The Rohloff Family

The history of a family is always fascinating, especially if there are heirlooms that remind you almost daily of your forefathers and -mothers. It is just as wonderful to suddenly be confronted with an inheritance from decades and even centuries past. In our case there was the discovery of volumes upon volumes of handwritten music, all original compositions from grandfather, granduncles, great grandfather... all the way back to 1850, as well as other papers going back to before 1800. What a treasure! The history of a family laid bare for all to see. We pick up the story in North East Germany, in the Province of Pommerania: A young man is employed as a teacher and church organist in the town of Pasewalk, soon marries a local girl and starts a family...

Adolf ROHLOFF (1833 - 1902)

Adolf Rohloff He moved to the town of Pasewalk in NE Germany as a young man and became the organist at the local Lutheran church, as well as the music teacher of the Pasewalk high school. He had been a student with (and a lodger in the household of) Carl Loewe, an eminent North German composer. It is likely that he sang the first performances of a large number of Loewe's Lieder and Ballades. Adolf himself wrote a considerable amount of choral music which he occasionally performed with local forces in his capacity as organist and music teacher. He was the music teacher of his seven children, who without exception were capable musicians. Four of them became busy composers (see below).

Hans ROHLOFF (1868 - 1896)

The oldest child who survived infancy, but died tragically young himself. Hans is considered to be the most gifted of all the composing Rohloffs, with the most melodious works coming from his pen. The last four years of his short life he was a very promising organist, composer, conductor, and music teacher (high school) in Stralsund in NE Germany. Many of his compositions have been lost in the political upheavals and territorial shifts of two world wars.

Hermann ROHLOFF (1875 - 1950)

An excellent pianist in addition to his teaching duties in a very small town in N. Germany, Hermann turned to composing later in his life. By then he had upgraded his teaching qualifications to the high school level and was busy conducting and performing locally. His compositions frequently are geared to a more amateur level, having been written for groups resident in Köslin in NE Germany's Pommerania region, now situated in NW Poland.

Max ROHLOFF (1877 - 1955)

After training and working as an elementary school teacher for some years, Max took up music studies in Berlin's Academy of Fine Arts, and from 1910 on taught music in several cities in the far eastern German provinces. In the 1920's he settled in Königsberg as high school music teacher, but also taught Theory and Counterpoint in the music department of the city's university. As composer he is best known for his large scale choral works, but he worked diligently on chamber music, Lieder, and orchestral works, as well.

Ernst Franz ROHLOFF (1894 - 1947)

The youngest and by far the most prolific of the Rohloffs, he was at first a young elementary school teacher, then a participant in the entire First World War, after which time he became a high school music teacher, composing busily the entire time. He wrote 9 symphonies, four operas, assorted chamber music pieces, two dozens piano sonatas, 52 Lieder, 12 marches, and several symphonic poems, entitled "Scenes from my Life".

Peter Friedrich ROHLOFF (1941 - )

Peter F. Rohloff The present generation of the Rohloff family has made its way to a place far removed from Pommerania: Canada. Another music teacher, conductor, violinist, with a special interest in German and particularly Austrian music... but not a composer! There is the interest in printed music, however, which is enhanced by an incredible invention, normally far removed from music: the computer. Suddenly it is possible to produce very clean, even beautiful sheet music inexpensively, at home! The rest is history...