Wilhelm Killmayer
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Killmayer is a German composer
of classical music and an academic.
with Rudolf von Ficker and Walter Riezler, and German studies
. He was a private student of Carl Orff
from 1951 and was admitted to his master class at the Staatliche Musikhochschule
in 1953. He was a scholar at the Villa Massimo
twice, in 1958 and 1965/66.
Killmayer was a teacher of music theory and counterpoint at the Trappsches Konservatorium in Munich from 1955. He was a conductor of the Bavarian State Opera
's ballet from 1961 to 1964. From 1973 to 1992 he was a professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik
. Among his students are Max Beckschäfer
, Sandeep Bhagwati
and Rudi Spring
.
Killmayers first composition was Lorca-Romanzen after Federico García Lorca
, premiered at the Donaueschingen Festival
. In 1954 he composed a Missa brevis, which was recorded and reviewed:
Killmayer composed three symphonies called Fogli (1968), Ricordanze (1968/69) and Menschen-Los (1972/73, revised 1988). He composed other orchestral works such as Nachtgedanken (1973), and music for chamber orchestra, The woods so wilde (1970), Schumann in Endenich (1972) and Kindertage (1973). His stage works La Buffonata (1959/60) and Yolimba (new version 1970) are based on texts by Tankred Dorst
. For the 20th anniversary of the Münchener Kammerorchester Killmayer composed in 1970 Fin al punto for string orchestra, which premiered in 1971, conducted by Hans Stadlmair
. He wrote about this work:
Interested in poetry and the voice, he composed Lied
er, three cycles of Hölderlin-Lieder based on Friedrich Hölderlin
(1980s), song cycles based on Joseph von Eichendorff (1991), Georg Trakl
(1993 and 1996) and Peter Härtling
(1993), and ballads such as Heinrich Heine
's Ali Bey (2006) and Eduard Mörike
’s Der Feuerreiter (2007).
. Since 1972 he has been a member of the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste
, since 1980 a member of the Akademie der Künste
. In 1990 he was the first recipient of the Paul-Hindemith-Preis of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival
. Invited by Walter Fink
, he was the fourth composer featured in the annual Komponistenporträt of the Rheingau Musik Festival
in 1994. In 2010 he received the chamber music prize of the Christoph und Stephan Kaske Foundation.
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...
of classical music and an academic.
Professional career
Wilhelm Killmayer studied conducting and composition from 1945 to 1951 in Munich at Hermann Wolfgang von Waltershausen’s Musikseminar. At the same time, he was enrolled at the Munich University where he studied musicologyMusicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
with Rudolf von Ficker and Walter Riezler, and German studies
German studies
German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents, and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German history, and German politics in addition to the...
. He was a private student of Carl Orff
Carl Orff
Carl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
from 1951 and was admitted to his master class at the Staatliche Musikhochschule
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
The Hochschule für Musik und Theater München is one of the most respected traditional vocational universities in Germany specialising in music and the performing arts. The seat of the Hochschule is the former Führerbau of the NSDAP, located at Arcisstraße 12, on the eastern side of the Königsplatz...
in 1953. He was a scholar at the Villa Massimo
Villa Massimo
Villa Massimo, short for Deutsche Akademie Rom Villa Massimo , is a German art institute in Rome, established in 1910 and located in the Villa Massimo....
twice, in 1958 and 1965/66.
Killmayer was a teacher of music theory and counterpoint at the Trappsches Konservatorium in Munich from 1955. He was a conductor of the Bavarian State Opera
Bavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...
's ballet from 1961 to 1964. From 1973 to 1992 he was a professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
The Hochschule für Musik und Theater München is one of the most respected traditional vocational universities in Germany specialising in music and the performing arts. The seat of the Hochschule is the former Führerbau of the NSDAP, located at Arcisstraße 12, on the eastern side of the Königsplatz...
. Among his students are Max Beckschäfer
Max Beckschäfer
Max Beckschäfer is a German organist, composer and academic.- Professional career :Beckschäfer took classes at the Richard-Strauss-Konservatorium in Munich in organ, piano, violin and choral conducting. He studied church music at the Musikhochschule München and continued studying composition with...
, Sandeep Bhagwati
Sandeep Bhagwati
Sandeep Bhagwati is an Indian composer of western classical music and an academic teacher.Sandeep Bhagwati was born in Bombay, now Mumbai, as the son of a German mother and an Indian father. He has lived in Germany since age five...
and Rudi Spring
Rudi Spring
Rudi Spring is a German composer of classical music, pianist and academic. He is known for vocal compositions on texts by poets and his own, and for chamber music such as his three Chamber Symphonies.- Professional career :...
.
