HANS MOLDENHAUER 1906–1987 Hans

HANS M OLDENHAUER 1906–1987 Hans M oldenhauer, a Life M em ber o f the A m erican A lpine C lub, died on O ctober 19, 1987. He grew up in M ainz, w here he studied m usic. H e began clim bing in the Sw iss-A ustrian Rätikon group, m aking several first ascents, and in the early 1930s he turned to the W estern A lps, w here he clim bed, am ong many others, the M atterhorn, D om , Zinal R othorn, M onte R osa, M ont Blanc and the G randes Jorasses. H ans m ade ski ascents everyw here, w inter clim bs o f the M önch and Jungfrau and strenuous traverses (one in 1937 from G ressoney to M acugnaga in 2 ½ days via eight 4000-m eter sum m its). He was active in the Sw iss A lpine C lub, the Ö sterreichisher A lpen Klub and the elite K letter-G ild B aderd. In 1938, H ans left N azi G erm any for the U nited States, lived briefly in the E ast w here he clim bed w ith Fritz W iessner and others, and then settled in Spokane. H is Tagebuch from this period lists m ost o f the m ajor peaks o f the N orthw est, first ascents in the C abinet R ange and a proud note o f January 7, 1941: “Election to the A m erican A lpine C lu b .” O ur 1942 and 1943 A m erican A lpine Journals contain articles w ritten by H ans, who was an accom plished m ountain w riter. In 1943 he served briefly w ith the M ountain T roops at Fort Hale but was discharged w ith frostbite. Even after this, H an s’ clim bing diaries record a relentless (and successful) love o f m ountaineering. H is career in m usic was quiet but spectacular: from m odest beginnings he built a vast collection o f m usic m anuscripts, the M oldenhauer A rchives, now installed at H arvard, the Library o f C ongress and other institutions here and in Europe. W ith his w ife R osaleen, he w rote the definitive and acclaim ed

biography o f the A ustrian com poser A nton von W ebern, and for his w ork he w as aw arded m edals and honors by A ustria, the City of V ienna and the Federal R epublic of G erm any. All this with an eye condition w hich left him blind by the early 1960s. Hans took me on my first clim bs, w alking behind me with his hand on my shoulder, his archiv ist’s m em ory keeping us on course. In w inters we rocketed dow n icy, w inding roads on his old luge with me steering and Hans directing; “W atch out for the turn to the right!” M ountaineering was not only sport, but an inspiring analogue to the life well lived— full o f beauty, risks, hard w ork and fulfillm ent. His m otto E xcelsior! applied to all he undertook, from a scholarly paper to a N ew Y ear’s Day sum m it toasted with cham pagne in plastic cups. At my w edding, Hans recited, in his resonant accent, the O ld Testam ent lesson: “ B lessed by the Lord be H is land . . . with the finest produce o f the ancient m ountains, and the abundance o f the everlasting hills . . .” Like those m ountains w hich m ean so m uch to all of us, H ans gave freely o f his riches, and drew our eyes to the highest sum m its. E xcelsior, Hans! D avid K. C oombs