Zilcher, Hermann (Karl Josef)

(b Frankfurt, 18 Aug 1881; d Würzburg, 1 Jan 1948). German composer, pianist and conductor. Born into a family of musicians, he studied at the Hoch Conservatory in his home town and then embarked on a career as a pianist. In 1908 he joined the staff of the Munich Academy of Music, and from 1920 to 1944 he was principal of the Würzburg Conservatory, where he also conducted and played a large part in the Mozart festivals founded in 1922. As a composer he represented a current of south German traditionalism that was heavily dependent on Schumann and Brahms and sometimes inclined to a popular style. Zilcher employed Impressionist harmonies on occasion, and he also drew on Baroque music and on folksong. His large output (about 100 works were published) is not always strikingly individual, but his music gives an impression of vivid inventiveness, with convincing contrapuntal thematic development.

WORKS

(selective list)

Ops: Fitzebutze (R. Dehmel), perf. 1903; Dr Eisenbart (O. Falckenberg), perf. 1922

Orch: 5 syms., opp.1, 17, 27, 84, 112; 5 suites, opp.4, 54b, 71, 73a, 76; 3 vn concs., opp.9, 11, 92; 2 pf concs., opp.20, 102; Accdn Conc., op.114

Chbr: Sonata, op.16, vn, pf; Sym., op.30, 2 pf; Pf Qnt, op.42; 2 pf trios, opp.56, 90; Str Qt, op.104

Many songs incl. Dehmel-Zyklus, op.25, Deutsches Volkslied-Spiel, op.32

Orats, choruses incl. Reinhart, op.2, Liebesmesse, op.27

Principal publisher: Breitkopf & Härtel

BIBLIOGRAPHY

H. Oppenheim: Hermann Zilcher (Munich, 1921)

H.J. Moser: Das deutsche Lied seit Mozart (Berlin, 1937, 2/1968)

T. Hlouschek: Hermann Zilcher (Jena, 1952) [incl. list of works]

KLAUS KIRCHBERG

Zildjian.

Turkish and American family of cymbal makers comprising the Avedis Zildjian Co. of Norwell, Massachusetts, and K. Zildjian of Istanbul. The family traces its lineage back to Avedis Zildjian, a Constantinople alchemist who in 1623 discovered a process for treating alloys. He applied this process to the making of cymbals, an already flourishing craft in Turkey. The details of his secret were closely guarded and have been passed down through the family. For three centuries, with the exception of the short period of political exile of Aram Zildjian, Zildjian cymbals have continued to be manufactured in Turkey (see fig.1; see also Cymbals, fig.1 ).

In 1928 Aram, rehabilitated in Constantinople, contemplated retirement, and (being childless) passed the family secret to his nephew Avedis (b Dec 1889; d 8 Feb 1979) who lived in the USA. In 1929 Avedis established a foundry in North Quincy, later moving to Norwell. Soon after World War II, Avedis initiated his sons Armand (b 18 Feb 1921) and Robert into the craft; they continued the tradition in the Norwell factory until December 1981, when Armand became the Norwell company’s president (retaining the trade names A. Zildjian and K. Zildjian). The firm passed to Armand’s daughter Craigie in 1996. Robert established a new company, Sabian Ltd, in Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada, for the manufacture of Sabian cymbals. Zildjian and Sabian Ltd are now great competitors in the lucrative cymbal industry.

The brilliant and unique ‘Zildjian sound’ continues to be heard in the world’s greatest orchestras and dance bands and wherever cymbals are used. The metallurgical formula of Zildjian cymbals is known to be 80% copper and about 20% tin with the addition of a small amount of silver. The methods of casting, rolling, tempering and hammering are also no secret. What is not known, however, is the ingenious method of treating alloys in the cymbal casting process that was discovered in 1623. Zildjian now make cymbals of all types, two octaves of crotales, hand hammered gongs and a wide range of mallets.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BladesPI

T.R. Navin: ‘The World’s Leading Cymbal Maker: Avedis Zildjian Company’, Bulletin of the Business Historical Society, xxiii (1949), 196–206

JAMES BLADES/JAMES HOLLAND

Ziliani, Alessandro

(b Bussetto, 3 June 1906; d Milan, 18 Feb 1977). Italian tenor. He studied with Alfredo Cechi in Milan and in 1928 made his début there at the Dal Verme in Madama Butterfly. At Rome he sang in the première of Wolf-Ferrari’s La vedova scaltra (1931) and Mascagni’s Pinotta (1932). In that year he also made his début at La Scala, where he continued to appear until 1946. His roles there included Dmitry in Boris Godunov, Enzo in La Gioconda and Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, in which he was widely considered to be the best of his generation. He made guest appearances at San Francisco in 1938 and travelled extensively in Europe. When Busoni’s Turandot had its Italian première in 1940 he sang the role of Calaf. He also appeared with Maria Callas in the revival of Rossini’s Armida at the Florence Festival of 1952. In later years he turned to operetta, films and concert work; he then established himself as an agent, promoting, among others, the career of Luciano Pavarotti. His recordings include the part of Alfredo in the first electrical recording of La traviata and display a resonant lyric voice and pleasing style.

J.B. STEANE

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