Butcher, Hans

Composer, Pianist

born: 10.11.1896 in Wiesbaden

died: 20.02.1981 in Bayreuth

Fleischer, the son of a councillor of justice, spent his childhood and youth in Wiesbaden. After the end of the First World War, he continued his composition studies, which he had begun in 1913, with Carl Kittel in Bayreuth from 1918-21. He later deepened his studies in Oppenheim am Rhein with Johanna Senfter (1879-1961), a pupil who was highly esteemed by Max Reger. He remained closely associated with her throughout his life.

Fleischer worked as a freelance composer and pianist in Wiesbaden until he became deputy director of the Landesmusikschule in Nazi-occupied Luxembourg in 1941. He returned to Wiesbaden once again in 1944 before moving to Bayreuth in 1945. He again earned his living as a composer and pianist. In 1956 he was awarded the Jean Paul Medal in Silver by the Jean Paul Society and in 1976 the Culture Prize by the City of Bayreuth.

His extensive oeuvre includes nine symphonies and two chamber symphonies, which he wrote in 1923-35 and which were performed on various occasions, including by important conductors. There are also numerous concertos for piano, organ, violoncello and violin as well as chamber music, solo works for piano and songs.

Fleischer remained creatively active until the end of his life. His musical roots lie in late Romanticism and his compositions are influenced by Max Reger and Hans Pfitzner. He rejected atonality, serial compositional techniques and electronic experiments, but his music is attributed a bold dissonance and modulation-rich harmony and highly artificial contrapuntal creative power that extends beyond the boundaries of his role models.

His manuscripts are kept in the archives of the city of Bayreuth.