Johannes Driessler
Johannes Driessler | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 January 1921 |
| Died | 3 May 1998 (aged 77) Detmold, Germany |
| 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.
Life and work
[edit]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]
Works
[edit]- Sinfonia Sacra
- Dein Reich komme, oratorio, Op. 11 (1950)
- Claudia amata, lyric opera, Op. 17 (premiered 1952 Münster)
- Prinzessin Hochmut, fairy-tale opera, Op. 21 (premiered 1952 Kassel)
- Der Umfried, opera (premiered 1957)
- Doktor Luzifer Trux, opera (premiered 1958)
- Three Small Pieces for cello and piano, Op. 8
- Vier kleine Stücke für Flöte und Klavier (Four Little Pieces for Flute and Piano), Op. 8 No. 2 (1948)
- Duo for violin and cello
- Fantasy for cello and piano, Op. 24 No. 2
- Fünf Stücke (Five Pieces) for viola and piano, Op. 24 No. 3b (1952)
- Sonata for solo viola, Op. 3 No. 1 (1946)
- 20 Chorale Sonatas, Op. 30 (1955)
- Altenburger Messe, Op. 33 (1955)
- Markus passion a capella (1956)[12]
- Cello Sonata, Op. 41 No. 2
- Ikarus, sinfonia da camera (1960)
- Concerto for String trio and Orchestra, Op. 54 (1963)
- Tripartita for viola and harpsichord, Op. 58 No. 3 (1966)
- Symphony No. 3, Op. 63 (1969)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Hanspeter Krellmann (20 January 2001). "Driessler, Johannes". Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.08180.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Driessler Johannes". Saarland Biografien (in German). Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
- ^ a b c Werner Oehlmann (1961). "Atonalität und Zwölftönemusik". Die Musik des 20. Jahrhunderts. De Gruyter. p. 268. doi:10.1515/9783110852080-003. ISBN 9783110852080.
- ^ Donald C. Johns (1964). "The Protestant Chorale in Contemporary German Organ Music". American Music Teacher. 13 (4): 14–15, 28–30. JSTOR 43536784.
- ^ a b R. T. B . (1968). "Reviewed Work: Akrostichon, Op. 56 by Johannes Driessler". Music & Letters. 49 (1): 82–83. JSTOR 731368.
- ^ Wolf-Eberhard von Lewinski; Donald Mintz (1965). "The Variety of Trends in Modern German Music". The Musical Quarterly. 51 (1): 166–179. JSTOR 740896.
- ^ Richard Baum; Dietrich Berke (20 January 2001). "Bärenreiter". Bärenreiter. Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.02041.
- ^ Hans-Martin Plesske (20 January 2001). "Breitkopf & Härtel". Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.03920.
- ^ "Hans-Werner-Henze-Preis". Westfalen-Lippe (in German). Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Kunstpreis des Saarlandes". Saarland (in German). 3 January 2020. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ Markus Kiefer (2001). Johannes Driessler – Leben und Werk (Thesis) (in German). University of Mainz. doi:10.25358/openscience-3013.
- ^ Cilliers Breytenbach; George D. Chryssides; Franklin T. Harkins; Sven Rune Havsteen; Christine Joynes; Erik S. Roraback; Brenda Deen Schildgen; Joseph Verheyden; Richard Walsh (2019). "Mark, Gospel of". In Constance M. Furey; Peter Gemeinhardt; Joel Marcus LeMon; Thomas Chr. Römer; Jens Schröter; Barry Dov Walfish; Eric ZiolkowsSki (eds.). Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception Online. De Gruyter. doi:10.1515/ebr.markgospelof.
