Hans Bronsart von Schellendorf

Hans von Bronsart was a German composer, pianist and conductor, born in Berlin in 1830 and died in Munich in 1913. He is associated with the so-called New German School, the circle of musicians grouped around Franz Liszt, and his interest lies as much in his work as a performer and administrator as in his compositions.

He trained in Berlin with Siegfried Dehn and Kullak between 1849 and 1852, and then in Weimar with Liszt between 1853 and 1857. He pursued a career as a touring pianist and later served as intendant in Hanover, from 1867, and in Weimar, between 1887 and 1895. He co-founded the Neu-Weimar-Verein in 1854 and presided over the Allgemeiner Deutscher Musikverein between 1888 and 1898. He reportedly demanded a high standard in his administration and engaged outstanding artists.

Liszt praised his Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 1, and dedicated his Second Piano Concerto to him, which was premiered by Bronsart. He was also closely associated with Bülow and maintained a relationship with Wagner marked by musical admiration, although he refused to join public tributes to the composer out of loyalty to Bülow. In 1861 he married the Swedish pianist and composer Ingeborg Starck. His works include two symphonies of 1889 and 1897, now lost, the orchestral fantasia Frühlings-Fantasie, the Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 10, and numerous pieces for piano. He also published the treatise Musikalische Pflichten (Leipzig, 1858).

His legacy is that of a musician respected by his most eminent contemporaries, whose output has survived unevenly: some scores have been lost, while the F minor Concerto and the trio have been the most frequently cited works in the literature.