Diethard Hellmann

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Diethard Hellmann, 1953
Christ Church in Mainz with the Bach Hall above the main entrance

Diethard Hellmann (born December 26, 1928 in Grimma , † October 14, 1999 in Deisenhofen , district of Munich) was a German church musician , university professor and rector of the Munich University of Music .

Career

Hellmann was born the son of a couple of teachers and cantors (the father, church music director Willi Hellmann, was cantor of the Frauenkirche in Grimma for almost 40 years ) and received sound music lessons from his father.

Günther met Ramin Hellmann in December 1943 when the St. Thomas Choir had to leave Leipzig due to the war and found its home in the Grimma State School for 18 months . It was an encounter with far-reaching consequences: when he was 15, Hellmann was accepted at the Leipzig University of Music , was a guest singer for the Thomaner from 1944 to 1948, accompanied the choir on many organ performances and became a close collaborator of Ramin. After the end of the war in 1945, Hellmann began at the age of 16 as a music teacher, initially known as a school helper, at the Grimma State School.

Hellmann founded the St. Augustin Madrigal Choir , which in 1946 verifiably had a dozen major appearances in Grimma and the surrounding area - a report in the Borna edition of the Leipziger Volkszeitung on November 9, 1946 referred to choir director Hellmann, “whose name will probably be remembered for the future would like to". This madrigal choir lived up to such high standards that the Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk AG recorded its Christmas concert in December 1946 and broadcast it on December 25 and 28, 1946. The climax and conclusion of Hellmann's engagement at this school was Mozart's Singspiel Bastien und Bastienne in May 1948, then he left Grimma for Leipzig .

Hellmann sang in the St. Thomas Choir and studied at the St. Thomas School in Leipzig . There he studied church music as a pupil of Günther Ramin and accompanied early recordings of his Bach cantatas as an organist. From 1948 to 1955 he was cantor at the Friedenskirche in Leipzig. At the same time he taught a. a. Organ at the Leipzig University of Music and also directed the university choir there . In 1950 he won a prize at the International Bach Competition for his organ playing. Since 1952 he gave lessons in choir conducting. In 1954 he became deputy head of the church music department.

In 1955 he took over the office of cantor at the Christ Church in Mainz , where he led the choir, later the Bach choir , to a remarkable level. In November 1955 he created his first Bach cantata evening and in 1957 founded the Kurrende at the Christ Church. In 1958 he won a prize at Südwestfunk for his composition "Music on the Ascension of Christ". (Altogether 13 different compositions by Hellmann are listed in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; the Festschrift lists 9 works of "(e) own compositions (if published)" on p. 129.) The appointment to Leipzig Thomaskantor 1961, as successor to Kurt Thomas, Hellmann later refused.

Hellmann was also professor of Protestant church music at the Peter Cornelius Conservatory in Mainz , and from 1963 he was also an honorary professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Since 1963, numerous cantatas have been recorded with Südwestfunk in the 1960s and 1970s, and later also in artificial head stereophony. He also published many sheet music editions, including above all a few attempts at reconstruction, namely annoy you, o soul, not (BWV 186a), Singet dem Herrn a new song (BWV 190 and BWV 190a) and the Mark Passion (BWV 247).

In 1965, after ten years of existence, the choir was renamed “Bachchor Mainz” and a permanent orchestra, the “Bachorchester”, was founded, with Ruth Hellmann, his wife, concertmaster. In addition, Diethard Hellmann's last active years also included two of his children, the contralto Andrea Hellmann and the cellist Christoph Hellmann. In December 1967 the Association of Friends and Patrons of the Bach Choir eV, later the Bach Choir Association, was founded, the chairman of which was the theology professor Gert Otto.

Numerous concert tours led the Bachchor Mainz a. a. to France, Poland and Israel. Diethard Hellmann was able to engage many prominent vocal soloists: B. Peter Schreier , but also Theo Altmeyer, Aldo Baldin, Ria Bollen, Ursula Buckel , Eva Csapó, Kurt Equiluz , Agnes Giebel , Julia Hamari , Ernst Haefliger , Philippe Huttenlocher , Georg Jelden, Helena Jungwirth, Siegfried Lorenz, Adalbert Kraus , Horst R. Laubenthal, Karl Markus, Barbara Martig-Tüller, Friedreich Melzer, Klaus Mertens , Siegmund Nimsgern , Hans-Joachim Rotzsch , Ernst-Gerold Schramm, Verena Schweizer, Jakob Stämpfli , Ortrun Wenkel, Kurt Widmer, Edith Wiens . Diethard Hellmann recorded numerous Bach cantatas with many of them in the 1960s and 1970s, which the SWF broadcast at regular intervals every week.

