Guitarist, mandolinist and teacher, was born in Berlin and died in Potsdam (near Berlin). At first he learnt zither; in the years 1886-1890 he studied guitar with Wilhelm Conrad in Berlin. In 1888 Conrad founded the first Berlin mandolin club - with Carl Henze and Reinhold Vorpahl. In 1890 the Neapolitan mandolin virtuoso Michele Fasano visited Berlin. Carl Henze studied mandolin with him, and the ‚Mandolin Sextett Michele Fasano‘ was founded: They toured twice (1892-1896) through Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium, Netherlands, France, England, Switzerland. During those tours he continued studying mandolin with Fasano and also completed his guitar studies with Auguste Zurfluh in Paris. In 1896 up to his death he was teacher for guitar and mandolin in Berlin. He founded his own educational institute ,Lehrinstitut für Mandoline und Gitarre’ - called also ‚Henze‘sches Gitarre Pädagogium‘. His best known pupils are Bruno Henze, Marianne Geyer, Josef Müsch, Hans-Lutz Niessen, Günther Schmidt. In 1914 he united his two mandolin orchestras ‚Con amore‘ and ‚Sempre sonore‘ into the ‚Berliner Mandolinen- und Lautenorchester von 1896‘. This was up to 1933 the leading plucked string orchestra in Berlin (broadcasting and disks). In 1934 he left Berlin and settled down in Potsdam, conducted two plucked string orchestras ,M.-C.Sonate‘ (Berlin) and ‚Potsdamer Mandolinenorchester 1907 und Frohsinn‘ up to 1945. He composed about hundred works for guitar and about fifty works for Zupforchester as well as hundreds of arrangements for Zupforchester and mandolin quartet.
(Rainer Stelle)