Julius Herrmann

Like <a href="spotify:artist:6jNyNAMv2gNLnfaP0bzo7y">John Philip Sousa</a>, military bandmaster Julius Herrmann's first instrument was the violin, which he studied at the Vienna Conservatory. By 1910, he had joined the predecessor of the Original Hoch und Deutschmeister Band (which refers to itself as an "Orchester," even though it is a military band unit) and participated in a successful tour of Argentina, including the World's Fair given in Buenos Aires that year. In 1918, the leader of the Original Hoch und Deutschmeister, Wilhelm Wacek, stepped down and Herrmann assumed directorship, leading it for the next two decades. With the Anschluss and the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938, all military band units were placed in the service of the Third Reich, and the Original Hoch und Deutschmeister, which could trace its lineage back to Philipp Fahrbach, Sr., was dissolved.

With the end of the Third Reich in April 1945, Herrmann immediately set about reforming the Original Hoch und Deutschmeister and had the new ensemble ready by October 1945. It swiftly established itself as one of the very best groups of its kind and made many recordings, not only in Vienna and Germany, but also making several albums for English Decca, which proved popular even in English-speaking lands. Herrmann continued to lead the Original Hoch und Deutschmeister until his death at age 88 in 1977; his longevity as a leader was incredible; apart from the seven-year interval enacted upon his group by the National Socialists, Herrmann led the Original Hoch und Deutschmeister Band for a span of 60 years.