Moritz Heuzenroeder was a pianist, composer and teacher of music born in Germany who had a substantial career in South Australia.
History
Moritz Heuzenroeder was born in Ottersberg the youngest son of Dr. Heuzenroeder, a prominent Sanitätsrat, and from early childhood was preoccupied with performing music. He left Germany for South Australia some time before 1871 and settled in Gawler, where for a year or two he conducted a jeweller's shop, but he had a greater love for music, and returned to Germany for three or four years to further study piano under Dr. Sebert, gaining Royal Academy of Stuttgart qualifications, and studyingvoice production. On his return he settled in Adelaide and advertised himself as a teacher of singing; the baritone Richard Nitschke and singing teacherMinna Fischer were two of his pupils. He was a friend of Hermann Schrader, who considered him a musical genius. He founded an orchestra at Tanunda, and a choral society at Angaston. He moved from Adelaide to Tanunda early in 1897; he died unexpectedly the same year. He never married.
Family
He had a brother in South Australia: Johann Theodor "Theo" Heuzenroeder, born in Schwanewedeemigrated to South Australia in 1859, married Mathilde Louise Martha Fiedler in 1867 and had eight children, was a pharmacist in Adelaide, then Hahndorf, then Tanunda from 1866. Moritz Ernst Heuzenroeder who married Margarethe Hermione Wendt in 1903 was a son. There are no details available of relationship, if any, to Heinrich "Henry" Heuzenroeder who arrived December 1847 on Hermann von Beckerath, partner with brother Moritz J. Heuzenroeder in chemist's shop at 50 Rundle Street then took it over, a noted coin collector; Moritz Joseph Heuzenroeder, who migrated on the Heerjeebhoy Rustomjee Patel, arriving in SA September 1845, established pharmacy at 50 Rundle Street, joined by brother Henry, then established Tanunda pharmacy in 1849, joined by brother Joseph before 1860, took over shop when Moritz died 1864. Joseph Heuzenroeder's Tanunda business and stock were liquidated in 1866, but somehow the business remained in the family for four generations.
Compositions
He composed operettas Singvogelchen and Onkel Beckers Geschichte, which were performed in 1882 and the parody Faust and Gretchen, to libretto by Richard Jaentsch, 1883, all performed at the Albert Hall, Pirie Street, Adelaide, by the Deutscher Männer Gesang Verein. In 1886, he founded the Adelaide Harmonie Society, which in 1891 first performed The Windmill, his operetta in two acts, the text of which was translated from the French of Mélesville. Soloists were Minna Schrader, Blanche Frances, A. Duncan, G. Dumel-Denger, H. Adams, P. Bartels, and F. H. Stokes. He resigned from the Society in 1890, to be replaced by G. Vollmar, followed by T. H. Jones then Hermann Heinicke. He composed the comic operaImmomeena, first performed in 1893, of which the song The Green Little Isle of the Sea achieved some popularity. He composed songsThou art my Queen with words by educationist Alfred Edward Maegraith, first performed in 1890 by Richard Nitschke, and Australia, with words by C. C. Presgrave, again promoted by R. Nitschke.
