Johanna Müller-Hermann

Johanna Müller-Hermann (15 January 1868 – 19 April 1941) was an Austrian composer and pedagogue.

Life Johanna Hermann began to receive music lessons at an early age, together with her two siblings. This was in keeping with the middle-class ideal of education; her father was a section head in the Austrian Ministry of Culture and Education in Vienna, and thus belonged to the upper echelons of the civil service. In accordance with the circumstances of the time, however, she was unable to pursue her musical ambitions; instead she graduated from a teacher training college and taught for several years at a public education school in Vienna.

When she married Otto Müller-Martini, a transport expert, in 1893, she was no longer required to work and continued her musical studies. This was followed by piano and violin lessons, and instruction in music theory. She studied under Guido Adler, Alexander von Zemlinsky, Josef Bohuslav Foerster According to Dr. Carola Darwin, "The contribution of women to Vienna's creative life at this period has been largely forgotten as the result of Nazi ideology, as well as the general destruction of the Second World War... Johanna Müller-Hermann's works deserve a much wider hearing, not only because of their intrinsic quality, but also because they were an integral part of the Vienna's extraordinary creative flowering." Lied der Erinnerung: In Memoriam (1930) for voices, chorus and large orchestra.

Vocal music Sieben Lieder, Op. 1 (for solo voice and piano, Gutmann, 1895) Fünf Lieder, Op. 2 (for solo voice and piano) Vier Lieder, Op. 4 (for solo voice and piano) Zwei Frauenchöre, Op. 10 (1915) Zwei Gedichte von Goethe, Op. 11. 1. Nähe des Geliebten. 2. An die Entfernte. Vier Lieder, Op. 14, after J. P. Jacobsen for 1 voice with piano accompaniment. 1. Landschaft. 2. Sonnenuntergang. Den Lenz laß kommen. Polka. (1915, dedicated to Alma Mahler-Werfel) Drei Lieder, Op. 19 Vier Lieder, Op. 20 Herbstlieder, Op. 28 Drei Lieder, Op. 32 (Nr. 1 with orchestral accompaniment). 1. Vorfrühling ('Early Spring'); poem by Hugo von Hofmannsthal).

Cantatas Lied der Erinnerung, Op. 30

Chamber music Violin Sonata in D minor, Op. 5 (1907) String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 6 (1912) String Quintet in A minor, Op. 7 (1909) Cello Sonata in G major, Op. 17 (1923) Piano Quintet in g minor, Op. 31 (1932)

Orchestral music

Heroische Overtüre, Op. 21 (1916) Symphonic Fantasie, Op. 25 Epilog zu einer Tragödie: "Brand", Op. 25 (1919)

Sonatas Sonate d-Moll für Violine und Klavier, Op. 5 Clavier-Sonate in f-moll, Op. 8 Sonate für Violoncello und Klavier, Op. 17

Discography Soraya Mafi (soprano), Simon Lepper (piano), Kitty Whately (mezzo-soprano), Joseph Middleton (piano), Hiroaki Takenouchi (piano), Artis Quartet (strings), Studying with Zemlinsky: Johanna Müller-Hermann (2023) (BBC Radio 3) Radio Broadcast

Kitty Whately (mezzo-soprano), Joseph Middleton (piano) Befreit: A Soul Surrendered (2023) (Chandos CHAN20177) CD