Killmayers first composition was Lorca-Romanzen after Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
, premiered at the Donaueschingen Festival
Donaueschingen Festival
The Donaueschingen Festival is a festival for new music that takes place every October in the small town of Donaueschingen...
. In 1954 he composed a Missa brevis, which was recorded and reviewed:
Young (29) Munich-born Composer Wilhelm Killmayer's Missa Brevis ripples with exciting, shifting rhythms and rises skillfully to a colorful series of blasting choral climaxes occasionally more reminiscent of the bandstand than the choir.
Killmayer composed three symphonies called Fogli (1968), Ricordanze (1968/69) and Menschen-Los (1972/73, revised 1988). He composed other orchestral works such as Nachtgedanken (1973), and music for chamber orchestra, The woods so wilde (1970), Schumann in Endenich (1972) and Kindertage (1973). His stage works La Buffonata (1959/60) and Yolimba (new version 1970) are based on texts by Tankred Dorst
Tankred Dorst
Tankred Dorst is a German playwright and storyteller.Tankred Dorst currently lives and works in Munich. His farces, parables, one-act-plays and adaptations are inspired by the theatre of the absurd and the works of Ionesco, Giraudoux and Beckett...
. For the 20th anniversary of the Münchener Kammerorchester Killmayer composed in 1970 Fin al punto for string orchestra, which premiered in 1971, conducted by Hans Stadlmair
Hans Stadlmair
Hans Stadlmair is an Austrian conductor and composer. He conducted the Münchener Kammerorchester for almost four decades.-Professional career:...
. He wrote about this work:
The calm already contains the catastrophe. Out of the calm grows the movement that drives itself to the furthest extreme of its powers, where it collapses. It is the point at which one gives up, beyond which one can escape into the open.
Interested in poetry and the voice, he composed Lied
Lied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
er, three cycles of Hölderlin-Lieder based on Friedrich Hölderlin
Friedrich Hölderlin
Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin was a major German lyric poet, commonly associated with the artistic movement known as Romanticism. Hölderlin was also an important thinker in the development of German Idealism, particularly his early association with and philosophical influence on his...
(1980s), song cycles based on Joseph von Eichendorff (1991), Georg Trakl
Georg Trakl
Georg Trakl was an Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists.- Life and work :Trakl was born and lived the first 18 years of his life in Salzburg, Austria...
(1993 and 1996) and Peter Härtling
Peter Härtling
Peter Härtling is a German writer and poet. He is a member of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and he received the Großes Verdienstkreuz for his major contribution to German literature.-Biography:...
(1993), and ballads such as Heinrich Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
's Ali Bey (2006) and Eduard Mörike
Eduard Mörike
Eduard Friedrich Mörike was a German Romantic poet.-Biography:Mörike was born in Ludwigsburg. His father was Karl Friedrich Mörike , a district medical councilor; his mother was Charlotte Bayer...
’s Der Feuerreiter (2007).
Awards
Killmayer received the Fromm Music Foundation Award in 1954 for his Missa brevisMissa Brevis
Missa brevis literally means "short mass" and can refer to different types of musical setting of the Mass. Modernly, Missa brevis is generally understood as a setting of parts of the ordinary mass...
. Since 1972 he has been a member of the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste
Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste
Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste in München is an association of renowned personalities in Munich, Bavaria. It was founded by the Free State of Bavaria in 1948, continuinf a tradition established in 1808 by the Royal Academy of Arts in Munich.The academy organizes panel discussions,...
, since 1980 a member of the Akademie der Künste
Akademie der Künste
The Akademie der Künste, Berlin is an arts institution in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1696 by Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg as the Prussian Academy of Arts, an academic institution where members could meet and discuss and share ideas...
. In 1990 he was the first recipient of the Paul-Hindemith-Preis of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival
Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival
The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival is a classical music festival held every year in summer time all over the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany....
. Invited by Walter Fink
Walter Fink
Walter Fink is a German retired executive and a patron of Contemporary music. He is mostly known for being a founding member, Executive Committee member and sponsor of the Rheingau Musik Festival.- Biography :...
, he was the fourth composer featured in the annual Komponistenporträt of the Rheingau Musik Festival
Rheingau Musik Festival
The Rheingau Musik Festival is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres...
in 1994. In 2010 he received the chamber music prize of the Christoph und Stephan Kaske Foundation.
