Concerto by Our 3rd Great Grandfather: Fidelius Herr (1782 – 1862)

Somehow and some where, our third great grandfather, Fidelius Herr, a baker by trade, studied and learned music well enough to compose a lengthy concerto in 1817, a sample of which can be heard on this web page.No. 4 AndantevlnDuetto IIThe sixty-four pages of his original sheet music are in my possession.I am having a professional musician record the remainder of the concerto, which I will put on this web page in the near future..To listen to Fidel’s concerto straight through, you will have to enjoy classical music.He has been compared to Mozart, which is probably a stretch, but possible as I know absolutely nothing about music having flunked this class repeatedly at old Isaac Crary Elementary.There was a music tradition on the maternal side of Fidelius’ family. Although his mother Maria Klar, died when he was two years old, three generations of his grandfathers, Franz Klar, Franz Ignas Klar, and Franz Klar carried on a musical heritage as Head Schoolmasters and Organists at nearby Oberachern.Since Fidelius was motherless, it is very conceivable he may have spent a lot of time and was  educated by his grandparents and uncles.It was well known and reported that Fidelius Herr and Fidel Herr Jr. were both accomplished violinists in Nankin Township – skipping down a couple generations,we discover that our Uncle Harold Herr and my brother Russell Allan Wood were both accomplished musicians in Detroit, and Los Angeles.There is a musical tradition in the Herr Family and this concerto shows that it may have started with Fidelius Herr.