Johannes Driessler | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 3 May 1998
Detmold, Germany | (aged 77)
Education | Musikhochschule Köln |
Occupations |
|
Organizations | Musikhochschule Detmold |
Awards |
|
Johannes Driessler (26 January 1921 – 3 May 1998) was a German composer, organist, and lecturer. He composed operas, chamber music, and especially sacred music both vocal and for organ.
Driessler was born in Friedrichsthal on 26 January 1921. [1] [2] He studied from 1939 at the Pädagogische Akademie Dortmund, and from 1940 composition and organ at the Musikhochschule Köln. [1] [2] In November 1940, Driessler enlisted in the military; in 1944 he married Gertrude Ledermann. After World War II, he became a teacher in 1945 in Schondorf am Ammersee. [2] In 1946, he became a lecturer at the newly founded Nordwestdeutsche Musikakademie Detmold. [1] Here he began to focus on composing church music. He left his teaching position in 1950 to focus on composition, but returned in following 1954, becoming a professor in 1958 and vice chancellor in 1960, a post he would retain until 1972. He retired from teaching in 1983. [2]
Driessler is best known for his church music, including oratorios and operas, which was known in parts of western Germany but never attained international recognition. [1] These include the oratorio Dein Reich komme, described by Werner Oehlmann as "an example of ascetic music featuring religious symbolism" ("Beispiel religiös-symbolistischer, klangasketischer Musik"). [3] Driessler wrote many organ chorales, predominantly collected in Orgelsonaten durch das Kirchenjahr (Organ sonatas through the liturgical year). [4] He also composed for harpsichord, including Akrostichon (Op. 56; 1967), which repeats the motives in an "'acrostic-like' technique". [5] He was also known for his chamber music. [3]
His work is described by Hanspeter Krellmann in his Grove Music Online entry as traditional, tonal and contrapuntal. [1] The composer is included in Oehlmann's 1961 survey of atonal and twelve-tone music. [3] Wolf-Eberhard von Lewinski and Donald Mintz, in a 1965 survey of contemporary German music, describe his work with others as "moderate modernism with a Hindemithian flavor but also pregnant individual traits". [6] A contemporary reviewer for Music & Letters describes his music as containing "slightly acid dissonance", akin to Hindemith. [5]
His work was published by Bärenreiter and Breitkopf & Härtel. [7] [8]
He was in 1959 the first recipient of the Westfälischer Musikpreis , [2] [9] and was awarded the Kunstpreis des Saarlandes in 1962. [2] [10]
Driessler died in Detmold on 3 May 1998, at age 77. [2]
Johannes Driessler | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 3 May 1998
Detmold, Germany | (aged 77)
Education | Musikhochschule Köln |
Occupations |
|
Organizations | Musikhochschule Detmold |
Awards |
|
Johannes Driessler (26 January 1921 – 3 May 1998) was a German composer, organist, and lecturer. He composed operas, chamber music, and especially sacred music both vocal and for organ.
Driessler was born in Friedrichsthal on 26 January 1921. [1] [2] He studied from 1939 at the Pädagogische Akademie Dortmund, and from 1940 composition and organ at the Musikhochschule Köln. [1] [2] In November 1940, Driessler enlisted in the military; in 1944 he married Gertrude Ledermann. After World War II, he became a teacher in 1945 in Schondorf am Ammersee. [2] In 1946, he became a lecturer at the newly founded Nordwestdeutsche Musikakademie Detmold. [1] Here he began to focus on composing church music. He left his teaching position in 1950 to focus on composition, but returned in following 1954, becoming a professor in 1958 and vice chancellor in 1960, a post he would retain until 1972. He retired from teaching in 1983. [2]
Driessler is best known for his church music, including oratorios and operas, which was known in parts of western Germany but never attained international recognition. [1] These include the oratorio Dein Reich komme, described by Werner Oehlmann as "an example of ascetic music featuring religious symbolism" ("Beispiel religiös-symbolistischer, klangasketischer Musik"). [3] Driessler wrote many organ chorales, predominantly collected in Orgelsonaten durch das Kirchenjahr (Organ sonatas through the liturgical year). [4] He also composed for harpsichord, including Akrostichon (Op. 56; 1967), which repeats the motives in an "'acrostic-like' technique". [5] He was also known for his chamber music. [3]
His work is described by Hanspeter Krellmann in his Grove Music Online entry as traditional, tonal and contrapuntal. [1] The composer is included in Oehlmann's 1961 survey of atonal and twelve-tone music. [3] Wolf-Eberhard von Lewinski and Donald Mintz, in a 1965 survey of contemporary German music, describe his work with others as "moderate modernism with a Hindemithian flavor but also pregnant individual traits". [6] A contemporary reviewer for Music & Letters describes his music as containing "slightly acid dissonance", akin to Hindemith. [5]
His work was published by Bärenreiter and Breitkopf & Härtel. [7] [8]
He was in 1959 the first recipient of the Westfälischer Musikpreis , [2] [9] and was awarded the Kunstpreis des Saarlandes in 1962. [2] [10]
Driessler died in Detmold on 3 May 1998, at age 77. [2]