The 200 church cantatas recorded according to SWR inquiry 136 make up more than two thirds of this great Bach vocal work. They undoubtedly form Hellmann's main work, namely the “cantatas in their totality”, which not only constitutes “the highest revelation of Bach's spirit” for his teacher and master Karl Straube, as Hellmann quotes in an essay on “Bach works in cantoral practice”. Most likely, if Hellmann had not gone to Munich, he would have easily recorded the entire sacred cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach by the mid-1980s and would then have preceded Helmuth Rilling in the world premiere of all of Bach's sacred cantatas. Of these, 36 recordings - in the form of 8 long-playing records and of radio recordings on what was then Südwestfunk - can still be verified today (within a digital cantata archive) with vocal and instrumental soloists and other information.

In 1972, the so-called a cappella choir emerged from the Israeli occupation, which should be available for special tasks, especially with unaccompanied choral music.

Choir members who sang under Hellmann still remember his very committed and inspiring rehearsal style, his methodically well-thought-out and confident rehearsal from the piano or in front of the choir, which resulted in absolute technical security in the choir singers in concert and thus openness for the conductor's interpretation. During choir rehearsals the maestro did not miss any inconspicuous intonation weaknesses, at orchestral and dress rehearsals Hellmann's phenomenal musical memory impressed, with which he was able to enumerate countless different passages in the orchestra, in the choir or in both sound devices still had to be rehearsed. For him, musical work was always the focus of rehearsals. He was reluctant to say many words during rehearsals. The introductions to the works that he gave at the request of the choir in recent years following a rehearsal, e. B. Beethoven's “Missa Solemnis” revealed a technically sovereign, but rather introverted musical personality, who also performed such services, but much preferred to practically rehearse with the choir. Anyone who rehearsed later on themselves learned from Hellmann to concentrate exclusively on rehearsals, because for Diethard Hellmann the most important thing in choir work was making music. Hellmann's musical personality is well characterized by what the contralto Gerda Schriever, with whom Hellmann repeatedly worked, wrote:

“Hellmann was restlessly active, he was always looking for new tasks that he found plentiful and solved brilliantly. I will never forget his lively, suspenseful, deeply faithful performances. I thank him for giving me so many tasks that made me grow and enrich my life to this day. "

Way of interpretation

Like his childhood friend Karl Richter , Hellmann led the neo-romantic Bach interpretation to a climax (cf. Krummacher 1980). He mainly worked with a large instrumental and choral sound apparatus (often over 100 singers). Furthermore, this style of interpretation meant that the soprano and alto solo parts were never cast with boys' voices or countertenors, but with fully trained female voices (which, however, were often specialized in early music, such as Barbara Schlick). Apart from the Bach trumpet (e.g. BWV 128), the Bachhorn (e.g. BWV 83) or the prong (BWV 68), almost no so-called historical instruments were used. The differences to what we know from the Bach era (e.g. in Leipzig cantatas only one “concertist” sang the solo parts and two “ripienists” acted per part) are enormous, which is also very different Sound of early recordings by Harnoncourt and Hellmann recordings (e.g. when interpreting the cantata BWV 26) becomes clear.

Hellmann himself, in an essay published in 1988, delimited and tried to justify his style of interpretation from historical practice. Historicizing music-making is ultimately based on false assumptions, since a modern person cannot “enter into the attitude towards life of people from other epochs”, for example “into that of the first half of the 18th century” (1988: 192), apart from the historical Instruments are rarely originals, but "copies". However, it means nothing other than “mere historicism and museum mummy worship” when attempts are made “at all costs” to “make the reproduction in a way that could possibly have been made a few centuries ago.” Hellmann argues against them in detail Differences in tempo in historicizing recordings (which as a rule choose much faster tempos than previous interpretations; an extreme example is the opening chorus of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, reproduced in the "senseless French gigue rhythm" (193)) based on the "integer" valid since the Middle Ages valor notarum ”, which is based on the heartbeat or the step of a medium-sized person. All movements of an overall composition are "in an unconditional proportion to one another", which could be "sensitively disturbed or even destroyed" if pieces are played too quickly or, conversely, too slowly. Hellmann also argues against the popular staccato interpretation within organ music. a. based on a historical testimony from the 18th century, where the “excellent bound manner” is praised, “with which Sebastian Bach treated the organ” (195). On the question of the historically correct reproduction of Bach's choral movements, i. H. Regarding the type of caesura, Hellmann remarks that “(e) a convincing design of his [ie Bach's] chorales according to the requirements of the text, that is, partly caesura, partly going on and over, [...] a solution [forms] that of Bach's own practice can be justified ". It is also important to think that it would be naive to assume that today's listeners could simply step out of the listening experiences of earlier times, especially romanticism (194). Hellmann concludes this attempt at justification with a quote from the musicologist Carl Dahlhaus, according to which it is “so doubtful” whether the “intention to, as it were, to revoke and reverse the Bach interpretation of Romanticism can be completely successful and whether one should even wish it to succeed [...] like any attempt to erase a piece of the past as if it hadn't been. "

