Humperdinck, << HOOM puhr `dihngk,` >> Engelbert (1854-1921), was a German composer. He composed mainly vocal works, and his music shows the influence of the German folk song. Humperdinck gained immediate success for his children’s opera Hansel and Gretel (1893), his best-known composition. He wrote the music for a text his sister adapted from a Grimm’s fairy tale. His other important work is the opera The Royal Children (1910), which also had a fairy-tale theme. Humperdinck wrote a number of choral works and more than 60 songs. He also wrote incidental music for plays, including four plays by William Shakespeare.
In 1880, Humperdinck met the German composer Richard Wagner. He served as Wagner’s assistant and helped him score and prepare for the first performance of the opera Parsifal (1882). During his career, Humperdinck also taught music in a number of conservatories. He was born on Sept. 1, 1854, in Sieburg, near Bonn. He died on Sept. 27, 1921.
