Albert Benz (composer)

Albert Benz (born September 10, 1927 in Marbach in the canton of Lucerne ; † March 22, 1988 in Lucerne ) was a Swiss composer and conductor .

biography

Albert Benz received trumpet , clarinet and piano lessons as a child . He played in the Marbach field music . After attending school, he studied at the Lucerne teachers' college in Hitzkirch . From 1948 to 1954 he was a teacher in Neudorf . Benz came into contact with brass band music during his stay in the recruit school and then in the non-commissioned officer school.

He complemented his compositional skills with studies in instrumentation with Otto Zurmühle . When he professionally moved to Lucerne in 1954, he took the same studies at the Conservatory of Lucerne in subjects music theory , harmony , counterpoint and score reading at Albert Jenny , morphology , history of music , literature customer and conducting with Max Sturzenegger , Solfège at Gustav Güldenstein and piano with Helene Peter on , which he graduated in 1958 with a diploma as a theory teacher.

From 1953 to 1974 he was the conductor of the Feldmusik Marbach. In 1962 he became the conductor of the Stadtmusik Luzern . In the same year he lectured on composition , instrument science and wind orchestra direction at the conservatory . He was appointed inspector of the military games and head of the Swiss army game in 1977.

Works (for wind orchestra)

• 1958: Preludio alla Scherzo
• 1959: Larghetto pastorale
• 1960: Symphonic movement
• 1961: USEM Eigetal Landler
• 1961: La Terrazza for two trumpets and wind orchestra
• 1962: Festival in the Village Suite
• 1962: cheerful overture
• 1962: Festival fanfare
• 1962: Citadel Overture
• 1963: Three clowns for two trumpets, trombone and wind orchestra
• 1964: The original Swiss move in
• 1964: Simelibärg Fantasy about the old and the new Guggisberger Lied
• 1964: Ringing journey Romantic Overture
• 1965: burlesque
• 1965: Morning song
• 1965: Parsenn Overture
• 1965: Intrada
• 1967: Bern Rhapsody
• 1967: Intrada solenne
• 1967: Praise and thanks
• 1967: Swiss song fantasy
• 1967: Sonata breve
• 1968: Red River prelude to a Wild West film
• 1968: Concerto for clarinet and wind orchestra
• 1969: autumn impressions
• 1970: Little Blues
• 1970: Marionette Overture
• 1971: The Governor of Greifensee Suite
• 1973: Ascent Suite
• 1973: Rondo for brass band
• 1973: Trompeters Morgenritt Variations for trumpet and wind orchestra
• 1973: Baroque style prelude and fugue
• 1974: Four miniatures for alphorn and wind orchestra
• 1975: Nostalgic overture
• 1975: Fantasia Ticinese
• 1976: Aentlibuecher Polka for two soprano and two tenor winds and wind orchestra
• 1977: Meditations for euphonium and brass band
• 1977: transformations
• 1978: The Black Spider for Brass Band (also orchestrated by Tony Kurmann)
• 1978: Aentlibuecher Chuereihe
• 1978: anniversary music
• 1978: Makkie Messer-Parade Variations on Moritat from Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera
• 1978: Wonderful King
• 1979: trip to Finland
• 1979: Toccata
• 1983: Suite Vaudoise
• 1984: Fantasie serena (2005 also orchestrated by Edy Kurmann for wind orchestra)
• 1984: Romooser Sonntag Suite
• 1985: Homecoming of the elegiac march
• 1985: Länders for brass band (also instrumented for wind orchestra by Thomas Dietziker)
• 1985: Symphonic Samba
• 1986: Ballad for trombone and wind orchestra
• 1986: Masks / Masques
• 1986: Schwarzenegg Lander
• 1987: Meggen concert overture
• 1987: Va (le) rianten for euphonium and wind orchestra
• 1988: Nidwalden 1798
• 1984: Variations on an old Swiss song for brass band

Prizes and awards

• 1971: Stephan Jaeggi Prize
• 1973: Crissier Composition Prize

literature

• Sales Kleeb (Ed.): Albert Benz, a life for brass music. Atlantis, Zurich 1990, ISBN 3-254-00165-6 .

Web links

• Publications by and about Albert Benz (1927–1988) in the Helveticat catalog of the Swiss National Library
• Works by and about Albert Benz in the catalog of the German National Library