Engelbert Humperdinck
For the pop singer of this name, see Engelbert Humperdinck (singer) |
Engelbert Humperdinck, born 1854 |
Engelbert Humperdinck (
September 1,
1854 –
September 27,
1921) was a
German composer, best known for his opera,
Hänsel und Gretel (1893).
Humperdinck was born at
Siegburg, in the Rhine provinces. In 1872 he entered the
Cologne Conservatory under
Ferdinand Hiller. In 1876 he won a scholarship which enabled him to go to
Munich, where he studied with
Franz Paul Lachner and later with
Josef Rheinberger. He won the Mendelssohn Stiftung (foundation) of Berlin in 1879, and went to Italy, and became acquainted with
Richard Wagner in Naples. Wagner invited him to go to
Bayreuth, and during 1880-81 Humperdinck assisted in the production of
Parsifal. Having won another prize, however, he went again to Southern Europe, traveling through Italy, France and Spain, spending two years in
Barcelona teaching at the conservatoire. In 1887 he returned to Cologne, and was appointed professor at the Hoch Conservatory (
Frankfurt-am-Main) in 1890, and also teacher of harmony at Stockhausen's Vocal School. By this time he had composed several works for chorus and a Humoreske for orchestra, which enjoyed a vogue in Germany.
His chief reputation rests on his opera
Hänsel und Gretel, which was produced at Weimar, 1893. In 1896 the Kaiser made Humperdinck a Professor and he went to live at
Boppard. Four years later, however, he went to Berlin where he was appointed head of a Meister-Schule of composition. Among his other operatic works are
Dornröschen,
Die Königskinder and
Die Heirat wider Willen.
Humperdinck was greatly influenced by
Richard Wagner, and worked as his assistant. In his opera
Königskinder, Humperdinck became the first composer to use
Sprechgesang, a vocal technique halfway between
singing and
speaking, and later exploited by
Arnold Schoenberg.
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Biography
