Monday, April 14, 2014
Karl Loewe - His Music and His Life
The German Karl Loewe was born in Loebejuen near Halle on November 30, 1796 as 12th child of a simple school teacher.
Loewe was able to study because of King Jerome's generous scholarship. In Stettin, Loewe became musical director. In this position, he was at work for 46 (!) years.
Loewe composed chamber music and five operas. "The Three Wishes" premiered in Berlin in 1834. Loewe's oratorios are popular until today - "Jerusalem's Destruction" (1829), "Hiob" (1848) or "Lazarus' Wake" (1863).
Among 150 compositions, Karl Loewe's ballads rmained as incredible and convincing performances, i.e. "Die Glocken von Speyer" (The Bells from Speyer), "Mr. Oluf" or "The Fall into a Ruin Mill".
Loewe passed away in Kiel on April 20, 1869.
Albert Lortzing - His Music and His Life
The German Albert Lortzing was born in Berlin on October 23, 1801. His father was a leather goods tader and amateurish actor. Lortzing didn't receive any sufficient musical education. "Learning by doing" at theatres in Breslau and Aachen / Germany or the French Strasbourg made Lortzing's incredible education.
In 1824, his first (untitled!) opera premiered in Cologne. His oratorio "The Ascension of Christ" was heard in Muenster/Germany in 1828. Nine years later, Lortzing's successful opera "Zar und Zimmermann" ("Czar and Carpenter") followed. It became also his most famous composition.
"Der Wildschuetz" ("The Deerhunter") from 1842, un fortunately never became such popular as the romantic opera "Undine" from 1845.
Albert Lortzing passed away also in Berlin on January 21, 1851. His tragically end in poverty, loneliness and illness is really an inglorious part of Berlin's music history.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Erich Wolfgang Korngold - His Music and His Life
Erich Wolfgang Korngold was born in Pruenn, former Czechoslovakia, on May 29, 1897. His father, who lived from 1860-1945, was one of the most popular critics in Vienna and wrote especially for the well-known "Neue Freie Press Wien" (New Free Presse Vienna).
At the age of of 11, Korngold started to compose the music for the mime stage play "The Snowman" (1908). Classic music radio stations, for example in Germany, still enjoy playing Korngold's "Tragedy Overture" (1911) or the overture to "Viel Laerm um Nichts" (Much ado about no nothing - Shakespeare).
1920, Korngold reached his careerHamH's pinnacle with his opera "The Death City" in Hamburg.
But even that, Korngold never became an original music inventor. 1938, he went to Hollywood, where he passed away.
Zoltan Kodaly - His Music and His Life
The Hungarian Zoltan Kodaly was born in Kecskemet on December 16, 1882. Kodaly's way of living was very similar to his best friend Bela Bartok. Together with Bartok, Kodaly collected folksongs in Hungary, the whole Balkan and North Africa.
Kodal's biography shows an incredible career: Professor for music theory, vice conductor, music critic and writer for several local and international publications as well as university editor... .
His most popular compositions have been "Psalmus Hungaricus" (1923), "Dances from Galanta" (1931), the symphonic play "The Spinning Room" (1932) or the hymn praise song ""The Budapest Tedeum" (1936). - His last work was a beautiful symphony, which premiered in 1962 with Kodaly's student Ferenc Fricsay (1924-1963).
Zoltan Kodaly passed away in 1972.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
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