Frank Pohl

Frank Pohl was born on 20 February 1880 in Chicago (USA) as the son of German parents. While still a child, he returned with his family to Germany, where he received his early education in Neurode (Silesia, today: Nowa Ruda in Poland). At the age of fourteen he entered the Conservatory in Wroclaw, where he studied under Professors Berger and Wiedemann. He later continued his studies at the Dresden Conservatory, where he studied violin as his principal subject under Eduard Rappoldi from 1897 to 1900/01. After a total of six years of training, Pohl accepted a position as a teacher at the Leipzig Conservatory, where he remained for two years. His desire for further artistic development led him next to the Cologne Conservatory, where he studied for another two years under Fritz Steinbach and Bram Eldering. He subsequently passed examinations qualifying him as an orchestral conductor and music teacher; as he was already highly advanced, he was exempted from the piano examination and instead received a diploma as a concert performer in the theatre at Essen.

He then worked as a music teacher at the German National Educational Home, one of the most prestigious schools in Germany, before moving on to Pabianice in what was then Russian Poland. In 1908 he became conductor of the Männer-Gesang-Verein in Pabianice, a position that marked the beginning of his long career in the region. In June 1915 he was appointed conductor of the choir of the Trinitatis parish in Lodz. His tenure there was not continuous: in 1916 he was succeeded by Friedrich Kautig, but returned to the position in March 1919. In 1922 Kautig again took over the choir, followed in 1923 by Gustav Zeigner, before Pohl resumed its direction in 1924. He remained in charge at least until October 1934, becoming a central figure in the city’s German-speaking Protestant musical life. In addition to his church work, he was active in the broader German choral movement in the region and also conducted several secular choirs, including the Männer-Gesang-Verein in Pabianice and the Männergesangverein in Zgierz. His leading position within the German choral movement began considerably earlier than previously assumed: he was already described as Bundesdirektor in 1919. In 1933 he was re-elected Bundesdirigent of the Vereinigung deutschsingender Gesangvereine in Polen, which at that time comprised 26 German choral societies, and was described as its long-standing Bundesliedermeister.

There is no confirmed information on when Frank Pohl died. However, an autograph manuscript in my possession, his Piano Sonata No. 9 dedicated to the pianist Elly Ney, is dated 27 September 1952 and was part of her musical estate. This provides evidence that Pohl was still alive on 27 September 1952.

In my possession is the autograph manuscript of the Piano sonata No.9 by Frank Pohl. The work is dedicated to pianist Elly Ney and was part of her musical estate.