Hugo Alpen was a pioneer musician in Albury from 1865 to 1879. He laid the foundations for classical, sacred and light music performances in Albury.
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From 1884 to 1908, he was the top music teacher in NSW schools. Several of his 12 children were born in Albury.
Hugo was born in 1842 at Holstein, near Hamburg, son of a singing master.
As a child, he spoke Low German, but was to master English and several European languages.
Hugo arrived in Melbourne in 1858 when aged 16. He sang in Verdi operas in Sydney in 1861 and 1862.
Aged 19, he was entertaining gold miners at Burrangong, near Young. He lived two years at Tumut, conducting a singing group and playing a church organ.
In 1865, Hugo gave a concert in Albury and moved here. He taught music and languages and tuned pianos.
He formed a German Glee Club, which serenaded the NSW Governor, Lord Belmore, in 1868.
Hugo married Sarah Brown, aged 18, at St Brigid's Church Albury on August 12, 1868.
Her father, a convict transported for pickpocketing, became a publican near Goulburn, but was accidentally shot dead in 1851 when Sarah was a baby. She was raised in Albury by her mother's sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, George Day (later an MP).
Hugo officiated at many ceremonies including the dedication of St Patrick's Church in 1872 and St Augustine's Church in Wodonga in 1875.
In 1873, Hugo was appointed music master at the Albury Public Model School. He started the Albury Philharmonic, which first sang the Hallelujah Chorus in Albury in 1874.
After 15 years, he left Albury for Sydney, where the new Department of Public Instruction made him assistant to James Fisher, the singing master for Sydney schools.
In 1884, Hugo was promoted NSW superintendent of music. He was a prolific composer of school songs and cantatas, and conducted many massed choir performances. He saw that older primary school children learned to read music from staff notation.
Hugo's musical triumph was to lead 10,000 children, the largest chorus ever gathered in Australia, at the Federation inauguration in 1901.
Hugo retired as superintendent in 1908 but continued to conduct and adjudicate. He revisited Europe and his hometown in 1910-11.
Hugo died on June 20, 1917, aged 74.
The National Library of Australia holds some musical works and publications (MS5710).
A full account of his career appears on the A&DHS website. https://alburyhistory.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Hugo-Alpen.pdf
Society meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month, usually at the Commercial Club Albury commencing at 7.30pm.
