Hans Georg Adler (25 February 1904 â 1 February 1979) was a German musicologist, collector, and classical music promoter in South Africa.
Adler was born in Germany, into a family interested and involved in classical music. His mother, Johanna Nathan, was a professional soprano and performed for noted composers such as Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Busoni, and the singer Julius Stockhausen, who was her tutor. Adler studied Law and Musicology at the Frankfurt and Berlin universities, and studied piano and harpisichord at the Hoch Conservatory, under the tutelage of Prof. Eduard Jung. Adler left Nazi Germany for South Africa in 1933. There he was employed by a hardware wholesaler, and frequently performed keyboard works on air with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
Over the course of his career in South Africa, Hans Adler was committed to the collection of rare instruments and classical music works, and the promotion of visiting classical musicians in the country, creating a lasting impact on the growth of classical music in South Africa.
In 1952, he become the vice-chairman of the Johannesburg Music Society (South Africa's oldest musical society, a registered non-profit organisation), and later become chairman 1955 until 1969. In 1969, Adler became honorary chairman for the society. The Johannesburg Music Society was among the first to invite international classical music artists and groups to perform in South Africa. As such, Johannesburg soon became the centre of the performers' broad African tours. These tours included the large cities of South Africa (Pretoria, Durban, East London, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth), as well as visits to Kenya, the former Northern and Southern Rhodesia, Mozambique, the islands of Mauritius and Reunion, the former South West Africa, Angola and sometimes the former Belgian Congo. Many of these tours included the creation of recordings with the SABC.
Under Hans Adler's lead, the Johannesburg Music Society increased the promotion of classical music, and encouraged international musicians to perform for audiences in South Africa. In turn, this allowed classical music in South Africa to expand and flourish during that time
For this achievement, and for the musical museum he created over the course of his career, an honorary doctorate from the University of the Witwatersrand was conferred on him in 1978.
After World War II, Hans Adler began expanding the small library inherited from his father. Amongst others, his additions included classical music dictionaries, encyclopedias, manuscripts, complete composer compendiums, in many different languages. The library also included volumes of music scores. Moreover, he acquired early keyboard instruments â a clavicytherium, clavichords, a glass harmonica, an octave spinet, harpsichords, a fortepiano and two modern Steinway grand pianos. The collection eventually comprised 19 instruments, and provided a demonstration of the development of the piano. Along with the keyboard instruments, was a viola d'amore.
Over time, this personal library grew into a sizable collection, especially in keyboard compositions and productions. Together with the instrument collection, this evolved into a museum, which was housed in his Johannesburg home. One highlight included a "showcase of rare and unusual items of intrigue to musicians and musicologists." Tours for university students were sometimes conducted, and the SABC periodically aired early composers' works at the museum, which Adler would perform - often together with touring overseas performers - on the antique keyboard instruments.
The museum was considered by some of the musicologists of the time to be one of the more outstanding museums of this nature in private hands. It was eventually willed to the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, who opened a "Hans Adler Memorial Museum" in their Arts Building in 1980. For the museum opening, a Hans Adler Memorial Volume book, "A Collection of Tributes" was published.
Between 1954 and 1978, most of the classical musicians and groups touring Southern Africa were invited by Adler to browse in the library and try out the instruments. A number of the touring musicians also discovered interesting or little-known works, though this exchange (See note 7 in: examples of unusual works referenced).
The collection housed a variety of historical instruments. The principle instruments in the collection are as follows:
The collection housed over 125 touring musicians' dedicated photographs, recital programs and music-room comments during their Southern Africa tours. These musicians include: