Ernst Riemann

Ernst Riemann was born on 24 January 1882 in Coburg (Germany). He studied piano (with Bernhard Stavenhagen) and counterpoint (with Victor Gluth) at the Akademie der Tonkunst in Munich. After his studies in 1904 Ernst Riemann first worked as solo repetiteur at the Bavarian Court Opera, then was appointed piano teacher and director of the opera class at the conservatory in Krefeld in 1905. A year later he returned to Munich and perfected his piano studies under Sophie Menter, who was his grandaunt. Then Ernst Riemann successfully toured as a concert pianist through Europe. In Romania he was awarded the gold medal of arts and science for his performances. In 1909 Ernst Riemann was appointed court pianist of his hometown Coburg and in 1912 professor for piano at the Akademie für Tonkunst in Munich, a position he held until his retirement in 1948. He also founded the "Chorverein für evangelische Kirchenmusik" (choral society for protestant church music) in Munich in 1923 and conducted several concerts each season. For example the first Munich performance of Arthur Honegger's "Judith" in 1929. Ernst Riemann died on 16 September 1953 in Bolzano (Italy) where he stayed for a cure.

In my possession is the complete musical estate of Ernst Riemann. Beside his work as a pianist he also composed several works of which none was published. Therefore little is known about his works nowadays and it is nearly impossible to find his compositions. For this reason I would like to present here a work catalogue of Ernst Riemann and also scores of several of his compositions.

work catalogue

orchestral music

• Festspielmusik, for orchestra
• Klabaudermann-Marsch, for piano, strings and percussion
• sketches for a composition for choir and orchestra (incomplete)
• Cadenzas for the piano concerto No.26 „Coronation“ KV 537 by Mozart (1941)

chamber music

• Walzer „Evviva Pinola“, for piano (before 1911)
• Scherzo, for piano (1917, rev. 1930)
• Deutsche Walzer, for 2 pianos (1921, rev. 1930)
• Marsch, for piano 4-hands (1944)
• Gavotte for piano (1952)
• Un petit rien, for piano
• Tempelmusik, bass, violin and organ (on words by Aug. Baum)
• Thema und Variationen über ein altes Freimaurerlied, for cello and piano

songs

• Auf einem jungen Rosenblatt, for soprano and piano (on words by Otto Bierbaum) (1905)
• Schwere Stunde, for medium voice and piano (on words by Hanns von Gumppenburg) (1906)
• Nocturno, for voice and piano (on words by Emil Peschkau) (1909)
• Abendlandschaft, for high voice and piano (on words by Joseph von Eichendorff) (1913)
• Wo ist die Heimat?, for voice and piano (on words by Ludwig Thoma) (1915)
• Mir träumt, ich komm' ans Himmelstor, for tenor and piano (on words by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer) (1927)
• Alte Liebesweise, for voice and piano (on words by Werinher von Tegernsee) (before 1930)
• Reiselied, for voice and piano (on words by Hanns von Gumppenburg) (before 1930)
• Apfelernte, for voice and piano (on words by Hanns von Gumppenburg) (before 1930)
• Ritterlicher Zweikampf, for voice and piano (on words by Hanns von Gumppenburg) (before 1930)
• *Erwartung, for high voice and piano (on words by Ludwig H. Ernst) (before 1930)
• *Hochlandsdorf, for high voice and piano (on words by Friedrich Lienhard) (before 1930)
• *Das faule Hänschen, for soprano and piano (before 1930)
• *An das Schicksal, for tenor and piano (on words by R. Piloty) (before 1930)
• Der wandernde Musikant, for high voice and piano (on words by Joseph von Eichendorff) (1930)
• Christkindleins Wiegenlied, for soprano and piano (1931)
• Rache, for bass and piano (on words by Hanns von Gumppenburg) (1932)
• Der Mittelpunkt, for tenor and piano (on words by Friedrich Rückert) (1933)
• Letztes Leuchten, for voice and piano (on words by Hanns von Gumppenburg) (1933)
• Zwei Nächte, for tenor and piano (on words by Hanns von Gumppenburg) (1934)
• Gottfried, for high voice and piano (on words by Hanns von Gumppenburg) (1934)
• *Die geheimnisvolle Flöte, for voice and piano (on words by Hans Bethge) (before 1935)
• Die Einsame, for medium voice and piano (on words by Hans Bethge) (1935)
• Jedem das Seine, for tenor and piano (on words by Eduard Mörike) (1936)
• Gesänge des Harfners, for voice and piano (on words by Goethe) (1941)
• Ein Gleicher, for voice and piano (on words by Goethe) (1942)
• Wanderers Nachtlied, for voice and piano (on words by Goethe) (1942)
• Grab an der Marne, for voice and piano (on words by Hans Watzlik) (1942)
• Dämmerstunde, for high voice and piano (on words by Anne Wolff-Goetze) (1946)
• Zum Winter 1949/50, for voice and piano (on words by Albert Quarck) (1949)
• Ritterliche Werbung, for high voice and piano (on words by Eduard Mörike)
• Lied des Troubadour, for tenor and harp (on words by Ingo Krauß)
• Der Postillon, for voice and piano (on words by Nikolaus Lenau)
• Philine, for voice and piano (on words by Goethe)
• Der Fischer, for voice and piano (on words by Goethe)
• Scherz, for tenor and piano (on words by Eduard Mörike)
• Was betrübst du dich, meine Seele, for voice and piano (on words by Johann Hermann Schein)
• Das ist ein Brausen und Heulen, for voice and piano (on words by Heinrich Heine)
• Widmung, for voice and piano
• Du und ich, for voice and piano
• Abschied, for voice and piano
• Abendgang, for voice and piano
• Capriccio (im Kanu), for voice and piano
• Kinderhände, for voice and piano
• Epilog (+ 24.XI.1944), for violin and piano

