Alois Ickstadt

Alois Ickstadt (born September 22, 1930 in Niederjosbach in the Main-Taunus-Kreis , Hessen ) is a German pianist, conductor, choir director, teacher, university lecturer and composer.

life and work

Ickstadt founded his first singing group at the age of sixteen, right after the Second World War . Because of the difficult living conditions at that time, the choir lessons marked a welcome change with a positive aura. Ickstadt studied with the choristers, among other things, chorales by Johann Sebastian Bach and Orlando di Lasso , this was out of the ordinary at the time. The Niederjosbacher church choir, which still exists today, emerged from this singing group.

Ickstadt first studied school music at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts and graduated with the second state examination after completing his legal traineeship. This was followed by studies with Erich Flinsch (piano master class), Kurt Hessenberg (composition) and Walther Davisson and Karl Maria Zwißler (music director).

In addition, he supplemented his musical training at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main with studies in German , musicology , philosophy and history , because “it has always been important to him to understand the meaning and cultural contexts beyond music ". At the university he took courses with Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer . According to Ickstadt, their free-spirited humanistic philosophy shaped his life.

In addition to his studies he was artistically active as a pianist, the Hessischer Rundfunk and other broadcasters of the ARD obliged him to produce contemporary music. He took part in important premieres of modern music under the direction of Pierre Boulez , Dean Dixon , Sixten Ehrling and Sir Georg Solti .

From 1958 to 1968 Ickstadt was a teacher at the Frankfurt Goethe-Gymnasium . He mainly taught German and social studies, only temporarily music.

“ No matter how good the didactics, there is no substitute for live music. Music has to stay alive and true. "

- Alois Ickstadt

From the beginning of the 1960s, in cooperation with the Hessischer Rundfunk, he created a concept for a new way of working with choirs that was based on continuity. The idea consisted of continuous training and support for the choir singers from childhood to adulthood. The basis of this idea was the fact that Ickstadt observed and lamented that singing was largely omitted in German music education at the time, and that singing folk songs was frowned upon. This was partly due to the fact that the National Socialists had instrumentalized the German folk song ideologically , and partly to the American-influenced taste in music. From his work with the children's choir of the Hessischer Rundfunk , which was closely connected to the school radio of the hr, the figural choir of the Hessischer Rundfunk , founded by Ickstadt, emerged in 1966 . In addition to systematic vocal training, the aim was general musical education. From this idea the Choir Association Figuralchor – Kinderchor Frankfurt e. V. , of which Alois Ickstadt is the artistic director to this day. Together with the Figuralchor Frankfurt, Alois Ickstadt works in numerous concerts, productions and recordings. As a pianist, he accompanies well-known singers.

Due to the steadily growing scope of his national activities, after the 650th anniversary of Eppstein , for which he wrote a cantata for choir and orchestra, he handed over the choral direction in Niederjosbach to a successor.

In 1970 Ickstadt received a full professorship at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt am Main, which he held until his retirement in 1995. Even after his retirement, Ickstadt is active in numerous cultural committees and, as a member of the State Music Council of Hesse, has participated in a state music plan for schools.

Honors

• Medal of Merit of the Federal Order of Merit (February 29, 1996)
• Plaque of Honor of the City of Frankfurt am Main (June 9, 2006)
• Orlando di Lasso Medal (2015)

Works

• Eppstein cantata . Three-part oratorio for choir and orchestra - Middle Ages, 30 Years War, Modern Times. For the 650th anniversary of Eppstein im Taunus. 1968
• Kritzel-Kratzel wants to go to the moon . Exciting radio play. 25711 XAW. Ariola Eurodisc. Munich 1979
• Scribble scratches and what now? . Exciting radio play. 25712 XAW. Ariola Eurodisc. Munich 1979
• Richard Rudolf Klein : Children make music. Schulwerk for the first interaction . Fidulafon 1165. Fidula. Boppard and Salzburg 1981
• Joseph Haydn : The Seasons . F 669 500/01. Frankfurt Museum Society. Frankfurt am Main 1987.
• Gallus concerts in the baroque church in Flörsheim am Main . Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy , Joseph Rheinberger and others Opus 27035. Cappella Wiesbaden 1989
• Alexander Zemlinsky : The dream görge . Capriccio 10 241/42. Delta Music. Cheeky 1989
• Gallus Concerts in Flörsheim am Main . Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Dietrich Buxtehude , Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Haydn, Joseph Rheinberger and others Opus 27042. Cappella Wiesbaden 1990
• Carl Orff : Carmina burana - songs from the Benediktbeurer manuscript for 3 solos, mixed choir and orchestra . Frankfurt Museum Society. Frankfurt am Main 1992.
• Johannes Brahms : Zigeunerlieder op.103.Schann Musica Mundi 3-16 16-2. Koch International. Munich 1992.
• Carl Orff: Trionfi (Trittico teatrale) . Wergo WER 6275-2. Schott Wergo Music Media. Mainz 1995
• Andrej M. Volkonskij: The 148th Psalm including Wergo WER 6601-2. Schott Wergo Music Media. Mainz 1996
• Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Franz Schubert - memorial concert . Melisma 7139 / 40-2. Cappella Wiesbaden 1998
• Johannes Brahms: A German Requiem: According to the words of the Holy Scriptures; for solos, choir and orchestra; op. 45 . Melisma 7177-2. Cappella Wiesbaden 2001
• Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Elias - oratorio based on words from the Old Testament; for solos, choir and orchestra; opus 70 . Frankfurt Museum Society. Frankfurt am Main 2001.
• Johann Sebastian Bach - Mass in B minor BWV 232. Melisma. Cappella Wiesbaden

literature

• Herbert Schneider (ed.): Aspects of time in music - Alois Ickstadt for his 65th birthday . Musicological publications; Vol. 4. Olms. Hildesheim, Zurich, New York 1994. ISBN 3-487-10517-9
• Landesmusikrat Hessen e. V. (Ed.) - Prof. Alois Ickstadt / Prof. Günther Bastian: Musical education as a future task of the state of Hesse - perspectives, conception, realization .
• 40 years of Collegium Instrumentale Alois Kottmann . Festschrift. With a greeting from Alois Ickstadt. Lembeck. Frankfurt am Main and Butzbach 2008.

Web links

• Alois Ickstadt at Discogs (English)
• Alois Ickstadt at Allmusic (English)
• Works by and about Alois Ickstadt in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Profile on: komponistenverband.de
2. ↑ Anniversaries 2010 ( Memento of the original from March 31, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 746 kB) on: dra.de 
3. ↑ Eppsteiner Zeitung: What is important is what goes beyond the music ( Memento from January 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ Office of the Federal President
5. ↑ Honorary plaque of the city of Frankfurt for Alois Ickstadt on: nmz.de
6. ^ Landesmusikrat Hessen: Musical education as a future task of the State of Hessen - perspectives, conception, realization ( Memento from April 18, 2010 in the Internet Archive )