Stage works
- La Buffonata (1959/60), ballet opera, LibrettoLibrettoA libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
: Tankred DorstTankred DorstTankred Dorst is a German playwright and storyteller.Tankred Dorst currently lives and works in Munich. His farces, parables, one-act-plays and adaptations are inspired by the theatre of the absurd and the works of Ionesco, Giraudoux and Beckett... - La Tragedia di Orfeo (1960/61), ballet (after La Fabula di Orpheo of Angelo Poliziano)
- Yolimba oder Die Grenzen der Magie (1965, revised 1970), Libretto: Tankred DorstTankred DorstTankred Dorst is a German playwright and storyteller.Tankred Dorst currently lives and works in Munich. His farces, parables, one-act-plays and adaptations are inspired by the theatre of the absurd and the works of Ionesco, Giraudoux and Beckett...
and Wilhelm Killmayer
Vocal works
- Geistliche Hymnen und Gesänge (1964) for six-part mixed choir (SAATTB) after Jean RacineJean RacineJean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
- Acht Shakespeare-Lieder (1955) for tenor and ensemble, premiered 26 May 1956, Franz FehringerFranz FehringerFranz Fehringer was a German operatic tenor, particularly associated with light lyric roles in the German, Italian, and French repertories.Fehringer studied in Karlsruhe with Jan van Gorkom and Dr...
, members of the Sinfonie-Orchesters des Hessischen RundfunksHR-SinfonieorchesterThe hr-Sinfonieorchester is the radio orchestra of Hessischer Rundfunk, the public broadcasting network of the German state of Hesse. Until 2005 it was the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, a name still used for international tours....
, Wilhelm Killmayer - Drei Gesänge nach HölderlinFriedrich HölderlinJohann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin was a major German lyric poet, commonly associated with the artistic movement known as Romanticism. Hölderlin was also an important thinker in the development of German Idealism, particularly his early association with and philosophical influence on his...
(1965) for baritone and piano - Antiphone (1967) for baritone, orchestra and small men's choir, recorded 1985, Bayerischer RundfunkBayerischer RundfunkBayerischer Rundfunk [Bavarian Broadcasting] is the public broadcasting authority for the German Freistaat of Bavaria, with its main offices located in Munich. BR is a member of ARD.- Legal foundation :...
- Tamquam sponsus (1974) für Sopran und Instrumente. Text: aus Psalm 23(22)Psalm 23In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....
- Französisches Liederbuch (1979/80) for soprano, baritone and chamber ensemble, premiered 3 May 1980, Schwetzingen FestivalSchwetzingen FestivalThe Schwetzingen Festival is an early summer festival of opera and other classical music presented each year from May to early June in Schwetzingen, Germany....
, June CardJune CardJune Card is an American soprano and stage director who had an active career in operas and concerts from the 1960s through the 2000s...
, Philippe HuttenlocherPhilippe HuttenlocherPhilippe Huttenlocher is a Swiss baritone.He was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He first studied violin at the conservatory in Neuchâtel, and then voice in Fribourg...
, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester, Paul AngererPaul AngererPaul Angerer is an Austrian violist, conductor and composer.- Life :Angerer studied music theory and composition with Friedrich Reidinger and Alfred Uhl, and conducting with Hans Swarowsky... - HölderlinFriedrich HölderlinJohann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin was a major German lyric poet, commonly associated with the artistic movement known as Romanticism. Hölderlin was also an important thinker in the development of German Idealism, particularly his early association with and philosophical influence on his...
-Lieder after his latest poems, for tenor and orchestra, first cycle premiered 3 February 1986, Peter SchreierPeter SchreierPeter Schreier is a German tenor and conductor.-Early life:Schreier was born in Meissen, Saxony, and spent his first years in the small village of Gauernitz, near Meissen, where his father was a teacher, cantor and organist...
, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Wolfgang SawallischWolfgang SawallischWolfgang Sawallisch is a retired German conductor and pianist.-Biography:Sawallisch was born in Munich, and studied composition and pianoforte there privately: at the conclusion of the war, in 1946 he continued his studies at the Munich High School for Music and passed his final examination for...
, second cycle premiered 14 August 1987, Salzburg FestivalSalzburg FestivalThe Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
, Peter SchreierPeter SchreierPeter Schreier is a German tenor and conductor.-Early life:Schreier was born in Meissen, Saxony, and spent his first years in the small village of Gauernitz, near Meissen, where his father was a teacher, cantor and organist...
, ORF-SinfonieorchesterVienna Radio Symphony OrchestraThe Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra is the orchestra of the Austrian national broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk . Founded in 1969 with the name of the ORF-Symphonieorchester , it is the only radio orchestra in the country...
, Lothar ZagrosekLothar ZagrosekLothar Zagrosek is a German conductor. As a youth, he sang in the Regensburg Cathedral choir, including performances as the First Boy in The Magic Flute at the 1954 Salzburg Festival...
