Friedrich Leinert

Friedrich Otto Leinert (born May 10, 1908 in Opole ; † May 6, 1975 in Emmendingen ) was a German composer and musicologist.

Life

Leinert received his musical training in Dresden (conducting with Fritz Busch ). He then completed a university course in Marburg / Lahn in the subjects of musicology, Romance studies and history. He received his doctorate as Dr. phil. with a musicological thesis on Johann Evangelist Brandl as a song and chamber music composer . The paper was written in the music-scientific seminar of the Philipps-Universität Marburg / Lahn under the guidance of Prof. Hermann Stephani and Dr. Herbert Birtner and was accepted as a dissertation by the Philosophical Faculty in 1936.

In 1931 Leinert went to Berlin for a year as a private student of Arnold Schönberg . Until 1944 he worked as a composer and conductor at various theaters, including in Gotha , Weimar and Eisenach . After the war, Leinert founded the Marburger Schauspielgemeinschaft together with Lothar Brixius, Ina Köhler and Walter Leinweber (first premiere: September 2, 1945 in the Philippshaus of the university). Today's Hessian State Theater Marburg was formed from this syndicate .

His main job at that time was the church music director at St. Marien in Marburg / Lahn; he founded a symphony orchestra that gave highly regarded concerts in the Hesse region . From 1954 he headed the music department of the Amerika-Haus in Hanover . From 1957 he worked as a lecturer and professor at the State University for Music and Theater in Hanover for music theory, figured bass, score playing, opera dramaturgy and ballet history. He was also a guest lecturer at the Folkwang University in Essen .

He composed several operas and chamber operas, partly on the libretti of his son Michael Leinert ("Status quo", "One note after the other" - premiered in Hanover, and "AH - Pictures from a Führerleben", premiered at the Gelsenkirchen Music Theater), two full-length operas, nine symphonies and numerous chamber music works, songs and organ works. Until recently he worked on the planned opera project Henri Quatre after Heinrich Mann . The interpreters of his works included the Tatrai Quartet , Budapest , the Marcel Mule saxophone quartet , Paris and soloists of the symphony orchestra of the North German Radio Hamburg and Hanover . These broadcasters produced almost all of his symphonies, including the 3rd symphony “In memoriam” on May 31, 1965 (original broadcast), which is dedicated to Paul Hindemith .

His compositional work is u. a. shaped by the sound sensitivity of French music ( Debussy , Fauré , Ravel ) and rhythmic elements of jazz. Leinert was one of the first musicians to deal with the musical development of jazz and American music - both in theory and in practice. In many cities in Germany he gave lectures on the history and development of jazz .

The director Erwin Piscator worked with Leinert as a stage music composer at the Marburger Schauspiel ( Büchner's Dantons death , 1952). He was also co-editor of a selection of the works by Louis Spohr in Bärenreiter-Verlag .

He had friendly connections with composers such as Ernst Krenek , Karl Amadeus Hartmann , Werner Egk and Leonard Bernstein . As a conductor, after the war, he mainly campaigned for American music to become known in Germany: for Roy Harris (3rd symphony) and the romantic Edward MacDowell (piano concerto No. 2), for Charles Ives and Aaron Copland . These American composers also had an influence on his compositional work. Constructivism in music was not his thing - the form must always be subordinate to inspiration, was his compositional maxim.

Together with Klaus Bernbacher and Klaus Hashagen , Leinert was committed to new music in West Germany in the 1960s (foundation of the Studio for New Music in Hanover). As a teacher, Leinert was extremely valued by his students and colleagues because of his extensive knowledge. The orchestra musicians loved his technical competence and his subtle sense of humor. It is not uncommon to find passages in his compositions that contain surprising solos for the “second consoles”: the results of friendly disputes over “groups of instruments that have not been adequately considered”.

Leinert was married to the singer Agathe Wenzlaff and has three children: the director, artistic director and author Michael Leinert, the ballet soloist and dance teacher Ulrike Lerchbaumer, the musician and music producer Friedemann Leinert.

He was the first winner of the “Friedrich Kuhlau” composition competition.

