Oskar Hagen Papers

(1910–1958)

Call number: WMA II, BOX 1; WMA III, BOX 1

Oskar Hagen was born in 1888 in Wiesbaden, Germany. He studied at the University of Berlin and the University of Munich and received his doctorate from the University of Halle. He taught art history at the Univesity of Goettingen from 1918–1925. While there he was also responsible for a revival of Handel operas and director of the Goettingen Handel Festival.

He came to the United States to be professor of art history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He founded the Department of Art History in 1925 and served as its direcator for twenty-three years.

Hagen, who had studied composition with Carl Schuricht and Engelbert Humperdinck during his early years in Europe, reportedly renewed his interest in composition in the 1940s.

He died October 14, 1957.

The papers were donated circa 1977 through the efforts of Bing Crapser and Carroll Chilton.

Description

[Materials are located in WMA III, BOX l except as noted below.]

Compositions

• Carducciana for four mixed voices (1948)
• 2 copies reproduced from manuscript
• Choral Rhapsody for chorus and orchestra (1943) — WMA II, BOX 1
• 1 full score reproduced from manuscript
• 2 vocal scores reproduced from manuscript
• multiple parts for violins, viola, cello, and single parts for timpani and percussion
• Concerto Grosso for orchestra (1944)
• 1 manuscript full score
• 1 score reproduced from manuscript — WMA II, BOX 1
• set of parts
• set of diazo process master parts
• Faust Music for chorus and orchestra (incomplete)
• manuscript
• Die Kleine Meerfrau, opera (1910–1912)
• 1 manuscript full score
• 1 manuscript orchestral score, Prelude to the Third Act
• 1 manuscript libretto
• 1 typed copy of libretto
• Songs
• Erkenntnis (1943)
• Gebet (1910)
• Gewissheit (no date)
• Goethes Sonnengesang (1948)
• Die Sonne for choir, soloists, and orchestra (1943)
• 1 manuscript full score
• Theme and Canon 4 for string quartet (no date)
• 4 manuscript parts
• Wisconsin Summer for string quartet (1946)
• 3 sets of parts reproduced from manuscript

Arrangements

• Arrangements of works by Bach, Chemin-Petit, Haydn, Martinu, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Vivaldi, and Wagner. — WMA II, BOX 1

Recordings

• 78 rpm discs:
• Carducciana, 2 discs, performed by the Madison Philharmonic Chorus, 1949.
• [Violin Sonata ?], 3 discs.
• Wisconsin Summer, two sets of 3 discs (one set labeled “Suite for Quartette” performed by the Pro Arte Quartet.)
• 33 1/3 rpm disc:
• Concerto Grosso

[All discs have been dubbed onto a cassette tape. The tape is located in WMA III, Box I.]

Miscellaneous

• Folder containing a study of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, photo, clipping, obituary, memorial statement from the University.

Items deleted from the collection:

These two items belonged to the composer's wife, Beatrice Hagen: Mitteilungen fur de Mozart-Gemeinde in Berlin, and the score of Mozart’s Osanna-Dopel fuge der Grossen Messenin C moll arranged by Lewicki.