Franz Götze

Franz Karl August Götze was born on 11 September 1859 in Weimar (Germany). Both his father and grandfather (and his aunt Auguste Götze) were professional musicians and so music became his profession as well. Franz Götze studied at the Großherzogliche Musikschule in Weimar and worked for six years as a kapellmeister at different theatres in Germany.

In 1884 Franz Götze visited an acquaintance in Hohenstein (Saxonia). At this visit he met his future wife Anna Ella Hölzel and her brother Friedrich Lorenz. From that moment Hohenstein was an important place for Franz Götze and so it is no surprise that he became kapellmeister of the Bade-Capelle in Hohenstein in 1886. Franz Götze and Anne Ella Hölzel married in 1888. As a result his brother-in-law Friedrich Lorenz – a mortage broker - sold Franz Götze the thermal establishment „Mineralbad Hohenstein“. In the following years other real estates were leased to him by his brother-in-law.

But Franz Götze did not care much about the activities of his brother-in-law and his involvement, he focused on his career as a musician and composer. After a long residence in Hohenstein Franz Götze finally changed his position in 1896 and moved to Bad Kreuznach. There he worked again as a kapellmeister. In 1899 he fulfilled the same position in Düsseldorf and since 1906 worked at the Komische Oper in Berlin.

In the early 1910s the rentals for the different real estates leased under his name through his brother-in-law became unpayable. As a result Franz Götze had to declare bankruptcy and was without resources. Even worse in February 1914 Franz Götze was arrested by the police, accused of fraud and perjury and was imprisoned for a year while waiting for his trial. The trial took place in summer 1915. The main accused was Friedrich Lorenz, the brother-in-law of Franz Götze. The trial brought the finding that over the years Friedrich Lorenz created a complex structure of acquisitions, rentals and mortgages with the two stooges Franz Götze and Karl Wunderlich (Franz Götze’s brother of sister-in-law) that caused a financial damage amounting to millions of Mark. Franz Götze argued that he did not know anything about the financial activities of his brother-in-law and just did and signed what Friedrich Lorenz asked him to do. In the end the court gave the judgment that Franz Götze was not guilty and he was released.

After this legal intermezzo Franz Götze returned to Berlin. In 1919 he still worked there as a composer for the Nivelli Film-Gesellschaft, but shortly afterwards Franz Götze emigrated to Amsterdam (Netherlands). In Amsterdam he continued his work as a conductor and worked at the Rembrandttheater and the Variete Flora. His daughter „Hansi“ Götze married the danser and choreograph Louis Jacob Fraenkel – stage name: Luigi di Fraën – in 1923. Luigi di Fraën was the director of the Variete Flora at that time and surely helped Franz Götze to work there.

Franz Götze died on 24 July 1934 in Amsterdam.

The Franz Götze Archive

In my possession is a large part of the musical estate of Franz Götze. For a detailed description I created a finding aid:

5 deklamatorische Vorträge

The "5 deklamatorische Vorträge" are scored for voice and piano with the voice part not sung but declaimed and were composed in 1925. The texts were written by Ina Martell, a person for which I could not find a single reference.



5 Solosätze für Cello und Klavier

The 5 solo movements for cello and piano were composed in 1906.

4 Sätze für Streichquartett oder Streichorchester

There is some obscurity around this composition. There is no main title for the 4 movements, each one has its own:  1. Erinnerung, 2. Morgenandacht, 3. Abendandacht and 4. Liebesträumerei. The movements are numbered, so it looks like they belong together.

In an article in the Hohensteiner Tageblatt from 2 June 1887 a biography about Franz Götze is given. There is says that Franz Götze also composed some notable string quartets like "Abend-Andacht", "Erinnerung", "Ein Blättchen aus meinem Stammbuch" and "Des armen Kindes Weihnacht". This sounds like these are individual works and also only two of the titles are mentioned. I have no information whether the two others works were maybe retitled and therefore are identical to "Morgenandacht" and "Liebesträumerei" or all titles are different.

It is also strange that in the manuscript there are two "div." notes calling for divided violas. And the fourth movement "Liebesträumerei" completely divides the first violin(s?) into two sections.

So in the end it is uncertain if the work was composed for string quartet or string orchestra and as a unity or as 4 individual movements.

Ludwig's Hymne

The composition "Ludwig's Hymne" is scored for double men's choir and orchestra. The text praises Ludwig II. of Bavaria and was written by Franz Götze himself. It seems that the work was composed around 1885 because the text mentions the Wagner composition "Parsifal" which was premiered in 1882. It also seems that the work did not make its way to Ludwig II., who died in 1886, because there is a printed title page part of the manuscript saying the work is titled "Jubel-Hymne" and dedicated to German emperor Wilhelm I, dated 1887. So it seems that Franz Götze wanted to rework the text from Ludwig II. to Wilhelm I. but there is no such text parts of my manuscripts. Maybe Franz Götze only planned such a revision and stopped when also Wilhelm I. died in 1888.

5 Lieder für Stimme und Klavier

The "5 Lieder" for voice and piano are in fact a compilation of individual songs put together for a publication (so it seems). The songs are:

• Frühlingsjubel (text by Franz Götze)
• In der Lenznacht (text by H. Schönknecht)
• Am Maitag (text by H. Schönknecht)
• Mondnacht (text by Joseph von Eichendorff)
• Vorbei (text by Julius von Wannsee)

Variationen über das Volkslied "Aus der Jugendzeit"

The Variationen über das Volkslied "Aus der Jugendzeit" (von Robert Radecke) are scored for bassoon and piano. The work is dedicated to Carl Götze, the brother of Franz and was composed in 1915.

Downstairs

This small composition was composed in November 1923. My manuscript is the piano reduction, but the work was surely planned for a larger ensemble (a small flute part is included), but the use and formation of this composition is unknown to me. Curiously the title and author are crossed out on the manuscript: "Downstairs door Francis Fraen" and "Franz Götze" is written below. I have no idea why this has happened, because "Francis Fraenkel" would have been Franz Götze's grandson in March 1924, son of his daughter Hansi Götze and Louis Jacob Fraenkel, stage name Luigi di Fraen. But in November 1923 there was no Francis Fraenkel and so I am puzzled about this initial inscription.

Charleston

This Charleston dance is scored for piano. Franz Götze also created a version for piano 4 hands. The work is not dated but - with the Charleston history at the back of one's mind - very likely created around 1925.