Heinrich Kaspar Schmid
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Kaspar Schmid (11 September 1874 – 8 January 1953) was a German
composer
.
.
As a boy he studied music with his father who was a school teacher and choral conductor. He also sang in the boys choir at Regensburg Cathedral
for several years. He entered the Munich Akademie der Tonkunst where he studied composition with Ludwig Thuille
. In 1905 he was appointed to teach at the Munich Academy and in 1919 was promoted to a full professor. After World War I
, Schmid entered a highly successful part of his career both as a performer and composer. He toured throughout Austria
, Scandinavia
, and Russia
. In 1921 he became director of the Karlsruhe Conservatory and assumed the directorship of the Augsburg Music School [now Conservatory] in 1924. He retired from academic work in 1932.
He died at Geiselbullach, near Munich
, in 1953.
than with 20th century innovations. Brahms in particular had a major influence on Schmid's compositional sensibility. This is particularly evident in the sonatas for violin and piano (1920, 1939). His best work is probably his Symphony in D Minor (1947) which was admired for its fresh and accomplished treatment of traditional musical materials. Elements of Bavarian folk music
appear in the rural mass
settings, choral compositions, lieder, chamber works, and his opera
Finden und Meiden.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Biography
Schmid was born at LandauLandau
Landau or Landau in der Pfalz is an autonomous city surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town , a long-standing cultural centre, and a market and shopping town, surrounded by vineyards and wine-growing villages of the...
.
As a boy he studied music with his father who was a school teacher and choral conductor. He also sang in the boys choir at Regensburg Cathedral
Regensburg Cathedral
The Regensburg Cathedral , dedicated to St Peter, is the most important church and landmark of the city Regensburg, Germany. It is the seat of the Catholic diocese of Regensburg...
for several years. He entered the Munich Akademie der Tonkunst where he studied composition with Ludwig Thuille
Ludwig Thuille
Ludwig Thuille was a German composer and teacher, numbered for a while among the leading operatic composers of the 'Munich School', whose most famous representative was Richard Strauss.-Biography:...
. In 1905 he was appointed to teach at the Munich Academy and in 1919 was promoted to a full professor. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Schmid entered a highly successful part of his career both as a performer and composer. He toured throughout Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In 1921 he became director of the Karlsruhe Conservatory and assumed the directorship of the Augsburg Music School [now Conservatory] in 1924. He retired from academic work in 1932.
He died at Geiselbullach, near Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, in 1953.
Work
Stylistically, Schmid's compositions were more in keeping with the late-RomanticsRomantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
than with 20th century innovations. Brahms in particular had a major influence on Schmid's compositional sensibility. This is particularly evident in the sonatas for violin and piano (1920, 1939). His best work is probably his Symphony in D Minor (1947) which was admired for its fresh and accomplished treatment of traditional musical materials. Elements of Bavarian folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
appear in the rural mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
settings, choral compositions, lieder, chamber works, and his opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Finden und Meiden.
Sources
- Andrew D. McCredie. The New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
, edited by Stanley Sadie (1992), ISBN 0-333-73432-7 and ISBN 1-56159-228-5