Hellmann also interpreted other sacred works, such as B. The extremely seldom heard Requiem by Jean Gilles (1668–1705) as an SWF production, the “ Harmoniemesse ” by Joseph Haydn (with radio recording and record), the Oratorio de Noël by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) as well as a record (now available on CD), Lv Beethoven's “Missa Solemnis”, all four chorale cantatas by Max Reger (2 LPs, today CD) and also more recent compositions like the oratorio “Golgotha” by Frank Martin (1890–1974) and one Cantata by Reinhold Schwarz-Schilling (1904–1985). Nevertheless, the work of Johann Sebastian Bach was the focus of Hellmann's musical interpretation. The following sentence by his teacher Günther Ramin from the Leipzig Bach Festival in 1950, quoted by Hellmann in the introduction to a memorial he published, according to which the music of Johann Sebastian Bach forms an outwardly radiant "inner balance" in the individual, is also allowed without restriction be put as a motto about Hellmann's own understanding of Bach:

“Bach's music is able to help people of our time to find a center again, an inner balance that radiates outwards: inner peace as a prerequisite for the realization of the longed-for outer peace, a source of strength to be active in life and to be undeterred Way to go. "

Hellmann as a university professor

In 1974 Hellmann was appointed professor for Protestant church music at the State Music Academy in Munich . At the same time he remained an honorary professor at the University of Mainz. His organ position at the Christ Church was taken on October 1st, 1974 by Hans-Joachim Bartsch . Hellmann regularly organized the university church services , primarily through Bach cantatas, but also, for the first time on May 29, 1971, the two Ecumenical Vespers on the evening before Pentecost and before the first Advent. As a member of the New Bach Society , he organized two international Bach festivals in Mainz in June 1962 and October 1980: in 1985 he gave up the direction of the Bach Choir and concentrated entirely on his work in Munich, where he was the rector of the State University of Music from 1981 to 1988 directed. His successor in Mainz was Ralf Otto . In 1998, on Hellmann's 70th birthday, a Festschrift was published by Martin Petzoldt.

When Hellmann died in October 1999, a memorial service was held in the Christ Church on Eternity Sunday. Prof. Gert Otto delivered the sermon . Under Hellmann's successor, the Bach Choir sang the cantata BWV 19 “Es A Quarrel”, which Hellmann loved above all for the tenor aria “Stay, you angels, stay with me!”.

student

His students include:

