Charles Hommann (July 25, 1803-?1872) was an American composer. A native of Philadelphia, he was among the first American-born composers to produce chamber and orchestral music successfully.^[1]

Life

Charles Hommann was the son of John C. Hommann and his wife Constantia. His father, who had immigrated to the United States from Germany in the 1790s, worked as a music promoter and publisher in Philadelphia.^[2]

Charles Hommann was one of the first American composers to be trained exclusively in the United States, though his musical training likely came mostly from his German father.^[3] Early in his career, Charles held positions at St James's Church and the Third Dutch Reformed Church in Philadelphia.^[4]

As a violinist and violist for the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, Hommann was exposed to the works of the major European composers of his time.^[5] His own music was performed by the Bethlehem Philharmonic Society as well as the Philadelphia Philharmonic Society, and he won a gold medal prize from the latter for his overture in D in 1835.^[4]

Hommann moved to New York around 1854, where his music was performed at chamber music concerts given by the New York American-Music Association.^[6] Although his music was relatively unknown by the time of his death, he left behind a significant body of orchestral, chamber, and church music that is important for the early history of American musical composition.^[7]

References

External links

• Free scores by Charles Hommann at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Information on the orchestral music of Charles Hommann at Music of the United States of America (MUSA)