Roeder, Martin

1851-1895

German composer, conductor, violinist, and teacher of music; born in Berlin; received his musical education there at the Royal School of Music under Joachim and Kiel, and in 1873 went to Milan as chorusmaster of the Teatro dal Verme. Here, in 1875, he organized a choral society, which performed classical works in an excellent manner. During his tenure of the Milan post he also visited other cities as opera-conductor, appearing in Turin, Bologna, the Azores, and at one time assisting in the rehearsals of Wagner's Rienzi, at Venice. In 1880 he removed to Berlin and began private teaching, but the next year found him on the faculty of Scharwenka's Conservatory, where he remained till 1887, going thence to Dublin, where he was a professor at the Royal Academy of Music till 1892. In the latter year he accepted the position of director of the vocal department in the New England Conservatory. He died in Boston. His compositions reveal talent of a high order, as well as skilful use of musical resources, and include three operas, Pietro Cardiano IV., Giuditta (Judith), and Vera; an oratorio,   Maria Magdalena; Santa Maria appie della Croce, adapted from Tasso; two symphonic poems, Leonore, and Azorenfahrt; for orchestra, a suite, a symphony, an overture; piano music, and chamber-music, which is said to show his work at its best, especially the quintet in A, the quartet in B flat minor, and the trio in F minor. His thorough musicianship was supplemented by ability as a writer; under the pseudonymn of Raro Miedtner he contributed valued articles to the Gazzetta Musicale in Milan. He also published two works in Italian, Studi critici raccolti, Milan, and Dal taccuino di un direttpre di orchestra, the latter being published in German at Leipsic as Aus dem Tagebuch eine wandernden Kapellmeister (The Diary of a Wandering Capellmeister). tlber den Stand der offentlichen Musikpflege in Italien also appeared at Leipsic in 1881.