Johannes Bammer
Johannes Bammer was born on 31 May 1888 in Nikolsburg (at that time Austro-Hungary, today Mikulov in the Czech Republic). He showed musical talent from an early age and received his first piano lessons under Theodor Seifert in Nikolsburg since the age of 6. In 1902 the father of Johannes Bammer died and his mother married the painter Emil Fiala shortly afterwards. In 1904 the family moved to Leitmeritz (today: Litomerice) and Johannes Bammer continued his piano lessons there under Robert Glaser. He finished the school with the Abitur in 1907. Although music was the passion of Johannes Bammer he decided to study law due to the better prospects of this profession. He began his studies in Graz in 1908 and graduated in Prague in 1913.
After his studies he became a legal officer first in Komotau (today: Chomutov), than returned to Leitmeritz and finally settled in Rumburg (today: Rumburk) in 1920. There he worked as the company lawyer for the industrial associations of steel, glass, textiles and leather.
Beside his main profession Johannes Bammer also began to study music privately in his freetime. He first took lessons under Johannes Reichert in Teplice and in the late 1920s under Hans Gal, Alois Haba and Viteslav Novak. At that time Johannes Bammer began to compose intensively and his works received first performances and some success. For example the contralto Gertrude Pitzinger became an admirer and champion of the songs of Johannes Bammer, also the soprano Maria Müller.
After World War II and the invasion of the Russian army in Rumburg Johannes Bammer had to emigrate to Germany and first settled in Löbau and since 1949 in Rüdesheim. At that time Johannes Bammer completely focused on a life as a composer and created many works in the next decades. He moved several times: In 1959 to Frankfurt am Main, in 1963 to Höchberg near Würzburg and finally in 1975 to Bonn.
Johannes Bammer died on 17 March 1988 in Bonn (Germany).
The work catalogue of Johannes Bammer contains only chamber music and songs. He composed several suites for piano, a sonatine for piano, a string quartet, several suites for cello and piano, works for violin and piano, a trio for violin, clarinet and piano, a Pater noster for voice and organ, many song cycles of which his several "Kinderlieder" and the "Russisches Liederbuch" are best known.
In my possession is the autograph manuscript of the "Suite for cello and piano" by Johannes Bammer. The movement titles of this suite are 1. Allegro moderato, 2. Andante cantabile and 3. Allegro assai. The manuscript is not dated, but has the address "Rumburg, Klosterg. 1" written on the title page.
The identification of the work is a bit difficult. In the biography about Johannes Bammer by Widmar Hader four suites for cello and piano are listed in the work catalogue: One unnumbered suite from 1935 that is now lost and the suites No.1 (1944), No.2 (1944) and No.3 (without a date) of which the manuscripts are archived at the state library of Liechtenstein. The Suite No.3 has the same tempo indications like my manuscript and the numbering indicates a composition in 1944 or after. But the book also gives the information that Johannes Bammer lived in the street "Am Mühlgraben 9" in Rumburg from 1933 until his emigration in 1946 (I found no information where he lived from 1920 to 1933).
Having all this in mind I assume that the manuscript in my archive is the very first, unnumbered and lost Suite for cello and piano and it should date from shortly before 1933. The existence of the unnumbered cello suite and its composition in 1935 was only mentioned in the publication "Die Musik in der Tschechoslovakischen Republik" by Helfert/Steinhard in 1938 and the given year might be not exact. The mentioned Suite No.3 in the Hader biography is not dated, therefore might be composed before the other suites. But I have no explanation why it is numbered 3, because my manuscript shows no number.
I found the manuscript in the musical estate of renowned cellist Maurits Frank.
