 | This article'slead sectionmay be too short to adequatelysummarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead toprovide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article.(April 2025) |
Engelbert Humperdinck (German:[ˈɛŋl̩bɛʁtˈhʊmpɐdɪŋk]; 1 September 1854 – 27 September 1921) was a German composer. He is known widely for his operaHansel and Gretel (1893).
Humperdinck was born inSiegburg in theRhine Province in 1854. After receiving piano lessons, he produced his first composition at the age of seven. His first attempts at works for the stage were twosingspiele written when he was 13. His parents disapproved of his plans for a career in music and encouraged him to study architecture.
But he began taking music classes underFerdinand Hiller andIsidor Seiss at theCologne Conservatory in 1872. In 1876, he won a scholarship that enabled him to go toMunich, where he studied withFranz Lachner and later withJosef Rheinberger. In 1879, he won the firstMendelssohn Award given by theMendelssohn Stiftung (foundation) in Berlin.[1]
He went to Italy, where he became acquainted with composerRichard Wagner in Naples. Wagner invited him to join him inBayreuth, and during 1880 and 1881 Humperdinck assisted in the production ofParsifal. He also served as music tutor to Wagner's son,Siegfried.[1]
After winning another prize, Humperdinck traveled through Italy, France, and Spain. For two years, he taught at theGran Teatre del Liceu Conservatory inBarcelona. In 1887, he returned to Cologne. He was appointed professor at theHoch Conservatory inFrankfurt in 1890 and also teacher of harmony atJulius Stockhausen's Vocal School. By this time he had composed several works for chorus and aHumoreske for small orchestra, which became very popular in Germany.[1]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 Audio in English of Humperdinck'sHänsel und Gretel conducted by Barbara Schubert and the University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2003 |
Humperdinck's reputation rests chiefly on his operaHänsel und Gretel, on which he began work in Frankfurt in 1890.[2] He first composed four songs to accompany a puppet show his nieces were giving at home. Then, using a libretto and thematic suggestions by his sisterAdelheid Wette, rather loosely based on the version of the fairy tale by theGrimm Brothers, he composed asingspiel of 16 songs with piano accompaniment and connecting dialogue. By January 1891, he had begun working on a complete orchestration.[1]
The opera premiered inWeimar on 23 December 1893, conducted byRichard Strauss. With its highly original synthesis of Wagnerian techniques and traditional German folk songs,Hansel and Gretel was an instant and overwhelming success.[1]
Hansel and Gretel has always been Humperdinck's most popular work.[citation needed] In 1923, theRoyal Opera House (London) chose it for their first completeradio opera broadcast. Eight years later, it was the first opera transmitted live from theMetropolitan Opera (New York).[citation needed]
In 1896,Kaiser Wilhelm II made Humperdinck a Professor and he went to live inBoppard, Rhineland-Palatinate. Four years later, he went toBerlin, where he was appointed head of a Meister-Schule of composition. His students included Basque composerAndrés Isasi, Portuguese composerLuís de Freitas Branco andKurt Weill.
Among Humperdinck's other stage works are:
While composing those works, Humperdinck held various teaching positions of distinction. He also collaborated in the theater, providing incidental music for a number ofMax Reinhardt's productions in Berlin: for example,Shakespeare'sThe Merchant of Venice in 1905.[3]
Although recognized as a disciple of Wagner rather than an innovator, Humperdinck was the first composer to useSprechgesang—a vocal technique halfway between singing and speaking—in his melodramaKönigskinder (1897).[1]
On 5 January 1912 Humperdinck suffered a severe stroke. Although he recovered, his left hand remained permanently paralyzed. He continued to compose, completingGaudeamus with the help of his son, Wolfram, in 1918.
In 1914, Humperdinck is thought to have applied for the post of director of theSydney Conservatorium of Music inAustralia, but with the outbreak of World War I, it became unthinkable for a German to hold that position. Belgium'sHenri Verbrugghen was selected for the job, as Belgium was an ally of the United Kingdom.[4] Also in 1914, Humperdinck signed theManifesto of the Ninety-Three, declaring support for German military actions during early World War I.[5]
On 26 September 1921, Humperdinck attended a performance ofCarl Maria von Weber'sDer Freischütz inNeustrelitz, which was Wolfram's first effort as a stage director. He suffered a heart attack during the performance and died the next day, aged 67, from a second heart attack. TheBerlin State Opera performedHansel and Gretel in his memory a few weeks later.[1] Humperdinck was buried at theStahnsdorf South-Western Cemetery near Berlin.
Humperdinck married Louise Hedwig Laura Taxer on 19 May 1892 in Poppelsdorf bei Bonn. They had four children, Wolfram, Clara, Irmgard, and Senta.
In 1965, British singerArnold Dorsey named himself after the composer.
The main belt asteroid9913 Humperdinck, discovered in 1977, was named after the composer.[6]
| Operas |
|
|---|---|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