(works marked with an * are not part of the estate of Ernst Riemann. I could only provide evidence of their existence through old concert programs which were also part of the estate. The other works without an * are all present with a score in this archive.)

Un petit rien, for piano

A wonderful, tiny composition imitating a music box.

Deutsche Walzer, for 2 pianos

Tempelmusik, for bass voice, organ and solo violin

This music was composed for the ceremonial of the acceptance of a new member in a Masonic Lodge which takes place in the Masonic hall called "temple".

Cadenzas for the Piano concerto No. 26 KV 537 "Coronation" by W.A. Mozart

Klabaudermann-Marsch, for piano, strings and percussion

This "ship's kobold march" is subtitled "a summer resort joke".

Alte Liebesweise, for voice and piano

Part of the estate of Ernst Riemann was also this record produced by the German music publisher "Musikhaus A. Schmid Nachf.". The publishing house Alfred Schmid was located in Munich and existed till World War II at the least. It seems that the company offered the production of records with own recordings called "Musica Anima Platte". I could not find information about this service or other examples, but the number of produced records was surely very little, maybe just one.

In the case of Ernst Riemann it contains a recording of a song for voice and piano. I could neither find out the performers nor the title, but it is likely that Ernst Riemann is playing the piano part of one of his own compositions.

the estate also contained the following scores by other composers:

• Bischoff, Hermann: Letzte Bitte, for voice and piano. Attachment to the „Moderne Blätter für Musik, Kunst und Litteratur“
• Brahms, Johannes: Motette for piano. Handwritten score by Ernst Riemann
• Händel, Georg Friedrich: Gefahren verachtend, for 3-part choir and piano. From: Judas Maccabäus. Handwritten score by Ernst Riemann
• Hausegger, Siegmund von: Lied des Harfenmädchens, for soprano and piano. Attachment to the „Moderne Blätter für Musik, Kunst und Litteratur“
• Mauke, Wilhelm: Fanfreluche – Vollständiger Klavierauszug. München: Drei Masken-Verlag (D.M.V. 832)
• Menter, Eugenie: Gavotte for piano. Handwritten score
• Menter, Eugenie: Just die Eine!, for male quartet op.35. Autograph manuscript
• Menter, Sofie: Mazurka for piano. Handwritten score by Ernst Riemann
• Moscheles, Ignaz: Studien für das Pianoforte – Heft I. Leipzig: Kistner (Pl. 318)
• Oper und Lied im Salon – Werke von Josef Weigl, Mozart, Mehul und Boieldieu. Leipzig: Moritz Schäfer.
• Romberg, Bernhard: Kindersymphonie op.62, for piano 4-hands. Offenbach: Johann Andre (C.P. 3569)
• Schlemm, Gustav Adolf: Christgeburtskantate, for narrator, SATB choir and piano. Autograph manuscript
• Schumann, Robert: Trio No.2 op.80. Hamburg: Schuberth (Pl. Nr. 1278, zweite, revidierte Auflage). A copy that was formerly in possession of Victor von Miller (a friend of Brahms) and bears his handwritten name on the title page dated 10.03.1868.