Spies, Hermine |
| CONCERT SINGER (GERMANY) |
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BORN 25 Feb 1857, Löhnberger Hütte, Hessen (near Weilburg) - DIED 26 Feb 1893, Wiesbaden, Hessen GRAVE LOCATION Wiesbaden, Hessen: Nordfriedhof, Platter Strasse (A 19) |
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Hermine Spies was educated at the Freudenberg’schen Conservatorium in Wiesbaden. Joachim Raff examined her and concluded that she was talented enough to become a pianist or a singer. She chose singing after this was advised to her by Amalie Reling and she moved to Berlin to study with Professor Sieber. In Berlin she lived in the house of the widow of the musicologist Siegfried Wilhelm Dehn (1799-1858). In 1879 she became a pupil of Julius Stockhausen at Dr. Hoch’s Conservatory in Frankfurt am Main. In 1880 she debuted on the stage in Mannheim. After that she appeared in Graz where she was accompanied on the piano by Ella Pancera. She performed in several cities and in 1893 she met Johannes Brahms at the Musikfest in Köln. She was supported in her career by her older sister Minna. In 1886 she visited Brahms in Thun. He invited her to Vienna where she gave several recitals. During the following years she appeared in Copenhagen, London and St. Petersburg. In 1892 she married the district judge Walter Hardmuth and she ended her career. She died only a year later in Wiesbaden. At the time of her death she was pregnant of her first child. Related persons • was a friend of Brahms, Johannes • met Raff, Joachim • was pupil of Stockhausen, Julius |
| Images |
 The grave of Hermine Spies at the Nordfriedhof, Wiesbaden. Picture by Androom (29 Jul 2022) |
