Heinz Möhn

Heinrich Jakob, named Heinz Möhn was born on 23 November 1902 in Limburg (Germany). He received a smattering of music education during his school days, but started to study music seriously not until the completion of school in 1921. It seems that he enrolled at the Hoch conservatory in Frankfurt am Main and became a student of Eduard Gelbart (piano, harmony, counterpoint, orchestration) and got private lessons from Carl Schuricht (conducting, choral directing).
After his studies Heinz Möhn started to make a living on his musical skills. He became the choir master of two ensembles in Limburg and started to compose. It is not known how he pulled through with these activities over the next years, maybe he gave private music lessons like he did later again. With the rise of the Nazi regime Heinz Möhn became a local colleague of the Reich Chamber of Music. Since 1936 he worked as a critic for the local newspaper and organist at the Limburg Cathedral. The same year he became seriously ill with a pleurisy and had to quit all official work. The duration of illness latest months and Heinz Möhn used the time to compose a large number of works. His health issues saved him from military service in World War II and he could work as a repetiteur and choir master at the city theatre in Mainz until 1944. Heinz Möhn then switched his job and became editor at the Schoo publishing house. In this position he was responsible for numerous piano scores of orchestral works. In his spare time Heinz Möhn was conductor of the Wiesbadener Orchesterverein from 1952 to 1959. In 1959 Heinz Möhn quit at Schott and changed to the competitor Bärenreiter, where he fulfilled a similar position until his retirement in 1966. As a freelancer he contributed to the publishing house until 1988.
Heinz Möhn died on 27 April 1992 in Wiesbaden (Germany).

The work catalogue of Heinz Möhn has a strong emphasis on vocal works including much sacred music like an oratorio, a cantata as well as works for choir. He also composed many songs, and in addition a Music for violin and orchestra, 5 pieces for orchestra and a Suite for piano.

Des fremden Kindes heil'ger Christ

In my possession is the autograph full score of the work "Des fremden Kindes heil'ger Christ" for baritone and orchestra by Heinz Möhn. The work sets the poem of the same title by Friedrich Rückert to music. On the title page of my manuscript there is also the motto: "Zerging’ in Dunst das Heil’ge Röm’sche Reich, uns bliebe gleich die heil’ge deutsche Kunst!" which is a reference to the "Meistersinger von Nürnberg" by Richard Wagner. The composition is dedicated to Mina Ohler and placed and dated Frankfurt, 7 October 1921. That means the work dates from his first steps as a music student and is the earliest known composition by Heinz Möhn.