*1822 Lachen near Zurich – †1882 Frankfurt am Main
Joseph Joachim Raff was a friend of Franz Liszt’s and also worked as the composer’s secretary in Weimar. He later went on to compose in his own right and to teach the piano in Wiesbaden. In 1877, he became the director of the Dr. Hoch’s Conservatory in Frankfurt, where he put all his efforts into setting up the newly founded Academy of Music; for instance, he managed to bring internationally acclaimed teachers to Frankfurt, such as the composers Clara Schumann, Julius Stockhausen, Hugo Heermann, Bernhard Cossmann, Anton Urspruch and Franz Magnus Böhme.
Further information:
Joachim Raff Society www.raff.org
Joachim Raff Gesellschaft Lachen www.joachim-raff.ch
Helene Raff: Joachim Raff. Ein Lebensbild. Deutsche Musikbücherei; Bd. 42, Regensburg 1925