Hans Olaf Andresen
Hans Olaf Andresen (1902–1985). German-born composer.
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Biography
Born in Berlin, Andresen was a violinist, and studied violin, music theory and composition at the Heller Conservatory in Berlin. In 1916, he debuted as violinist in public. In 1926 he toured South America, and during the great depression he returned to Germany and after a few months left for South Africa where he settled in 1931.
In 1940, at the outbreak of WWII he was interned in Leeukop Prison but escaped after 8 months with the help of his fiancee Marthel Dittrich, an Afrikaans lady of Austrian origin, living throughout South Africa as fugitives for a year. During this time he composed marches for the Ossewa Brandwag under the pseudonym Andries Cilliers. In 1942, they escaped to Mozambique where he was given asylum but his fiancee was deported back to South Africa where she was sentenced to 3 years in jail. In 1946 they married in Mozambique.
He settled with his wife in Johannesburg in 1948 where he finally made a living from his music,
He composed nearly 400 works, dance music, marches, 3 operettas for children, but the majority were Afrikaans songs, most notably "My hart verlang na die Boland" and the anthem of the Ossewabrandwag, "Opsaal Boere". Andresen published and disseminated his works by means of his own publishing firm (Melotone Waves Music Publishers).
He died in Kempton Park in 1985.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
Andresen composed several children's operettas, including Die Heidenooientjie (1957), Die Drie Astertjies (1960) and Die Mieliefeetjie (1961).
Sources
Hilde Roos. 2012. 'Indigenisation and history: how opera in South Africa became South African opera'. Acta Academica Supplementum. 2012(1).
https://composers-classical-music.com/a/AndresenOlaf.htm
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