Biographical Note
Anton Gloetzner was born in Weiden, Germany, on January 31, 1850. A composer and virtuoso pianist, he studied with Josef Rheinberger (1839–1901) and Carl Baermann (1839–1913) in Munich. Between 1872 and 1873, Gloetzner taught music in Freiburg. In 1873, he moved to New York and, by October of that year, was employed as chair of the music program and organist at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He taught composition and music theory, conducted the orchestra and choir, established a wind ensemble, and developed new courses for vocal instruction. In 1875, Gloetzner briefly studied with pianist Hans von Bülow (1830–1894) who was touring several major cities in United States. Georgetown awarded Gloetzner an honorary doctorate in 1889. In turn he dedicated his tenor solo "Ave Maria" to the University. He also donated a copyist manuscript of several movements from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which includes annotations not included in the first edition.
In addition to his activities at Georgetown, Gloetzner received awards from The American Guild of Organists and the National Music Teachers Association, and founded the Wagner Society of America. He also was an early champion of Max Reger’s works, premiering many of them in Washington, D.C.
Gloetzner was married to Johanna Nast (August 10, 1851 – December 18, 1915), who changed her name to Jane Francis upon moving to the United States. They had 14 children and Gloetzner frequently traveled to Germany with them. Gloetzner died in Washington, D.C. on July 18, 1928.