Ever heard of a composer who battled Nazis with his musical choices? That’s Hans Pfitzner, and this plaque commemorates where he lived in Munich. Hans Pfitzner resided here from 1929 to 1943. But who was Hans Pfitzner?
Hans Erich Pfitzner was born in Moscow in 1869. His father played cello in a theater orchestra. The family returned to Frankfurt in 1872. Pfitzner always considered Frankfurt his home.
Early on, Hans Pfitzner received violin instruction from his father. By age eleven, he composed his first pieces. He studied composition and piano at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt.
Pfitzner finally gained professional stability in Strasbourg. There, he directed his own operas. He believed stage direction was his domain. This view later caused him difficulties. The annexation of Alsace by France after World War I deeply affected him. Pfitzner lost his job and became destitute.
His most famous work, the opera Palestrina, premiered in Munich in 1917. Jewish conductor Bruno Walter conducted it. Walter believed Palestrina would endure.
Pfitzner’s music combines Romantic elements with chamber music intimacy. His Symphony in C-sharp minor began as a string quartet.
Increasingly nationalistic, Pfitzner initially found favor with some Nazis. However, his long association with Bruno Walter created conflict. Pfitzner enraged the Nazis by refusing to replace Felix Mendelssohn’s music for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mendelssohn’s Jewish heritage made his music unacceptable to them. Pfitzner argued that Mendelssohn’s music was superior.
In 1934, Pfitzner was forced into retirement. He lost his positions as opera conductor and professor. He received a small pension that he contested. Pfitzner even had to prove his Gentile ancestry.
Pfitzner viewed Jewishness as a cultural trait, not a racial one. He was willing to make exceptions to antisemitism. For instance, he supported his Jewish pupil Felix Wolfes.
Pfitzner’s attempts to help his friend Paul Cossman, a Jew, led to scrutiny. Cossman was eventually re-arrested and died in a concentration camp.
Despite this, Pfitzner maintained contact with antisemites. He used antisemitic language himself to achieve certain goals.
Allied bombing destroyed Pfitzner’s home during the war. His membership in the Munich Academy of Music was revoked. After the war, he was denazified and received a pension again. He resided in a retirement home in Salzburg. He died there in 1949.
This plaque serves as a reminder of Hans Pfitzner. He was a complex figure. He was a talented composer who navigated difficult political times. He stood up to the Nazis in his own way. He did this by defending artistic integrity over political expediency.