COLLECTED WRITINGS OF GERMAN MUSICOLOGIST MAX CHOP ON COMPOSER FREDERICK DELIUS Philip Jones Studies in the History and interpretation of Music Vo1um¢76 The Edwin Mellen Press Lewiston•Queenston•Lamr,eter 1 Introduction The German journalist, writer, composer and critic Max Chop is one of those influential, if little discussed figures who played a crucial role in furthering Frederick Delius's career in Gem1any during the early years of the twentieth century. His chief claim to fame is being the author of the first study of the composer, published by Harmonie Verlag, Berlin in 1907. In fact that year he wrote several substantial articles about Delius for some of the many music journals to which he regularly contributed, as well as reviews of the important performances of Delius's works being given in Germany at that time. 1 His enthusiasm for Delius, which had been developing for at least the two previous years, comes through clearly in all his writing. Chop lists his major articles on Delius in his letter to the composer of 3 November 1907 (see Delius: A Life in Letters, Vol. I, 1862-1908 by L Carley, p 309) 'as follows: 1. Frederick Delius: eine biographische Studie (Musikalisches Wochenblatt, Leipzig, Nos 35-37, 1907) 2. Der Fall Delius in Berlin (Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe) (Part IO of Kritik der Kritik 1907, Berlin, S.Schottlaender, Schlesische Verlags-Anstalt) 3. Frederick Delius: Biographie (In the collection Monographien moderne Musiker, Vol 2, 1907 with portrait, CF Kahnt Nachf., Leipzig) 4. Frederick Delius: extensive single-volume biography (60 pages) with portrait and two score-facsimiles (In the series Moderne Musiker, Verlag Harmonie, Berlin) 5. Frederick Delius: Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe; Urauffehrung an der Berliner Komischen Oper (21 Febr. 1907) (Nos. 10-13 of the Deutsche Musikdir.-Zeitung, Hanover, Verlag Lehne & Komp.) [This article is missing from the one extant source, the Niedersachsische Staats- und Universitatsbibtiothek, Gottingen] He published a further article on Delius in 1910: 6. Tonsetzer der Gegenwart. Frederick Delius. Sein Leben und Schaffen (Neue Musik-Zeitung, Vol 31, Verlag von Carl Gruninger, Stuttgart-Leipzig) 2 3 Chop was born on 17 May, 1862 in Greussen in the Schwarzburg­ (Deutsche Musikdirigenten Zeitung) from 1906 until the outbreak of World War I. Sondershausen region of Thiiringen (some 30 km north of Erfurt), the son of In the Winter semester of I 914/ l 5 he gave a successful series of lectures at the Albert Chop, a district court judge, and was brought up in Sondershausen where Royal Conservatory of Music at Sondershausen and was subsequently appointed a he started his music education. Although his musical ability was apparent from an Professor by His Highness The Prince von Schwarzburg. early age, his subsequent career developed in a somewhat circuitous way. Other important publications of the period include the Handbook for During his teens he had regular lessons in violin, piano and theory in Wagnerites (Vademecum die Wagne;Jreunde - 1893), the Handbook for the Sondershausen with members of the Court Kapelle but eventually decided to Concert Hall (Vademecumfiir der Konzertsaal - 1904), the Guide to Opera Music follow in his family's footsteps and studied Law and Finance at the Universities (Fuhrer durch die Oper Musik - 1912) and the Guide to Music History (Fuhrer of Jena and Leipzig between 1882 and 1885. In 1883, however, Chop became durch die Musikgeschichte - 1912). He also published studies of the music of one of Liszt's many distinguished piano pupils at Weimar during the last few Liszt, Wagner and Bizet as well as several composer biographies including those years of the composer's ]ife. He was deeply attracted to the rich traditions of of Verdi, Delius and Reznicek. Between 1905 and 1925 he wrote no fewer than 36 Gern1an art and culture and the music of Liszt and Wagner made a life-long Commentaries on Masterpieces of Music (Erlauterungen zu Meisterwerken der impression on him. Tonkunst) for the Universal-Bibliothek published by Reclam in Leipzig (see Appendix 4) . After taking preliminary legal exams he moved to Berlin in 1886 and began what became a prolific career as a music critic and author of a large number In 1920 he became the chief editor of the distinguished Leipzig-based of scholarly works on music, although his earliest publications date from 1885. music journal Die Signale far die Musikalische Welt 2 (The Signal for the Musical Between 1886 and 1888 he completed his first major work, the three-volume World), established in 1842, and in 1923 became an adviser to the new public Contemporary Composers: studies and sketches (Zeitgenossische Tondichter, radio stations being set up at that time in Berlin. Significant publications during Studien und Skizzen) published by Rossberg