Hermann Kotzschmar

Who was Hermann Kotzschmar?

Johann Carl Hermann Kotzschmar was a German-American musician, conductor, and composer.

Kotzschmar was born in 1829 in Finsterwalde, Germany. His father, Johann Gottfried Kotzschmar, was the town Stadtmusiker and taught his son to play the violin, keyboard, flute, and horn. At age 14, Kotzschmar went to Dresden to study with Julius Otto, a choral conductor who was the cantor at the Dresden Kreuzkirche. He studied with Otto for five years, then emigrated to America with a group of other musicians from Dresden who called themselves the Saxonia Band. The group toured New York and Philadelphia with Fry's Italian Opera, then split up when the show folded in Boston.

While in Boston, Kotzschmar met Cyrus Libby Curtis, an amateur musician from Portland, Maine, who suggested he move there to find work. Kotzschmar arrived in Portland in July 1849 and lived with the Curtis family for his first year there. In June 1850, Curtis' first son was born and named Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis, in Kotzschmar's honor.

In 1851, Kotzschmar was hired to be the organist at the First Parish Church in Portland, a position he would keep for 47 years. While living in Portland, Kotzschmar was very active as a composer, conductor, and performer. As an organist, he was well known for his improvisational skills. He was also a noted pianist and accompanist. He composed music for a variety of instruments and ensembles and in a variety of formats.