Alfred Baum (composer)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alfred Baum (born September 23, 1904 in Zurich ; † September 30, 1993 in Wallisellen ) was a Swiss composer , pianist and organist .

Live and act

Career

Alfred Baum was born in Zurich as the son of an orchestral musician at the Tonhalle and studied there at the Conservatory for Music, organ with Ernst Isler (1879–1944), piano with Carl Baldegger and Walter Frey (1898–1985) and composition with Volkmar Andreae (1879–1962 ). Further studies were carried out in Germany for organ with Alfred Sittard (1878–1942), organist at the Michaeliskirche in Hamburg .

From 1923 to 1980 he was organist at the ref. Neumünster Church in Zurich. From 1929 to 1969 he worked as a lecturer for piano and theory at the Winterthur Conservatory (today: Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK). From 1946 to 1976 he taught piano and chamber music at the Zurich Conservatory (today: Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK)

As a pianist, Baum made a name for himself as an interpreter of contemporary music and as a soloist played the Swiss premieres of the piano concertos by Mario Peragallo (1954, conductor Erich Schmid ), Ernst Krenek and Karl Amadeus Hartmann (1961, conductor Francis Travis ) with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich .

composer

Alfred Baum belongs to Walter Schulthess (1894–1971), Paul Müller-Zürich (1898–1993), Robert Blum (1900–1994), Adolf Brunner (1901–1992), Huldreich Georg Früh (1903–1945), Ernst Hess ( 1912–1968), Hugo Pfister (1914–1969), Hermann Haller (1914–2002), Armin Schibler (1920–1986) and Franz Tischhauser (1921–2016) to a group of Zurich composers of the 20th century.

In his works, Baum combines on the one hand diatonic scales with rich chromatics , on the other hand he maintains the late romantic legacy in a tradition-conscious manner. Occasionally he also uses fine jazz elements. One of the main focuses of his work is the numerous organ works that he wrote over the course of his 57 years as an organist at Neumünster in Zurich.

The instrumental concerts and chamber music works have, in part, unusual instrumentations. The music Trumpet, Piano, snare drum and strings (comp. 1956/1960/1961/1966) could act as a counterpart to Shostakovich concert for piano, trumpet and strings in C minor, op. 35 (comp. 1933) are designated . 1940–1945 Baum set several poems by Wilhelm Busch to music in the chanson style, which he performed with his wife Dora Baum-Maag (1909–1991). A chamber music piece is the dance suite for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and piano, which was created from pictures by the painter and graphic artist Walter Jonas .

Several works were printed during his lifetime. Baum's estate is in the Zurich Central Library .

Student (selection)

During his many years of teaching as a pianist at the conservatories in Winterthur and Zurich, Alfred Baum trained numerous musicians, many of whom were later able to establish themselves in Swiss musical life.

Compositions

Organ works

Original works

Free organ works

  • Canzona in D minor (M)
  • Fantasy about BACH (comp. 1977; Kunzelmann)
  • Fantasy, Interlude, Fugue in E minor (comp. 1976; Kunzelmann)
  • Seven Little Preludes (1970, M)
  • Seven Little Preludes (1976, M)
  • Toccata Aria Fantasy (1963, M)

Free organ composition (Kunzelmann)

  • Andante in E minor
  • Fantasy in D major
  • Introduction and Passacaglia
  • Prelude in D minor
  • Prelude in C major
  • Prelude and Fugue in C major
  • Prière
  • Toccatina in A minor

Contemporary organ music in church services

  • Aria
  • Interlude (pastoral)
  • Prelude and Fugue in F major

The church year - 9 choral fantasies (Kunzelmann)

  • O Savior, tear open the heavens
  • Come and let us / Josef, dear Josef (Sing fresh and cheerful)
  • Lord of the Hours
  • Dearest of Jesus
  • The glorious day has appeared
  • The Lord rises gloriously (We step into the new year)
  • Now we ask the Holy Spirit
  • Come here the king's contingent
  • Keep us Lord by your word

Fantasy about "Step into the Dawn Red" (commissioned by Radio Zurich)

