Fritz Geißler (composer)
Fritz Geißler (born September 16, 1921 in Wurzen ; † January 11, 1984 in Bad Saarow ) was a German composer and violist . As the composer of 11 symphonies, he is considered one of the most important symphonic composers in the GDR .
Life
Fritz Geißler came from a modest background, his father was a bricklayer. He received violin lessons at an early age and, after breaking off his apprenticeship, performed as a musician in Leipzig coffee houses.
In 1940 he was drafted for military service in the Wehrmacht . He was at a Luftwaffe - Musikkorps on Guernsey stationed. In 1945 he was taken prisoner by the English , where he distinguished himself as a violinist.
He was released in 1948 and studied composition and viola with Max Dehnert , Arnold Matz and Wilhelm Weismann at the Leipzig University of Music until 1950 . After working as a violist at the Landessinfonieorchester Gotha , he studied composition again with Boris Blacher and Hermann Wunsch at the Berlin-Charlottenburg University of Music .
From 1954 to 1978 Geißler was a lecturer at the University of Leipzig and later professor for composition at the music academies in Leipzig and Dresden . His students include Peter Herrmann , Wilfried Krätzschmar , Reinhard Pfundt , Johannes Reiche , Thomas Reuter , Friedrich Schenker , Karl Ottomar Treibmann , Lothar Voigtländer and Günther Witschurke .
From 1956 to 1968 he was chairman of the composers' association in Leipzig and from 1972 to 1984 vice-president of the association of composers and musicologists of the GDR as well as a member of the Academy of Arts of the GDR .
Awards
- City of Leipzig Art Prize (1960)
- Art Prize of the GDR (1963)
- National Prize of the GDR III. Art and Literature Class (1970)
- Art Prize of the FDGB (1973)
- Art Prize of the FDGB (1980)
plant
The composer's estate amounts to approx. 140 works: 11 symphonies, solo concertos for flute, violin, cello, piano and organ, 4 operas ( Der Schatten , Der Verrückte Jourdain , Der zerbochene Krug and Das Chagrinleder ), ballets, oratorios, cantatas and chamber music.
Quotes
"With his eleven unconventional symphonies, charming chamber music and provocative aesthetics, the composer regularly ensured fruitful debates and innovative impulses in the music of the GDR in a creative, productive and versatile manner."
literature
- Eberhard Kneipel: Fritz Geissler . In: Dietrich Brennecke, Hannelore Gerlach, Mathias Hansen (eds.): Musicians in our time. Members of the music section of the GDR Academy of the Arts . Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1979, p. 253 ff.
Web links
- Works by and about Fritz Geißler in the catalog of the German National Library
- Compositions by Fritz Geißler in the archive of contemporary composers of the Saxon State Library - Dresden State and University Library
- Fritz Geißler Society , including a list of works, discography
- Always build something in the sand. Conversation with Arila Siegert about the Broken Jug
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Geissler, Fritz |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 16, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Spice up |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 11, 1984 |
| Place of death | Bad Saarow |