Honors

Audio documents

  • BWV 189 (1958, LP)
  • BWV 187 + 34 (1958, LP)
  • BWV 157 + 169 (1960, LP)
  • BWV 136 + 138 (1960, LP)
  • Bach / Pergolesi, 51st Psalm (Kurrende 1966)
  • BWV 119+ 129 (1967, LP)
  • BWV 190a, 84, 89, 27 (SWF recording, late 1960s)
  • BWV 26, 62, 191 (SWF recording, late 1960s)
  • BWV 63, 40, 152 (SWF recording, late 1960s)
  • BWV 127, 159, 43 (SWF recording, late 1960s)
  • BWV 94, 101, 137 (SWF recording, late 1960s)
  • BWV 99, 8, 55 (SWF recording, late 1960s),
  • BWV 39 (late 1960s, LP)
  • BWV 97 (1975, LP)
  • BWV 117, 93, 169 (SAOPR-6D)
  • BWV 157, 34 (SAOPR-6E)
  • Camille Saint-Saëns, “Christmas Oratorio” ( Oratorio de Noël ) (LP, originally a SWF recording from 1976), Camille Saint Saens Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12 Christmas Oratorio (complete piece) on YouTube
  • Bruckner, motets; Kodály, Laudes organi (At the organ: Hedwig Bilgram, 1979)
  • Mozart, Vesperae de Dominica + Mozart, aria (LP 1980)
  • Reger, "Choralkantaten" (2 LPs 1980; later as CD)
  • Chorales and choirs from the Christmas Oratorio (LP 1980)
  • Haydn, Harmoniemesse (LP 1981; later as CD)
  • Bach, Mark Passion (LP 1983)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Frank Schmidt: Grimma women with a lot of voice and heart. In: Leipziger Volkszeitung . May 17, 2011, accessed January 2, 2015 .
  2. ↑ Volker Beyrich: Singing against inhumanity. In: Archive dust. Messages from the archives of the Fürstenschüler Foundation - Kurt Schwabe Archive - , March 2013 edition, pp. 3–5
  3. ↑ Altogether there were two additional a versions (BWV 30 + 30a; BWV 80 + 80a), three secular cantatas (BWV 202, 211, 212) and nine double recordings, the first before 1967 in mono and the later from 1970 in stereo (BWV 30, 61, 88, 90, 100, 137, 140, 159, 189) exactly 150 recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's cantatas.
  4. ↑ Hellmann 1969, p. 163, quoted from Bertram 1998, p. 30.
  5. ^ Diethard Hellmann & Bach Choir & Bach Orchestra Mainz. In: Bach Cantatas website. Retrieved January 1, 2015 .
  6. ^ Testimony of a long-time member of the Mainz Bach Choir under Diethard Hellmann.
  7. ↑ Gerda Schriever, thanks to Diethard Hellmann. In: Festschrift Hellmann, p. 20.
  8. ↑ There is a cantata recording by the Thomaner under Günther Ramin, in which both young Bach interpreters took part, Hellmann on the organ and Richter on the harpsichord, namely BWV 110 (“Our mouth is full of laughter”) from Dec. 1947 and Dec. 1950. Cf. . http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV110.htm . However, Hellmann contributed to the recordings on the earlier date (1947), Richter on the later date (1950).
  9. ↑ However, Hellmann had one or the other female role sung by the choir parts (e.g. BWV 137, No. 2 in the stereo version from 1971), a practice that Karl Richter also liked to use.
  10. ↑ Cf. Dürr, Alfred, The Cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach. Kassel 1971, p. 38.
  11. ↑ Carl Dahlhaus, A Life in the Shadow of the Work, in: Pictures and Times, supplement to the FAZ of March 16, 1985, quoted from Hellmann 1988, p. 196, note 9.
  12. ↑ From a speech by Günther Ramins on the occasion of the Leipzig Bach celebration in 1950, quoted from: D. Hellmann (ed.), Johann Sebastian Bach: Ende und Anfang, p. 6.
  13. ↑ Supplement (p. 7) to the CD Anniversary musical gift from former students for the 450th St. Augustin Foundation Festival . Grimma, September 14, 2000, published by the Association of Former Princely Students
  14. ↑ The information on the Bach cantatas recorded in the SWF are taken from the Internet archive http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV110.htm . The chronological information that is often given in the blanket note “late 1960s” is only z. Partly correct, as a comparison with the archive information of the SWR shows.

literature

1.Literature by Diethard Hellmann (selection)

In addition to the catalog of the German National Bibliography, cf. the section “Publications by Diethard Hellmann” in the Festschrift Hellmann = pp. 127–134 (both lists, however, incomplete).

1.1 Own compositions

  • From noble Minne: 5 madrigals according to ancient texts . Leipzig: Peters 1953.
  • Sing the lord a new song! (Ps. 98). Introit for Sunday cantata. For 3stgn according to Choir., Community Ges. u. Org.ad lib. Stuttgart: Hänssler 1960.
  • Concerto in D major for three trumpets, timpani, two oboes, bassoon, two violins, viola and basso continuo (violoncello, double bass and harpsichord) . Part. U. Be right. Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag 1994.

1.2 Preparations and Editions

  • Christmas songs: 100 well-known Christmas carols to sing a. to play . With prefix set v. Fidelio F. Finke; D. Hellmann; S. Koehler (inter alia). Score. Leipzig: VEB Breitkopf & Härtel 1957, etc.
  • Introites and motets for the church year . With preface u. Note ed. v. DH Stuttgart: Hänssler: Vol. 1: Works by old masters for 4- and polyphonic choir, choral score 1959 (2nd, newly completed edition 1962); Vol. 2 .: Works by contemporary composers, choir part. 1961; Vol. 3 .: Works by old and contemporary composers, choir part. 1960.
  • Sing the lord a new song! (Ps. 98). Introit for Sunday cantata. For 3stgn according to Choir., Community Ges. u. Org.ad lib. Stuttgart: Hänssler 1960.
  • Organ works by the Bach family , Leipzig: Edition Peters 1967/1985
  • Joh. Seb. Brook. Easter oratorio: "Come, hurry and run" (BWV 249) (Sacred Choral Music, Series 10, The Cantata; 135). With preface u. Gb.-edit. ed. v. DH Part. U. Choir part. Stuttgart: Hänssler 1962.
  • Joh. Seb. Brook. " Sweet consolation, my Jesus is coming " (BWV 151, original version). With Gb. ed. v. DH Part. U. Choir part. Stuttgart: Hänssler 1962.
  • Joh. Seb. Brook. Markus Passion (BWV 247) (series 10, The Cantata; 209). With rev. Report. Text: Christian Friedrich Henrici. With preface ed. Reconstruction of DH Part. Stuttgart: Hänssler 1964.
  • Joh. Seb. Brook. Cantata No. 186a: " Anger yourself, oh soul, don't " (BWV 186a) (Sacred Choral Music: Series 10, The Cantata; 176). Reconstructed around Vorw. Ed. v. D. Hellmann, Stuttgart: Hänssler 1964.
  • Joh. Seb. Brook. Cantata No. 82a: " I've had enough " (BWV 82a). With revision report ed. by DH version for soprano solo a. Orchestra. Part. U. Be right. Stuttgart: Hänssler 1971.
  • Joh. Seb. Brook. Cantata 190a: » Sing to the Lord a new song! "(" Sing ye the Lord a joyful song ") (BWV 190a). Reconstructed around Vorw. First published. v. DH Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel 1972.