in Leipzig between 1888 and 1891. the 1920s included a History of German Military Music (1926) and in 1929 an edition of the General Survey of the History of Music for Teacher-Training In the Summer of 1888 he moved to Neuruppin in Brandenburg, some 40 Colleges and Music Lovers (Abriss der allgemeine Musikgeschichte far miles north-west of Berlin, where he joined the Marldsche Zeitung, editing Lehrerseminare und Dilettanten) by Bernhard Kothe which was particularly well and publishing it until 1902. That year he returned to Berlin 'and worked as a staff received. writer for the Berliner Tageblatt and for a number of music journals including the Journal for German Army Musicians (Deutsche Armee Musiker Zeitung), which Die Signale far die Musikalische fVelt: a weekly music journal published in Leipzig between 1843 and I 941 which contained articles and short notes on day-to-day events in he edited between 1903 and 1906, and the Journal for German Conductors the musical world. It is particularly valuable as a chronicle of the minutiae of operatic and concert life for almost a century but it published little on music theory, aesthetics or historical perspective, Each edition carried many advertisements from the music trade and details of job opportunities for musicians. 4 5 Alongside his scholarly activities Chop was quite well respected as a influence of music and to place it in the broader context of the history of composer with a number of published works to his credit including three piano civilisation. Consequently, he always sought to elucidate themes linking the concertos, an orchestral suite, a cantata The Mermaid (Die Seejungfrau) for present with the past. His style was a model of clarity and simplicity, hallmarks of ladies' choir, soloists and orchestra, as well as a large number of songs and piano Chop's own nature. pieces (see Appendix 4). ******************** Chop died suddenly and unexpectedly on 20 December 1929, aged 67 and was survived by his second wife, the American-born pianist Celeste Chop­ Early encounters with Delius Groenevelt and his second son Walter (his first son, Herbert, pre-deceased his father in 1915 and may have been a war casualty). Chop was an exact contemporary of Delius and must have been increasingly aware of the composer's progress in Germany in the late 1890s and His work was much appreciated in its time. An obituary, published in Die early 1900s. In November 1902 Delius's music was performed in Berlin for the Signale on 8 January 1930, stated " ... everything he wrote was a reflection of his first time when Busoni gave one of the earliest performances of Paris with the personality and character, marked by a strong sense of idealism and enthusiasm Berlin Philhannonic. At that time Chop had recently returned to the city from for everything he did. He was a passionate advocate of justice and truth Neuruppin and probably did not hear it which was perhaps just as well throughout his life and was widely respected as a distinguished, honourable and given its poor performance on that occasion; 3 he certainly makes no reference extremely kind-hearted person." to it in any of his writings on Delius. As an advocate of German life and culture he was dismayed by the terrible In fact, on the evidence of one of Chap's articles, a study of Delius ravages inflicted by World War I, yet the optimism which characterised his whole published in the series Studies of Contemporary Musicians by the Leipzig outlook on life never deserted him. Although he was not in sympathy with, and publisher C F Kahnt and possibly the first of the articles to be written, it is was even hostile towards many of the more radical developments in German unlikely that Chop had heard any work by Delius before 1906. In the intervening music in the early years of the twentieth century, feeling that it was in serious years Delius made great strides in Germany due initially to the advocacy of the decline, he nevertheless believed it had a future. He was a tireless champion of conductors Hans Haym at Elberfeld and Julius Buths at Dtisseldorf before others those composers he felt were progressing their art with complete sincerity, promoting them as well as he could in a spirited and lively manner. See Frederick Delius, Sir Thomas Beecham, pub! Hutchinson, London I 959, p 125. Chop possessed a great sense of humour which often belied his Busoni himself was aware of the work's difficulties when he wrote to Ida Gerhardi from tremendous breadth of knowledge; the wide range of his education and learning Berlin in July of that year before his performance the following November, "I am a novice at conducting, the work is difficult and unknown, so I must not take too many characterised everything he wrote. He was always concerned to extend the risks." (See Carley, A life in letters, I, p 208, fn 1.) 6 7 joined their ranks.