Franz Kessler (musician, 1914)

Franz Kessler , also Franz Keßler (born April 30, 1914 in Neuss ; † March 8, 2007 ) was a German musicologist and university professor .

Life

Franz Kessler was the son of the railway inspector Karl Kessler. He attended elementary school from 1920 and in 1923 came to the municipal high school in Neuss; from 1925 to 1934 he attended secondary school (today: Leibniz School ) in Wiesbaden . In the winter semester of 1934/1935 he began to study church music , musicology and liturgy at the State Academic University of Music in Berlin-Charlottenburg . On February 27, 1937, he passed the state examination for organists and choir conductors in Berlin.

From 1937 to 1945 he was employed as an organist and choirmaster at the Marienkirche in Gdansk , from 1941 to 1945 he did military service. On September 1, 1945 he became cantor and organist at the Luther Church in Wiesbaden. In the winter semester of 1946/1947 he began studying musicology, German and liturgy at the University of Mainz . From 1948 to 1950 he was also a music teacher at the State Institute for Music Care and from 1950 to 1958 at the Pater Cornelius Conservatory in Mainz.

On August 25, 1950 he received his PhD. phil. at the University of Mainz . On January 3, 1952, he also received a teaching position for church music at the University of Mainz and from October 1, 1952, he was appointed to the office of church music of the Evangelical Church in Hessen-Nassau , and since November 5, 1958, he has also been given a teaching position for pedagogy Darmstadt Institute .

The University of Erlangen appointed Franz Kessler on November 1, 1959 University Director of Music and at the same time, succeeding George Kempff , the head of the Institute of Sacred Music and organist at the New Town Church and head of the Academic Choir. He was also commissioned to set up the academic orchestra, which later became the Collegium Musicum . He held lectures and exercises on theology and church music at the university; In 1971 he became academic director . Under his aegis , extensive, third-party funded research projects on Danzig music were started, an orchestra was founded and training as a C church musician was possible. For many students, the concert tours to Poland made possible by Franz Kessler's personal connections , which took place at a time when the first steps towards reconciliation with neighboring countries in the east were being taken on a political level , were formative for many students . After retiring on May 1, 1979, he remained the university music director until April 1.

Since 1983 he has been a senior employee at the Institute for East German Music in Bergisch Gladbach . For almost 20 years he initiated and moderated the “Musical Evening Society” based on musicology in Bad Godesberg . The “Baroque Concerts of Old Danzig Music” were also performed in Munich and Hamburg in collaboration with Archimandrite Irenäus Wolfgang Totzke ; Public concerts were also performed several times in the Bad Godesberg mirror hall of the Museum of Art and Industry.

Franz Kessler had been married to Ilsetraut (née von Zelewski) since 1944 and they had three children together.

honors and awards

• 1985: Culture Prize of the City of Gdansk, for his research in the field of Gdansk musical culture
• 2001: St. Adalbert and Prince Msciwój II medal from the City Council of Gdansk. The highest award of the city, in "recognition of his services to the city of Gdansk and especially his commitment to popularizing Gdansk music".
• 2002: Honorary member of the Danzig Music Academy

Works (selection)

• (Ed.): Heinrich Schütz : Twelve sacred songs 1657. Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 1956.
• (Ed.): Crato Bütner : Indeed, he carried our illness cantata for bass, 2 violins and basso continuo . Hänssler, Stuttgart-Hohenheim 1966.
• Protestant church music in Danzig at the time of Johann Sebastian Bach. 1969.
• Danzig Church Music: Vocal Works from the 16th to 18th Century. Hänssler, Stuttgart-Hohenheim 1973.
• (Ed.): Thomas Strutius : O help, Christe, God's son: for 5stg. Choir SSATB u. Organ . Hänssler, Stuttgart-Hohenheim 1973.
• (Ed.): Paul Siefert : Sing a new song to the Lord: for four-part choir SSAM and organ. Hänssler, Stuttgart-Hohenheim 1973.
• Professional music of the 17th and 18th centuries in Gdansk. 1975.
• Danzig instrumental music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Hänssler, Stuttgart-Hohenheim 1979.
• Franz Kessler: programs, posters and reviews from his time in Erlangen as university music director 1959–1979. Erlangen 1980.
• Overview of the preserved organ music in Gdansk from the beginnings to our time. Kulturwerk Danzig, Düsseldorf 1985.
• with Lothar Hoffmann-inheritance law , Peter Brömse, Werner Schwarz, Helmut Scheunchen : The music of the Germans in Eastern Central Europe. Laumann-Verlag, Dülmen 1986–1989.
• (Ed.): Johann Balthasar Christian Freißlich : Eight choral movements for four voices and instruments. Laumann, Dülmen 1987.
• Gdansk organ music from the 16th to 18th centuries. Hänssler, Stuttgart-Hohenheim 1988.
• with Werner Schwarz, Helmut Scheunchen: Music history of Pomerania, West Prussia, East Prussia and the Baltic countries. Duelmen 1990.
• The music in Royal Prussia. Inst. Nordostdt. Kulturwerk, Lüneburg 1994.
• (Ed.): Kaspar Förster : Trio sonata in G major for 2 violins, viola da gamba (violoncello) and basso continuo. Gerig, Cologne 1984.
• Danzig hymn books 1586–1793. Institut Nordostdeutsches Kulturwerk, Lüneburg 1998.
• Christian religious chants: a Gdańsk hymn book from the Enlightenment period. NG Elwert Verlag, Marburg 2001.
• The Danzig Kapellmeisteramt. 2001.

literature

• Franz Kessler . In: The professors and lecturers at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen 1743–1960. Part 1: Faculty of Theology - Faculty of Law. Erlangen 1993, ISBN 3-922135-92-7 , p. 42 f.
• Franz Kessler . In: On the death of Dr. Franz Keßler . uni - mediendienst - aktuell No. 40/2007 of March 9, 2007.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Karl-Heinz Kluck: Protection of the cultural heritage of Danzig. In: Danzig - Bulletin of the Bund der Danziger e. V., No. 9 July 2016, accessed on 15 April 2020 .