1.3 Articles and writings

  • Considerations on the presentation of Sweelinck's works for keyboard instruments : Musik und Kirche 25, 1955, 287–292.
  • Bach works in cantoral practice: principles and experiences of church music and educational work : Musik und Kirche 39, 1969, 161–169.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach: End and Beginning. Commemorative publication for the 75th birthday of Thomas Cantor Günther Ramin. Thoughts and reports from the work of the Thomaskantor. Essays on the work of the Thomaskantor by HH Jahnn, G. Stiller and W. Weismann . Ed. V. Diethard Hellmann. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel 1973.
  • Interpretation - historical or developmental task. Thoughts on dealing with Bach's vocal works . In: Musik und Kirche 58, 1988, pp. 191–198.
  • The Leipzig Bach tradition in the first half of the 20th century (The Straube / Ramin era) . In: G. Gruber u. a. (Ed.): Musical performance practice and edition: Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven (series of publications by the University of Music in Munich, volume; 6). Regensburg: Bosse 1990, pp. 9–32.
  • Mendelssohn's Bach. Johann Sebastian Bach: St. Matthew Passion in the facility for St. Thomas Church in Leipzig 1841 by Mendelssohn Bartholdy : Music and Church 66, 1996, 185.
  • Thomaskantor in difficult times. Günther Ramin's years in office 1940-1956 : Music and Church 68, 1998, 325–328.
  • Thoughts on Bach care after the turn of the millennium - A sketch : Music and Church 69, 1999, 223.

2. Literature on Diethard Hellmann

  • Reinhard Bertram: The focus is on Johann Sebastian Bach. Diethard Hellmann as a church musician at the Christ Church (1955-1986) . In: Festschrift Hellmann, pp. 29–35.
  • Reinhard Bertram: Fifty Years of the Bach Choir . In: Christ Church Mainz 1903–2003. Edited by the church council. Mainz 2003, pp. 76-83.
  • 25 years Bachchor Mainz 1980. Edited by choir members.
  • Klaus Hunger: Outstanding events with the Mainz Bach Choir . In: Festschrift Hellmann, pp. 37–42
  • Friedhelm Krummacher: Bach in a romantic perspective - and today. In: Günther Weiß (Hrsg.): Johann Sebastian Bach and its impact on the following centuries. Mainz 1980, pp. 118-131.
  • Festschrift Hellmann s. u. Petzoldt (ed.).
  • Hanna-Renate Laurien: "The spirit helps our weaknesses": memory of Mainz . In: Festschrift Hellmann, p. 43.
  • Wolf-Eberhard von Lewinski: Versatility with a center: Diethard Hellmann. Artist portrait (9). In: Mainz. Quarterly issues for culture, politics, economics, history. 3, 1983, pp. 26-31.
  • Martin Petzoldt (ed.): Bach for connoisseurs and lovers: Festschrift for the 70th birthday of Diethard Hellmann , Stuttgart: Carus 1998.
  • Dieter Ramin: From Grimma to Mainz. Personal memories of Diethard Hellmann . In: Festschrift Hellmann, pp. 45–46.
  • Klaus Schaede: "Association of Friends and Patrons of the Bach Choir Mainz eV" Memories of the work for and with Diethard Hellmann . In: Festschrift Hellmann, pp. 47–48.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hellmann, Diethard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German church musician and university professor
DATE OF BIRTH December 28, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Grimma
DATE OF DEATH October 14, 1999
Place of death Deisenhofen (Oberhaching)