Fritz Berend (1888-1955)

[britishcomposer]

Dear members,

A couple of weeks ago I read an article in our local newspaper about a talk which Christian Heinecke gave on the history of the Osnabrücker Sinfonieorchester during Nazi time.
Fritz Berend was Kapellmeister in Osnabrück from 1926 to 1933. He was Jewish and from 1939 on took exile in England.
Here is an extensive wikipedia article:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Berend

I remembered that I recorded a NDR broadcast of a Sinfonisches Vorspiel op. 94 by Berend in the early 1990s. Unfortunately the performers weren't named. (Or not recorded by me.) I suppose it was an archival recording. I contacted the NDR but they do no longer have that recording.

Herr Heinecke, who plays violin with the Osnabrücker SO, would like to trace the score. I couldn't find any hint about Berend's compositional estate. I contacted the eminent German musicologist Albrecht Dümling who worked a lot on behalf of composers murdered, silenced or expelled by the Nazi regime. He suggested to ask Gisela Möllenhoff, who wrote the most substantial online article on Berend.

https://www.lexm.uni-hamburg.de/object/lexm_lexmperson_00001671

I was able to contact Frau Möllenhoff. She was very kind but due to her age not internet affine. Moreover she hadn't worked on Berend's music. She sugested that due to Berend's exile it would probably be helpful to question English archives.

Do you have any idea whom I could contact?

[Ilja]

I've uploaded two orchestral suites by Berend to the Downloads section. They're both apparently from the early 1920s, and sound somewhat Reznicekian to me.

[Holger]

Just as a quick answer, without having done any further research myself so far: the Almansor suite is also available on YouTube:

with the composer given as Fritz Behrend (1889–1972). Also see here. I would assume that he should be the actual composer of the music you uploaded – further confirmation is due, of course, these are just my spontaneous thoughts.

[eschiss1]

Hrm. Yeah, library catalogs seem not to list much under Fritz or Friedrich Berend by way of music scores in manuscript or print. If anything. No known aliases, I suppose?

[Ilja]

Interesting. This is from an old tape reel I was given aeons ago, which may also be the origin of the YT video. But the author is likely Fritz Behrend (with an h). Like Eric, I can't find much in the way of scores from Berend (without the h).

[britishcomposer]

Mark or Alan,
Can you correct the headline of this thread? Fritz Berend was born in 1889 not 1888. My mistake.

Ilja and Holger,
Thank you so much for the uploads and suggestions!
I hadn't heard about Fritz Behrend and I now tend to think that ,my' Berend's Sinfonisches Vorspiel was probably written by ,your' Behrend.
Very embarrassing...
I now have to tell all these kind people...

[eschiss1]

Hrm. Their Behrend:  Gustav Fritz Behrend , 1889-1972... biography here for example.

[semloh]

Ilja, thank you for uploading the rather charming pieces by Berend - entirely new to me - and for the interesting, and troubling, Wiki link.