Hugo Wolf

1. Hugo Wolf Makaela Smith

2. Family Life • Hugo Wolf was born on March 23, 1860 in Windischgraz, Austria. • He was taught to read and play music at a young age by his father and teachers. • Hugo Wolf’s relationship was not the best with his family, mainly due to his moods. • Hugo never married or had any children.

3. Mental Health • Throughout his life, Hugo Wolf suffered from depression and mood swings that often strained his relationships. • In the fall of 1897, his mind gave away because of syphilis and he was sent to an asylum. • In 1898, he was believed to be cured and was released only to try and drown himself that October • He spent the rest of his life in the asylum until he died on February 22, 1903.

4. Valentine Franck • Hugo Wolf’s first love was Vally “Valentine” Franck. • The couple was involved for three years, and she influenced many of his works. • She left Hugo shortly before his twenty-first birthday due to his wide-ranged mood swings and depression.

5. The Kö̈cherts • Later in his life, Hugo Wolf became involved in a love triangle. • He fell in love with Melanie Köchert whom was married to his friend Heinrich. • The affair was said to begin in 1884 and end in 1893 when Heinrich found out about it. • Heinrich and Melanie remained married and Heinrich still supported Hugo’s music.

6. The Köcherts (continued) • Melanie stayed friends with Hugo and visited him in the insane asylum that he stayed at until his death. • In 1906, Melanie killed herself because she felt guilty about the entire affair.

7. Richard Wagner • Richard Wagner was Wolf’s greatest influence. • Hugo Wolf was close to Wagner, and always tried to impress his self proclaimed mentor. • Wagner always pushed Wolf to do harder and even convinced him to produce larger-scale works.

8. Other Influences and Similarities • Hugo Wolf was also influenced by Robert Fuchs. • Wolf’s style was similar to that of Gustav Mahler and Robert Schumann.

9. Compositions • Wolf had many compositions ranging from a large opera to short songs. • Some of his works include • Multitudes of songs • Der Corregidor -the only opera he ever completed • Multiple songbooks • String Quartets • Lieder - perhaps one of his most famous works

10. Italian Serenade • On May 2, 1887, Hugo wolf wrote his Italian Serenade. • At first, it started out as a simple string quartet, but eventually it evolved into a larger piece. • He wrote it because he wanted to show “singing” in the alto instruments as the song went on. • http://classical-music-online.net/en/production/5286

11. Sources • http://classical-music-online.net/en/production/5286 • http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Hugo_Wolf.aspx#2 • http://www.classiccat.net/wolf_h/biography.php