Haberl, Franz Xaver (EN)

Haberl Franz Xaver *12 April 1840 Oberellenbach, Lower Bavaria, †5 September 1910 Regensburg, German musicologist. After completing theological studies in Passau, he was ordained priest in 1862; in the years 1862–1867 he served as prefect of music at the diocesan seminary. In 1867–1870 he was organist at the German national church Santa Maria dell’Anima in Rome and conducted musicological research in archives and libraries. In 1871–82 he succeeded Joseph Schrems as Kapellmeister of Regensburg Cathedral and inspector of the cathedral prebend. In 1874 he founded in Regensburg a school of church music, which he directed in the years 1874–1910, with the exception of 1882–85 during a scholarly stay in Italy. Under his direction the Regensburg school attained high standing, as evidenced by its influence on performance and compositional practice, also visible in Poland, particularly in the works of W. Gieburowski, a pupil of Haberl. After the death of Schrems (1872), Haberl took over the editing of the series «Musica divina». In 1879 he founded the Palestrina-Verein and undertook the continuation of the edition of the complete works of Palestrina, initiated in 1862 by Th. de Witt, J.N. Rauch, E. Espagne, and F. Commer; he completed this work in 1894. From 1894 he undertook the publication of the sacred works of Lasso (completed by A. Sandberger). For more than thirty years (1868–1900) he prepared liturgical books published in Regensburg. Moreover, he edited religious publications, was active in the Allgemeiner Deutscher Cäcilien-Verein (from 1899 as chairman), and was an honorary member of many domestic and foreign scholarly societies. He belonged to the commission appointed by Pius IX to revise the Vatican liturgical books, was a lifelong member of the commission supervising the series Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern, an honorary member of the Roman Accademia Santa Cecilia, and ecclesiastical councillor appointed by the Prince of Bavaria. In 1889 he received the honorary degree of doctor of theology from the University of Würzburg; in 1908 he was granted the dignity of prelate of the papal household.

Haberl belonged to the leading representatives of the Cecilian movement that developed in the second half of the nineteenth century; therefore his activity was above all an expression of tendencies toward the renewal of church music, manifested among other things in the reform of Gregorian chant, the revival of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Renaissance polyphony, especially the music of Palestrina, and the establishment of institutions for the teaching of sacred music. In search of the original form of Gregorian chant, Haberl turned to the Medicean edition of the Graduale (Rome 1614–15), deriving – according to his, as it turned out, erroneous convictions – from Palestrina himself and supposedly constituting the official version of chant approved by the Council of Trent, as well as to slightly earlier liturgical books from Venice (1585) and Antwerp (1611). He contributed to the creation of the so-called Neo-Medicean version of Gregorian monody, composing (together with F. Witt) melodies to texts intended for newly established feasts, in accordance with the stylistic principles of the reformed chant. This version, published in the years 1871–94 by the publishing house of F. Pustet in Regensburg, recommended by Pius IX (Breve of 3 May 1873) and recognized by Leo XIII (1878) as authentic, enjoyed great popularity until the publication of the Editio Vaticana (from 1905), prepared by the Benedictines of Solesmes on the basis of early medieval manuscript sources of Gregorian chant.

By publishing all the previously unknown works of Palestrina, the sacred works of Lasso, as well as masses, motets, and falsibordoni by sixteenth- and seventeenth-century composers, Haberl contributed significantly to the dissemination of classical polyphony and the polyphonic performance practice of church music. His editions of monodic and polyphonic music were the result of thorough source studies. The results of these studies were also reflected in his writings (mainly documentary in character), in which Haberl employed the critical-historical method, for example Bibliographischer und thematischer Musikkatalog… – a thematic catalogue of manuscripts and prints from the Vatican archives, also including lists of singers and Kapellmeisters of the papal chapel, and the article Wilhelm du Fay, containing archival information concerning the life and activity of G. Dufay. Haberl combined scholarly and research with teaching. His school of church music, based on a systematic curriculum, educated students in the theory and practice of chant and classical vocal polyphony, as well as organ music. A reflection of the programme of the Regensburg school is the handbook Magister choralis, containing an exposition of elementary theoretical and historical issues together with practical guidance concerning the performance practice of chant, expanded by recommendations regarding modal accompaniment to Gregorian chant.

Literature: C. Bachstefeld Erinnerungen an Dr. Franz Xaver Haberl, “Musica sacra” XLIII, series no. XXII, 1910 no. 10; K. Weinmann Dr. Franz Xaver Haberl, obituary, “Musica sacra” XLIII, series no. XXII, 1910 no. 12; O. Ursprung Die katholische Kirchenmusik, Potsdam 1931; K.G. Fellerer Geschichte der katholischen Kirchenmusik, Düsseldorf 1939, 2nd ed. 1949, Eng. ed. Baltimore 1961.