Orchestra
- Konzert (1955) for piano and orchestra, premiered 21 April 1956 München, Günter Louegk (piano), Münchner Philharmoniker, Fritz RiegerFritz RiegerFriedrich Edmund "Fritz" Rieger, was a German conductor.Rieger was born in Oberaltstadt, Karkonosze, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary. From 1931 to 1938 he worked in Prague. In August 1941 he became director of the Bremen opera, and in August 1944 he took up the position of director of the Bremen...
) - Divertissement (1957) for orchestra, premiered October 1957, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Carl Bamberger
- Sinfonia I: Fogli (1968)
- Sinfonia II: Ricordanze (1968/69)
- Fin al punto (1970) for string orchestra, premiered 14 January 1971, Münchener Kammerorchester, Hans StadlmairHans StadlmairHans Stadlmair is an Austrian conductor and composer. He conducted the Münchener Kammerorchester for almost four decades.-Professional career:...
- Sinfonia III: Menschen-Los (1972/73, revised 1988)
- Nachtgedanken (1973) for orchestra, 7 August 1973, Salzburg FestivalSalzburg FestivalThe Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
, Mozarteum orchestra, Leopold HagerLeopold HagerLeopold Hager is an Austrian conductor , known for his interpretations of works from the First Viennese School .... - Jugendzeit (1977), Poème symphonique, premiered 16 January 1978, Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg, Klauspeter Seibel
- Überstehen und Hoffen (1977/78), Poème symphonique, premiered 6 May 1978, Münchner Philharmoniker, Lothar ZagrosekLothar ZagrosekLothar Zagrosek is a German conductor. As a youth, he sang in the Regensburg Cathedral choir, including performances as the First Boy in The Magic Flute at the 1954 Salzburg Festival...
- Poème symphoniques (1977-80), Verschüttete Zeichen (1977/78), Essay symphonique, Im Freien (1980), Poème symphonique, all premiered 20 March 1981, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Hiroshi WakasugiHiroshi Wakasugiwas a Japanese orchestra conductor. He premiered many of the major Western operas in Japan, and was honoured with many awards for cultural achievement....
- Orchester-Melodien (2004), premiered in Berlin, Deutsches Symphonie-OrchesterDeutsches Symphonie-Orchester BerlinThe Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1946 by American occupation forces as the RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester . It was also known as the American Sector Symphony Orchestra...
, Kent NaganoKent Nagano__FORCETOC__Kent George Nagano is an American conductor and opera administrator. He is currently the music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Bavarian State Opera.-Biography:... - Dithyramben (2006) for orchestra, premiered 12 January 2007 in the Herkulessaal, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Christoph PoppenChristoph PoppenChristoph Poppen is a German conductor, violinist and academic teacher.-Professional career:As a violinist, Poppen was awarded first prize in the Kocian Violin Competition age 14...
)
Chamber music
- Kammermusik (1957) for Jazz instruments (1958)
- Führe mich, Alter, nur immer in deinen geschnörkelten Frühlings-Garten! Noch duftet und taut frisch und gewürzig sein Flor (after Eduard MörikeEduard MörikeEduard Friedrich Mörike was a German Romantic poet.-Biography:Mörike was born in Ludwigsburg. His father was Karl Friedrich Mörike , a district medical councilor; his mother was Charlotte Bayer...
, 1974) for chamber ensemble, premiered in 1975 in Nürnberg
Recordings
- Missa brevis, Fromm Music Foundation, Twentieth Century Composers Series, together with Lou HarrisonLou HarrisonLou Silver Harrison was an American composer. He was a student of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, and K. P. H. Notoprojo Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer. He was a student of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, and K. P. H. Notoprojo Lou Silver Harrison...
: Mass, New York Concert Choir and Orchestra, Margaret HillisMargaret HillisMargaret Hillis was an American conductor. She was the founder and first director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus.-Life:...
, Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
CBS 1957 - fin al punto / Poèmes symphoniques, Fin al punto for string orchestra: Münchener Kammerorchester, Hans StadlmairHans StadlmairHans Stadlmair is an Austrian conductor and composer. He conducted the Münchener Kammerorchester for almost four decades.-Professional career:...
, Jugendzeit, Verschüttete Zeichen, Überstehen und Hoffen: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Hiroshi WakasugiHiroshi Wakasugiwas a Japanese orchestra conductor. He premiered many of the major Western operas in Japan, and was honoured with many awards for cultural achievement.... - Wilhelm Killmayer: Chamber Music, CPO 1989
- Wilhelm Killmayer: Sinfonien 1-3; La Joie de Vivre; Nachtgedanken, WERGO 2000
External links
- "Ich liebe die Töne!" interview with Christoph Schlüren, on the occasion of the composer's 70th birthday, 1997