Heinrich Feischner

Feischner was born in Reval (Tallinn) to Heinrich Gottlob Feischner, a confectioner and proprietor of the Café Feischner on Harju Street. Few details of his childhood years survive. According to a 1936 article in the Estonian newspaper Esmaspäev, Feischner met fellow composer Eugen Kapp (two years his senior) at the age of 14 while at school. This acquaintance inspired young Feischner to begin composing songs, which he later described as “naive and romantic…they probably felt the influence of Tchaikovsky.”{{cite news |title=Komponist Feischneri töö juures. —Kuidas sünniwad kaunid wiisid. |pages=3 |newspaper=Esmaspäev |location=Tallinn |date=15 February 1936 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/article/esmaspaev/1936/02/15/34}}

He attended the Leipzig Conservatory until 1931, studying composition with Hermann Grabner. He there became friends with fellow student composers Hugo Distler and Yury Arbatsky.{{cite web |url=http://www.kajuta.net/node/3785 |last=Вихляев |first=Константин |last2=Арбатская |first2=Юта |title=Heinrich Feischner. Генрих Фейшнер (из неопубликованных воспоминаний Е.С.Арбатской) |website=Сайт семейного творчества – Константин Вихляев и Юта Арбатская |access-date=11 December 2020}} Upon his return to Tallinn, he continued his studies with Eugen Kapp and Adolf Vedro, while also working at his father's cafe, a respected hangout for writers, poets and musicians. Among his acquaintances there were the poets Alexis Rannit and Igor Severyanin; the latter dedicated his poem «Безвестные строки» (“Unknown lines”) to Feischner. His frequent musical collaborators included organist Paul Indra, soprano Olga Indra, clarinetist [http://etbl.teatriliit.ee/artikkel/lukk_bernhard2 Bernhard Lukk], and bassoonist [http://etbl.teatriliit.ee/artikkel/ernits_leino3 Leino Ernits], who performed his Trio quasi una fantasia, bassoon sonatina and wind quintet in 1936. Composer and music critic Riho Päts, who attended Ernits's performance of the bassoon sonatina and wind quintet, condemned the former as a work of “sprawling linearity…unable to attract any substantial interest,” but praised the latter for its “originality, humorous grotesqueness and strong western influences.”{{cite journal |last1=Widstrand |first1=Alex |title=Hidden Treasures from Northeastern Europe: An Exploration of Twentieth-Century Baltic Bassoon Music. Part 1: Bassoon Solos |journal=The Double Reed |volume=43 |issue=3 |pages=162 }} The quintet appears to have been Feischner's most successful work of the time, winning a prize at a competition organized by the Estonian Society of Academic Sound Artists and receiving repeated mention in various newspaper articles. His compositional style of this period is unknown, since none of these works have survived to the present day, though Feischner himself cited the influences of Bach, Schubert, Hindemith and Stravinsky, particularly the latter's approach to instrumentation.{{cite news |title=Komponist Feischneri töö juures. —Kuidas sünniwad kaunid wiisid. |pages=3 |newspaper=Esmaspäev |location=Tallinn |date=15 February 1936 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/article/esmaspaev/1936/02/15/34}} Hindemith's influence was noted by an anonymous reviewer in Feischner's "para-tonal" neoclassical piano concerto (1935).{{cite news |title=Das Musikleben in der Hauptstadt: February 1935 |pages=4 |newspaper=Deutsche Zeitung |location=Tallinn |date=8 March 1935 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/page/deutschezeitung/1935/03/08/4}}

He emigrated to Germany either during or following World War II, eventually settling in Stuttgart. His first symphony premiered in Berlin on 7 December 1944, while the suite from his ballet Café Savoy was premiered by the Süddeutscher Rundfunk orchestra on 1 January 1946. Between 1954 and 1961 he wrote music for a dozen TV movies and miniseries. He died in Stuttgart at the age of 51.

