| Florian Hermann | |
| Birth Date: | 1822 |
| Birth Place: | Vilnius |
| Death Date: | 1892 |
| Death Place: | Vilnius |
| Works: | Hommage Valse, used in Dark Eyes |
Florian Hermann (18221892, Russian: Флориан Герман, name is also spelled as Florian Herman, Florian German, Florjan Herman)[1] was a composer of German-Polish origin active in the Russian Empire.[2] Although he authored many works, Hermann is primarily notable as an author of the melody used in the music for the well-known Russian song "Dark eyes" (the composer wrote his opus as "Valse hommage", Op. 21). Very little is known about Hermann, Russian publications occasionally describe him as a French[3] [4] or Austrian composer.
Hermann's work as a composer spans 1870s1890s,[2] according to the list available in a catalog by A. Gutheil (his company was later acquired by Éditions Russes de Musique), the earliest known publications are from A. Büttner in St. Petersburg. Hermann's other best-known composition is "Rêverie russe, Op. 2". "Valse hommage" became famous as "Dark Eyes" after an arrangement in the Gypsy style by S. Gerdal (1884); the popular rendition belongs to Adalgiso Ferraris (ca. 1910).