Fritz Straumer

Johannes Fritz Straumer was born on 19 February 1913 in Stollberg (Germany). It is little known today about him, but it seems that he studied music at the conservatory in Dresden. His main instrument was the violin. After his studies Fritz Straumer was first Kapellmeister at the Stadttheater in Plauen from 1936 to 1937 and later at an orchestra in Bad Elster. With the beginning of World War II Fritz Straumer was drafted for military service and he was killed in action on 6 August 1944.

Beside his work as a violinist Fritz Straumer was also a composer. A Viola sonata was composed in the 1930s and dedicated to Georg Seifert, the principal violist of the Staatskapelle Dresden from 1920 till 1959. This composition was published by Carl Pillich, a publishing house in Dresden.

In my possession is the autograph manuscript of the full score of the "Heitere Improvisationen über ein Kinderlied, für Orchester" (Cheerful improvisations on a children's song, for orchestra) by Fritz Straumer. The work is built up on an introduction and four improvisations on the German children's song "Fuchs, du hast die Gans gestohlen". The manuscript is not dated and I don't know if the work was ever performed. But due to the short lifetime of Fritz Straumer it is very likely that the work was composed in the 1930s.