Feischner's compositions remain little known. His only major work to be commercially recorded is his 1957 radio opera Zirkus Carambas (libretto by Werner Illing), commissioned by the Süddeutscher Rundfunk. Premiered in 1958, the production starred Fritz Wunderlich, Lore Paul, Horst Günter, Gisela Litz, Benno Kusche, Alfred Pfeifle, Manfred Gerbert, Bruno Samland, and Ernst Ronnecker, with Hans Müller-Kray conducting.{{cite web |url=http://www.andreas-praefcke.de/wunderlich/discography/carambas.htm |title=Heinrich Feischner: Zirkus Carambas |website=Andreas Praefcke's Web Pages |access-date=11 December 2020}} The original production, recorded at Villa Berg in Stuttgart, was released on CD by Cantus Classics in 2014. Some of his film music has been recently released by Josef Weinberger, Ltd. of London, including a track titled [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGEt-hf2mcw “Tense Approach”], which was repeatedly used—uncredited—in the 1967 Spider-Man TV series.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1543784/ |title=Heinrich Feischner (1910–1961) |website=IMDb.com |access-date=12 December 2020}}

Stylistically, the few extant recordings of Feischner's later works suggest an affinity towards Stravinsky's early compositional vocabulary: prominent woodwinds, brass and percussion, chromatic tonal harmonies, and often humorous character. These features can be heard in his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz_07_-e1Ng "Grotesque"] (possibly a film score excerpt).

Almost nothing is known of Feischner's output beyond sporadic references to specific pieces in Estonian newspapers from the 1930s. Most of his compositions remain unpublished, though a few late works are available for hire from Bote & Bock through Boosey & Hawkes.

• Dance music Libahundis [Werewolf] (1934){{cite news |title=Teater ja muusika |pages=6 |newspaper=Päevaleht |location=Tallinn |date=22 April 1934 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/article/paevalehtew/1934/04/22/33}}
• Piano Concerto in C Major (1935){{cite news|title=VI sümfooniakontsert |pages=8 |newspaper=Päevaleht |location=Tallinn |date=14 February 1935 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/article/paevalehtew/1935/02/14/32.1}}
• Cantata Vaikusepüha [Holy silence] (1936){{cite news |last=Aavik |first=Juhan |title=Auhinnatud helitööde õhtu |pages=8 |newspaper=Päevaleht |location=Tallinn |date=23 January 1936 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/article/paevalehtew/1936/01/23/38}}
• Stage music to a production of Molière's Le malade imaginaire (1936)
• Bassoon Sonatina (1936){{cite news |last=Päts |first=Riho |title=Tallinna muusikakiri |pages=5 |newspaper=Postimees |location=Tallinn |date=10 February 1936 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/cgi-bin/dea?a=d&d=postimeesew19360210.2.39}}
• Serenade for wind quintet (1936)
• Trio quasi una fantasia, op. 5, no. 1, for viola, clarinet and bassoon (1936){{cite web |url=http://www.kajuta.net/node/3785 |last=Вихляев |first=Константин |last2=Арбатская |first2=Юта |title=Heinrich Feischner. Генрих Фейшнер (из неопубликованных воспоминаний Е.С.Арбатской) |website=Сайт семейного творчества – Константин Вихляев и Юта Арбатская |access-date=11 December 2020}}
• Ööpalad [Night Pieces]: Suite for oboe, clarinet and lyric soprano, op. 5, no. 2 (1936)
• Pihtimus [Confession]: Sonata for chamber orchestra and organ, op. 9 (1938)
• Kariniaad, op. 10 (1938){{cite news |title=Eesti muusika kontserdid Saksamaal |pages=2 |newspaper=Kunst ja Kirjandus |location=Tallinn |date=3 July 1938 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/page/kunstjakirjandus/1938/07/03/2}}
• song cycle on Alexis Rannit's “Ex libro amoris” (1938){{cite news |title=Eesti muusika kontserdid Saksamaal |pages=2 |newspaper=Kunst ja Kirjandus |location=Tallinn |date=3 July 1938 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/page/kunstjakirjandus/1938/07/03/2}}
• Vocal solo Kevadine [Spring] (1938){{cite news |title=Raadio |pages=8 |newspaper=Oma Maa |location=Tallinn |date=24 August 1938 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/page/omamaa/1938/08/24/8}}
• Little Suite for Piano (1938){{cite news |title=Raadio |pages=8 |newspaper=Oma Maa |location=Tallinn |date=18 February 1938 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/page/omamaa/1938/02/18/8}}
• Vocal solo Roosid sügisel [Roses in autumn] (1939){{cite news |title=Raadio |pages=6 |newspaper=Oma Maa |location=Tallinn |date=30 October 1939 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/page/omamaa/1939/10/30/6}}
• Aaria jõulumuusikast, op. 15 (1939){{cite news |title=Jõulumuusika õhtu Pühavaimu kirikus |pages=6 |newspaper=Uus Eesti |location=Tallinn |date=24 December 1939 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/article/uuseesti/1939/12/24/39}}
• Symphony no. 1, op. 20 (1942){{cite web |url=https://www.boosey.com/cr/music/Heinrich-Feischner-First-Symphony/26812 |title=Feischner, Heinrich: First Symphony (Erste Sinfonie) op. 20 (1942) |website=Boosey & Hawkes |access-date=12 December 2020}}
• Suite from the ballet Café Savoy, op. 22a (1945){{cite web |url=https://www.boosey.com/cr/music/Heinrich-Feischner-Suite-aus-dem-Ballett-Cafe-Savoy/26809 |title=Feischner, Heinrich: Suite aus dem Ballett "Café Savoy" op. 22a |website=Boosey & Hawkes |access-date=12 December 2020}}
• Du und die Nacht [You and the night]: A Ringelnatz-Cantata, op. 23 for women's choir, oboe, trumpet, piano and timpani{{cite web |url=https://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/catalogue/cat_detail?site-lang=de&musicid=26814 |title=Feischner, Heinrich: Du und die Nacht op. 23 for female chorus and ensemble |website=Boosey & Hawkes |access-date=12 December 2020}}
• Tanztheater Die Matrosenballade (1948) – libretto by Günter Heß{{cite journal |last=Siedhoff |first=Thomas |title=ACTIEN-VOLKSTHEATER. Repertoire der Spielzeiten 1865–1872/73. KÖNIGLICHES THEATER AM GÄRTNERPLATZ. Repertoire der Spielzeiten 1873/74–1917/18. GÄRTNERPLATZTHEATER. Repertoire der Spielzeiten 1918/19–1930/31: Eine chronologische Dokumentation |pages=263 |url=https://www.deutsches-musicalarchiv.de/forschungpublikationen/auffuehrungsarchiv-gartnerplatztheater-1865-2015-stand08012016.pdf}}{{cite news |title=Matrosen tanzen Ballade |newspaper=Der Spiegel |location=Hamburg |date=11 September 1948 |url=https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-44418835.html}}
• Opera Zirkus Carambas (1957)
• String Quartet{{cite news |title=Balti kultuuripäevad Lüübeckis |pages=7 |newspaper=Välis-Eesti |location=Tallinn |date=5 May 1962 |url=https://dea.digar.ee/page/valiseesti/1962/05/05/7}}

• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3026236/ Zeichen der Zeit] (1954–55)
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4317178/ Towarisch] (1955)
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1706372/ Gaslicht] (1956)
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4068582/ Pygmalion] (1956)
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1687219/ Der Geisterzug] (1957)
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1312123/ Moral] (1958)
• Bei Anruf – Mord (1959)
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1736578/ Gäste auf Woodcastle] (1960)
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342525/ Herr Raymond kommt nicht] (1961)
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4317420/ Wir waren drei] (1961)
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1715345/ Schritte in der Nacht] (1961)
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1381094/ Onkel Harry] (1961)

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.kajuta.net/node/3785 Information on Heinrich Feischner from the unpublished memoirs of Elena Sergeevna Arbatskaya]
• [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1543784/ Heinrich Feischner on IMDb]
• [https://www.geni.com/people/Heinrich-Arthur-Feischner/6000000043128463726 Heinrich Feischner on Geni.com]
• [https://www.boosey.com/downloads/KatalogBOTE.pdf Feischner's works for hire at Boosey & Hawkes]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz_07_-e1Ng Excerpt from Zirkus Carambas, «Herrlich ist dieses Plätzchen», on YouTube.com]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feischner, Heinrich}}

Category:1910 births

Category:1961 deaths

Category:Musicians from Tallinn

Category:20th-century Estonian composers

Category:20th-century Estonian classical composers

Category:20th-century Estonian male musicians

Category:University of Music and Theatre Leipzig alumni

Category:Soviet composers