Heinrich Albert was born on July 16th 1870 in Würzburg. From 1881 to 1888 he visited the Royal Music School. His first instrument was the violin, but he changed to the horn on the advice of his horn-playing father. Rather than complete his exams he preferred to accept his first offer of employment with the Municipal Orchestra of Duisburg. Up to 1900 he was first horn in several orchestras, from 1895 to 1900 in the Kaim-Orchester, which later became the Münchner Philharmoniker. The old lute with guitar-strings, which he bought around 1894 for its attractive form, was to shape his destiny: using the teaching-literature of Carcassi and Sor he taught himself to play the guitar. The guitarist and mandolinist Silvio Negri from Triest helped him to understand the whole potential of these instruments. In 1898 he founded the Circolo Mandolinistico lombardo Monaco (20 players), which he also conducted. From 1900 Munich became his home, and he became the guitarist at the Royal Bavarian Theatre. In 1901 he appeared for the first time as a chamber musician with his newly acquired skills: as the leader of a Lombardian Quartet (sixstringed Milanese mandolins) and already as a member of a guitar quartet, although the Münchener Gitarrequartett with Albert leading and with Karl Kern, Fritz Buek and Hermann Rensch - all protagonists of the Internationler Guitarristen-Verband, founded 1899 - was not to come together until 1907. To begin with one played on four Primgitarren, then with two Terzgitarren, until Franz Halbmeyer built the Quintbassgitarre for Rensch in 1911. Regarding literature and technique Heinrich Albert was influenced by Luigi Mozzani from 1905; after 1913 it was the Spanish School represented by Miguel Llobet. Armed with the 1909-awarded title Chamber-Virtuoso of Her Majesty Queen Maria Sophia of Both Sicilys, the way was clear to a career as soloist and to the publication of widespread teaching-literature, this reaching its climax in the Moderner Lehrgang des künstlerischen Gitarrespiels (5 volumes, Munich 1914-1919). Particularly at his solo concerts (which gradually replaced his ensemble playing) throughout Germany and in Moravia, Austria, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland one could experience his sound-ideal (warmth, large tone, carrying-power). Besides this he was a regular private guitar and mandolin teacher. He died on March 12th 1950 in Gauting (near Munich), where he had lived since around 1914. His most prominent pupils are Heinrich Jordan, Margarethe Müller, Fritz Mühlhölzl, Anny Claassens, Hans Tempel, Luise Walker, Heinz Teuchert and Franz Bumaier. His compositions, arrangements and teaching material are published by Lienau and Zimmermann, amongst others. Recent research by the guitarist Andreas Stevens brought much of interest to light; this text is indebted to his highly recommendable publications.
Andreas Stevens recorded in 2006 a CD „Heinrich Albert - Ausgewählte Werke für Gitarre solo” (Aurea Vox 2009-4).
Völker Höh recorded a CD with compositions by Heinrich Albert: In 2012 the CD „SoloDuoTrioQuartett - Deutsche Gitarrenmusik” (Naxos 8.551291) with compositions by Bruno Henze, Heinrich Albert und Simon Schneider was published.
(Rainer Stelle)