Various organ pieces

  • duo
  • Fughette in E minor
  • Pastorals and chorals on their own theme
  • Prelude and Fugue Cc
  • Toccata (1964) (Stäbi)
  • meditation

4 little fantasies

  • Fantasy in C major
  • Hymn
  • Fantasy about a Negro Spiritual (Calvary)
  • Fantasy about a Maori song (New Zealand)

Collections

  • 20 organ pieces by old masters (Hug, GH 9131)
  • 20 organ pieces by old masters (new series; Hug, GH 9391)
  • Selected movements by Johann Sebastian Bach
  • 20 free organ pieces

Individual works

  • T. Albinoni: Grave-Adagio and Adagio from the Sonata for Violin and Basso Continuo
  • WA Mozart: Andante for 2 clarinets in Bb, 2 basset horns and bassoon

Works printed during his lifetime

Original works

  • Songs from the Snail Shell for 1 voice and piano (Publisher: Hug / Zürich; GH 9263)
  • 20 small piano pieces (Publisher: Edition Kunzelmann; GM 174)
  • 12 pieces for piano 4 hands (Publisher: Edition Kunzelmann; GM 851)
  • Psalm 118 for choir, strings and organ (Publisher: Ruh / CH-Adliswil 1966; ER 1120)
  • Choral partita "Lord God, we all praise you" for brass and organ (publisher: Ruh / CH-Adliswil; ER 1064)
  • Choral partita "Wake up, call us the voice" for brass and organ (Verlag: Ruh / Adliswil; ER 1111)
  • The church year 9 Choral fantasies for church holidays (Publisher: Edition Kunzelmann; GM 764)
  • Contemporary music in church services: Aria, Prelude in F major, Interludium (Pastorale) for organ (Publisher: Edition Eulenburg; included in the Hinrichsen Edition under No. H 2006d)
  • Variations on "All morning is really fresh and new" (printed by: bbj-Druck, Dübendorf, around 1977)
  • Free organ compositions (Publisher: Edition Kunzelmann; GM 98)
  • Fantasy on "Step in the morning red therefore" Swiss psalm (Publisher: Edition Kunzelmann; GM 908)
  • Fantasia for flute and piano (Publisher: Edition Kunzelmann; GM 909)

Edits

  • 20 organ pieces by old masters. Contains works by JS Bach; J. Chr. Smith; G. Fr. Handel; A. Vivaldi; Joh. Speth; WH Pachelbel; JF Dandrieu; LN Clérambault (Publisher: Hug / Zürich; GH 9391)
  • 20 free organ pieces from the baroque period. Organ compositions and transcriptions, edited and edited by Alfred Baum. (Publisher: Edition Kunzelmann; GM 857)
  • JS Bach: Selected movements from chamber music works and church cantatas for organ transcribed by Alfred Baum. (Publisher: Edition Kunzelmann; GM 858)
  • WA Mozart: Andantino in B flat major, KV Anh 46 (fragment, completed by Alfred Baum), for cello and piano (Publisher: Hug; GH 11318)

Posthumously published works

  • Introduction and variations for violoncello and organ (Carus-Verlag)
  • Invocation for violoncello and organ (Carus-Verlag)
  • 3 dance pieces for piano (Publisher: LiCasti)
  • Sonatina for piano (Publisher: LiCasti)
  • Andante for flute (recorder) and piano (harpsichord) (Publisher: LiCasti)
  • Fantasy about an old folk song for flute (recorder) and organ (harpsichord) (Publisher: LiCasti)
  • Sonatina for recorder (flute) and harpsichord (piano) (Publisher: LiCasti)
  • Organ works (published by Lehel Donáth on his 100th birthday): Toccata - Fantasy on BACH - Fantasy, Interlude and Fugue in e. (Publisher: Edition Kunzelmann; GM 688)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.zb.uzh.ch/spezialsammlungen/musikabteilung/nachlaesse/einzelne-nachlaesse/003468/index.html.de

Web links


personal data
SURNAME Baum, Alfred
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss composer, pianist and organist
DATE OF BIRTH September 23, 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH Zurich
DATE OF DEATH September 30, 1993
Place of death Wallisellen