Frank Wohlfahrt
Frank Wohlfahrt was born on 15 April 1894 in Bremen (Germany). He studied under Max Loewengard and Conrad Hanns at the Vogt conservatory in Hamburg (1912/13), under Wilhelm Klatte and Bruno Eisner at the Stern conservatory in Berlin (1914) and under Ernst Kurth in Bern (1919).
After his studies – from 1920 to the early 1930s – Frank Wohlfahrt focused on composing and writing poems. At that time he mainly lived in Fiesole (near Florence, Italy) and published two collections of poems: „Zwoelf und einer“ and „Gesänge um Gott und die Mutter“.
In terms of music he created songs, two piano sonatas and four large string quartets. His works were composed in ultra-modern, controversial manner and his style was linked to Arnold Schönberg. Frank Wohlfahrt was one of the promising young composers and his second string quartet was premiered at the Donaueschinger Kammermusiktage in 1923. Nevertheless his compositions received often devastating reviews. Below I listed some examples from contemporary reviews to performances of works by Frank Wohlfahrt:
- songs (1915)
„viscous, solitary, sterile. Melancholia of incompetence are their seal.“ - String quartet No.1 E-major (1922)
„dreadful, futuristic work“ - String quartet No.2 g-minor op.3 (1923)
„suffers from a lack of concentration and tight arrangement“ - String quartet No.3 B-flat major op.4 (1925)
„one was fed up in such a way, that not few took to their heels“ - String quartet No.4 op.5 (1933)
„not without skill, but extremely long-winded and pretty sterile“
It seems that Frank Wohlfahrt gave composing and versing a rest in the 1930s and concentrated on writing on music and was critic for several newspapers in the German-speaking area. In 1943 he published a large analysis on each of Anton Bruckner‘s symphonies, a writing Frank Wohlfahrt is best remembered nowadays.
After World War II he taught music theory at the conservatory in Hamburg and was appointed professor in 1950. Frank Wohlfahrt lectured there until his retirement and created only a few more compositions and writings (a book on Bach/Mozart/Schumann and a book on the history of the symphony).
Frank Wohlfahrt died on 3 Oktober 1971 in Hamburg (Germany).
The work catalogue of Frank Wohlfahrt contains only a few compositions: From the time before World War II are only known: several songs, 2 piano sonatas (1911) and four string quartets (1922, 1923, 1925 and 1933). From this time dates also an orchestration (with an own ending) of the Passacaglia for piano op.16 by Ilse Fromm-Michaels.
After 1945 Frank Wohlfahrt composed the cantata "Der Maaßlose" (1952), an oratorio for speaker, choir and orchestra „Die Passion des Prometheus“ (1955, the later published "March for 2 pianos" is an excerpt of this oratorio), a scenic oratio „Gott und Wolf“ in 5 movements (1957), the „Fanfaren-Musik“, for 2 trumpets and 2 trombones (1960) and a Concerto for harpsichord and chamber orchestra.
1) Eriksonate for piano
In my possession is the autograph music manuscript of a sonate for piano called "Eriksonate" by Frank Wohlfahrt. The work is undated, but as far as I know Frank Wohlfahrt composed only 2 piano sonatas, both dating from the time around 1911. Due to the fact that I also own the autograph of the first piano sonata, this must be the second one. I have no information about a performance and why the work bears this curious title.
2) Piano sonata op.1
I also own the autograph manuscript of the piano sonata op.1 by Frank Wohlfahrt. The work was very likely composed during his studies in Hamburg around 1911 and performed at least once by the composer himself at an All-Frank-Wohlfahrt concert in Harburg on 29 January 1921.
3) Two movements
In my possession is also an autograph manuscript of two short movements for orchestra by Frank Wohlfahrt. The manuscript is obviously incomplete as it starts with the last bars of the previous movement. Then two further movements follow titled "Antike Strofe" and "Siziliano". I have no information to which larger composition these movements belong and when they were composed
