(1909-1968)

Hans-Heinz Draeger was born on December 6, 1909, in Stralsund, Germany. He attended the Oberreal Schule in Stralsund from 1920 to 1931. From 1931 to 1937 he was a student of musicology at the University of Berlin under the tutelage of F. Blume, Curt Sachs, A. Schering, G. Schuenemann and E. Schumann. Other subjects studied included the history of art with Brinckmann and Pinder, philosophy with M. Dessoir and Nicolai Hartmann, and German literature with Herrmann. He received his Ph.D. in 1937. After graduation he was appointed an assistant in the German Institute for Musicological Research in Berlin. In 1938 he became assistant to the Director of the Berlin Museum of Music Instruments, and was appointed Acting Director of that museum in 1939.

Following the war he became a lecturer at the Universities of Kiel, Greifswald, where he was promoted to professor, Rostock and East Berlin. In 1950 he became a consultant with Rias in Berlin, the American radio station in West Berlin, belonging to the State Department. He was appointed Professor of Musicology at the Free University of Berlin-Dahlem in 1953. In 1955 he was employed by Rias as Musical Specialist and Expert on Musicology.

From September 1955 to May 1956 he was a Fulbright Exchange Professor at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. He returned to the United States in 1961, at which time he was invited to The University of Texas as a Visiting Professor of Musicology. In 1962 he was appointed Professor of Music. He became an American citizen on November 10, 1966.

In recognition of his outstanding work in musicology, he was invited to Salzburg in 1964 to read two scholarly research papers (listed in the bibliography) for the International Congress of Musicology. He was President of the Southwest Chapter of the American Musicological Society at the time of his death.

Irene Sachs (widow of Curt Sachs), learning of Dr. Draeger's death, wrote, "Dr. Draeger was a man whom I respected deeply, a man of courage, when others failed, and a scholar to whom -- more than to any colleague of my husband -- I wished to confide the editorship of my husband's Gesammelte Aufsaetze. I regret it deeply that he left us."

This was one of the great minds of The University of Texas faculty. His broad background in philosophy and history of art made his contributions unique in the understanding of music and the insights which scientific approaches to the art of music give. Those who knew him well were constantly amazed at this ability to explore and develop ideas in several completely unrelated directions at the same time. He had a brilliant way of illuminating the most obscure and difficult questions dealing with music, psychology, mathematics as related to music, and aesthetics. He was also most interested in computer programming as an aid to research in music.

Dr. Draeger was a quiet and sincere gentleman and his strength of character was most clearly exemplified in his pride as a citizen of the United States, when he stood for nearly an hour, a short four days prior to his death, to cast his first vote. His kindness and consideration to others instilled trust and admiration in all who were fortunate enough to know him.

Dr. Draeger died in St. David's Hospital on November 9, 1968. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Helen B. Draeger, a son, Udo-Heyber Vetter, both of Austin, his father, two brothers and three sisters, all living in Germany.

Biographical information on Hans-Heinz Draeger may be found in:

Encyclopédie de la musique, 1 (Paris: Fasquelle, 1958), 669.

Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 3 (1954), cols. 727-728.

Riemann Musik Lexikon, 12th rev. edition, Willibald Gurlitt, ed., 1 (1959), 418.

U.S. Congressional Record. 85th Congress, 2nd session, vol. 104 (January 31-February 25, 1958), 2619.

In addition to the following list of publications, Dr. Draeger wrote the program notes for the Fine Arts Booklet, published by The University of Texas Department of Music from 1961 to 1963, and the program notes for the Austin Symphony Orchestra from 1963 to 1968.

(signed) Norman Hackerman

President of the University of Texas at Austin

(signed) Eugene W. Nelson

Secretary of the General Faculty

These Resolutions were prepared by a Special Committee consisting of Professors John Grubbs, Laurene Heimann, Helmut Rehder and J. Frank Elsass, Chairman.