the "Singspiel," the precursor of German "comedy-opera," which had a distinct development, contemporaneously with Italian opera buffa and French op.-com. A peculiar (and not wholly unjustifiable) notion of his was, to let the "gentry" in his dramatic works sing arias and the like, while to persons of low degree were given simple songs, etc. His Singspiele, all prod. at Leipzig, were the following: Lottchen am Hofe (1760); Der Teufel ist los (1st part, Der lustige Schuster, 1768; 2nd part, Die verwandelten Weiber, 1766); Lisuart und Dariolette (1767); Die Liebe auf dem Lande; Der Dorfbarbier, Die Jagd, Die Musen (1772); Der Erntekranz, Der Krieg (1773); Die Jubelhochzeit, Das Grab des Mufti (1779); Pottis, oder Das gerettete Troja (1782). The songs of these operettas became, and many of them are still, exceedingly popular. Among his other comp.s may be mentioned: A Passion cantata, funeral music in honor of Hasse, the 100th Psalm, symphonies and partitas. He edited Ch. Felix Weisse's "Lieder für Kinder," also "50 geistliche Lieder für Kinder," "Choral-Melodien zu Gellerts geistlichen Oden," "Vierstimmige Chorarien," a "Choralbuch," cantatas, etc. His writings include: "Wöchentliche Nachrichten und Anmerkungen, die Musik betreffend" (1766-70, the earliest musical paper); "Lebensbeschreibungen berühmter Musikgelehrten und Tonkünstler" (1784); "Nachricht von der Aufführung des Händel'schen Messias in der Domkirche zu Berlin, 19. Mai 1786"; "Ueber Metastasio und seine Werke" (1786); "Anweisung zum musikalisch richtigen Gesang" (1774); "Anweisung zum musikalisch zierlichen Gesang" (1780); "Anweisung zum Violinspiel" (1792). He prepared the 2nd ed. of Adlung's "Anleitung zur musikalischen Gelahrtheit" (with comments, 1783), arranged Pergolesi's Stabat Mater for four-part chorus, and publ. Händel's Jubilate, Haydn's Stabat Mater, Graun's "Tod Jesu," and Hasse's "Pilgrime auf Golgatha."—Biography by Carl Peiser (Leipzig, 1895).—His son and pupil,
3Hil'ler, Friedrich Adam, violinist and tenor singer; b. Leipzig, 1768; d. Königsberg, Nov. 23, 1812. App. mus. dir. of Schwerin th., 1790; of Altona th. 1796; in 1803 became Kapellm. of Königsberg th.—Works: 4 operettas, 6 string-quartets, grand pf.-sonata, and other instr.l and vocal works.
5Hil'ler, Ferdinand von, distinguished composer, conductor, pianist and writer; b. Frankfort, Oct. 24, 1811; d. Cologne, May 12, 1885. Scion of a wealthy Jewish family, he early became a pupil of Hofmann (vln.), Aloys Schmitt (pf.), and Vollweiler (harm. and cpt.); at 10 he played a Mozart concerto in public, and at 12 began composition. From 1825 he was a pupil of Hummel at Weimar; accompanied him to Vienna in 1827 (where his op. 4, a string-quartet, was publ.), and, as a boy of 15, saw Beethoven on his death-bed. From 1828-35 he lived in Paris, teaching for a time in Choron's School of Music, but afterwards living independently, perfecting himself as a pianist and composer, and on intimate terms with celebrated musicians. He gave concerts with Fétis and Baillot, and shone as an interpreter of Beethoven. In 1836, on his father's death, he returned to Frankfort, and during Schelble's illness cond. the Cäcilien-Verein. Aided by Rossini, in 1839 he (unsuccessfully) prod. his opera Romilda at Milan, and commenced an oratorio, Die Zerstörung Jerusalems, which impressed Mendelssohn, who invited him to Leipzig to superintend its production at the Gewandhaus (1840). In 1841, at Rome, he studied church-music under Baini. During one winter (1843-4) he cond. the Gewandhaus concerts at Leipzig. At Dresden he prod. the operas Traum in der Christnacht (1845) and Conradin (1847). In 1847 he was app. municipal Kapellm. at Düsseldorf, in 1850 at Cologne, and organized the Cons. As cond. of the Gürzenich Concerts, and of the Lower Rhine festivals, he became the most notable musical figure in the Rhenish provinces. During the season of 1852-3 he cond. the Opéra Italien at Paris. In 1849 he was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Berlin; in 1868 Bonn Univ. gave him the hon. title of Dr. In 1884 he retired.—Although he freely expressed his antipathy to many features of the "new school" of German music, he was liberal-minded, and placed many of Wagner's works on his concert-programs. His easy circumstances, classical training, and artistic and friendly association with Spohr, Hauptmann, and especially Mendelssohn, naturally influenced his style, which also has a strong leaning toward romanticism; his compositions, numbering over 200, are not so remarkable for originality and profundity as for their elegant form, flowing melody, sparkling rhythm, and clarity of harmony. They include 6 operas (the 3 noted above, and Der Advokat, Cologne, 1854; Die Catacomben, Wiesbaden, 1862; and Der Deserteur, Cologne, 1865); 2 oratorios (Saul, 1858, was the second); 6 cantatas (Lorelei, Nal und Damajanti, Israels Sie-
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