Hugo Riemann

Hugo Riemann (Hamburg, 1889)

Karl Wilhelm Julius Hugo Riemann (July 18, 1849 - July 10, 1919) was a German music theorist. He should not be confused with the mathematician Bernhard Riemann.

Riemann was born at Grossmehlra, near Sondershausen. He was educated in law and other subjects at Berlin and Tübingen. After going through the Franco-German war he decided to devote his life to music, and studied accordingly at the Leipzig Conservatory. He then went to Bielefeld for some years as a teacher, but subsequently returned to Leipzig as "Privatdozent" at the University. Riemann went to Bromberg in 1880, but 1881-90 he was a teacher of piano and theory at Hamburg Conservatory. He held a post at Wiesbaden (1890-95), but eventually returned to Leipzig University as lecturer. In 1901 he was appointed professor.

In addition to his work as a teacher, lecturer and composer of pedagogical pieces, Riemann had a worldwide reputation as a writer upon musical subjects. His best known works are Musiklexikon, a complete dictionary of music and musicians, the Handbuch der Harmonielehre, a work on the study of harmony, and the Lehrbuch des Contrapunkts, a similar work on counterpoint, all of which have been translated into English. One of his inventions, the Tonnetz, is the predecessor of the modern idea of pitch spaces.

He authored many works on many different branches of music. His pupils included the German composer, pianist, organist, and conductor Max Reger.

References

• Alexander Rehding: Hugo Riemann and the birth of modern musical thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-521-82073-1

See also

• Modulatory space
• Chordal space
• Pitch space
• Counter parallel
• Functional harmony

This article is based on a text from the Etude magazine, prior to 1923, that is in the public domain.