Catalog of works (selection)

1. Johann Evangelist Brandl (1760–1837) as songwriter and chamber music composer (dissertation) Verlag für Musikische Kultur und Wissenschaft, Wolfenbüttel 1937. The treatise was written in the musicological seminar of the Philipps University of Marburg / Lahn under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hermann Stephani and Dr. Herbert Birtner and was accepted as a dissertation by the Philosophical Faculty in 1936.

2. Die Wunderkur (1956) cheerful chamber cantata after Christian Fürchtegott Gellert for soprano, tenor, bass, three woodwinds (ob., Kl., Fag.), String trio (vl., Vla., Vc.), Piano a. Drums. First performance: February 3, 1957 NDR Funkhaus Hannover under the musical direction of the composer

3. Scherz, List und Rache (1952) comic opera in two acts after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe for coloratura soprano, tenor and bass baritone - chamber orchestra. First performance: March 6, 1961 Hanover University of Music and Theater . Musical director: Gottfried Weisse - production: Opera director Reinhard Lehmann

4. Spiel im Park (1962) Comical opera based on Fredo and Rostand in 3 pictures (2 acts), libretto by the composer. Full evening - 17 singers, large orchestra a. Incidental music, dancers

5. Status quo (1970) Chamber opera in one act based on a libretto by Michael Leinert . For four singers (youth dramatic soprano, lyrical soprano, tenor, baritone) and chamber orchestra. World premiere: June 30, 1971 Hanover University of Music and Theater. Musical director: Carl Gorvin - production: Willi Stari. - See also Neue Hannoversche Presse , July 2, 1971

6. One note after the other (1973) Musical farce in one picture, libretto: Michael Leinert - commissioned work for the opening of the new building of the Hanover University of Music and Theater. World premiere: November 12, 1973 - musical direction: Carl Gorvin - production: Günter Roth - see also the opera magazine Opernwelt 1/1974

7. AH - Pictures from a Führerleben (1973) Chamber opera based on a series of scenes by Michael Leinert, for chamber orchestra, six singers, choir. World premiere: February 27, 1974 commissioned by the Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen - see Die Welt , March 2, 1974

Nine symphonies (including several performances with the then Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester Hannover, today's NDR Radio Philharmonie, under the conductors Heinz Rockstroh, Klaus Bernbacher, Carl Gorvin, Willy Steiner and others). Concerts for percussion and orchestra, two oboe concerts, one flute concerto, several of which were commissioned by Norddeutscher Rundfunk.

Chamber music works u. a. six string quartets, string trios,

Lieder (published inter alia in Silesia cantat , volume 11; A. Laumannsche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Dülmen 1975).

Sonatas for various instruments and piano. Five Organ Sonatas / First Sonata f. Organ (1950) Breitkopf Edition No. 5979 Sonata f. Alto saxophone u. Piano (1952) Breitkopf & Härtel Wiesbaden - Breitkopf Edition No. 6236.

Incidental music a . a. on Erwin Piscator's productions of Friedrich Schiller's Die Räuber , Heinrich von Kleist's Prince Friedrich von Homburg and Georg Büchner's Danton's death .

Editor of individual works by Louis Spohr at Bärenreiter-Verlag , Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe.

Author of numerous professional articles, a. a. via Louis Spohr, Moritz Hauptmann, Otto Kraushaar.

Pictures of life from Kurhessen and Waldeck 1830–1930. Edited by Ingeborg Schnack. Fifth volume. Marburg a. L. 1955. [Dr. Friedrich Leinert: Spohr, Louis, Tonkünstler. Pp. 371-378] Sixth Volume. Marburg a. L. 1958. [Dr. Friedrich Leinert: Captain, Moritz, Tonkünstler. Pp. 121–127 - Dr. Friedrich Leinert: Kraushaar, Otto, composer and music critic. Pp. 208–210]

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personal data
SURNAME	Leinert, Friedrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Leinert, Friedrich Otto (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German composer and musicologist
DATE OF BIRTH	May 10, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH	Opole
DATE OF DEATH	May 6, 1975
Place of death	Emmendingen