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 in Dresden, where Eduard Rappoldi became his teacher. 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 1915 he was appointed conductor of the choir of the Trinitatis parish in Lodz, where he remained at least until 1939, 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 in 1927 was elected federal conductor (Bundesdirigent) of the Association of German-Singing Choral Societies in Lodz. 

There is no information on when Frank Pohl died, but his manuscript in my possession dates from 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.