Alfred von Beckerath
Alfred von Beckerath (born October 4, 1901 in Hagenau ; † January 7, 1978 in Munich ) was a German composer and conductor .
Career
Beckerath was born in Hagenau (Alsace) in 1901 as the son of the German Rittmeister Robert von Beckerath and his wife Juliet, nee. Flinsch, and grew up in Frankfurt am Main. From 1920 to 1925 he studied musicology and composition in Frankfurt am Main , Freiburg im Breisgau and in Munich at the local academy for music . Among his teachers was Joseph Haas , through whom he is the “grandchildren” of Max Reger . After completing his studies, he worked as a conductor in Wiesbaden and Frankfurt. After the end of the Second World War he took over the musical direction at the “Theater der Jugend” in Munich, and in the mid-1950s that of the Ingolstadt city theater. In 1951, his services were honored with the Munich Music Prize. In 1962 he received the Schwabing Art Prize .
Alfred von Beckerath was a very productive composer. His compositional work includes chamber music, orchestral works , cantatas , choral works , songs, sacred music as well as operas (and youth operas ). They are shaped by classic composition patterns. In the last years of his life he found an uncompromisingly modern style.
He also considered less common instruments in classical music such as dulcimer, zither, mandolin, accordion and saxophone.
Beckerath was married four times. From his marriage to the doctor Ilse, b. Kämper, he has a daughter (* 1943); his wife Ursula, b. Scholz, was a painter and wrote poems, some of which he set to music. He was also a creative person beyond music. He created costume vignettes and stage sets for the theater in Halberstadt; He painted picture books for his daughter or children of friends.
Works (selection)
- Concert music
- Divertimento IV, solo concerto for harpsichord and string orchestra
- Divertimento XV, solo concerto for clarinet and plucked orchestra
- Concertino rondino, recorder concert
- Concertino sereno, solo concert for clarinet + string orchestra + 2 horns
- Double concerto, flute, clarinet + orchestra
- Königstein, solo concert for guitar with mandolin orchestra + fl., Ob.
- Concerto for horn and orchestra
- Concerto fugato for 2 flutes and strings
- Orchestral works
- Divertimento III for string orchestra
- Divertimento X, wind concert for 15 wind instruments and percussion
- Divertimento XIII, wind concert for 12 wind instruments and percussion
- Symphony for wind orchestra
- Serene suite for orchestra
- 4 movements for string orchestra
- Music for 2 wind bands
- Symphony for wind orchestra
- Chamber music
- Table music for piano trio
- 12 triolettos for string trio
- Five string quartets
- Sonatas for one solo instrument and piano each
- Divertimento I for quartet for horn and string trio
- Divertimento II for wind quintet
- Divertimento V for trio for violin, violoncello and harp
- Divertimento VI for four percussion
- Divertimento VII for quartet for flute, violin, game and harpsichord
- Divertimento VIII for recorder quartet
- Divertimento XII for piano four hands
- Divertimento XIV for 3 clarinets and piano
- Divertimento XVI, Theme and Variations for Harp Solo
- Duos, trios and quartets in various formations with flutes, guitars and dulcimer
- Duos for recorder and clarinet
- Duos for flute and bassoon
- Trios and quartets for wood and / or brass instruments
- Cantatas
- Praise of beer for solos, choir and orchestra
- Cantata for the topping-out ceremony
- Christmas cantata
- Others
- Operas, school operas, stage and radio play music
Web links
- The estate in the Bavarian State Library
- Part of the estate in the archive of the German youth movement (Ludwigstein Castle, Witzenhausen)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Beckerath, Alfred von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German composer and conductor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th October 1901 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Haguenau |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 7, 1978 |
| Place of death | Munich |