Günther Becker (composer)

Günther Becker (born April 1, 1924 in Forbach , Black Forest , † January 24, 2007 in Bad Lippspringe ) was a German composer .

Life

Günther Becker was born on April 1, 1924 in Forbach . Presumably his father, who was an employee of the Baden factory, the regional electricity supplier, and was a member of a men's choir, gave him an early turn to music. At the age of 12 Becker wrote his first pieces, such as B. a no longer preserved minuet in B flat major.

After serving in the Second World War in Russia and Italy and being an American prisoner of war, Günther Becker, after initially studying music director with Gerhard Nestler at the Badische Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe (1946–1949), enjoyed private composition lessons with Wolfgang Fortner (starting in the winter of 1948 / 49), initially in the Villa Braunbehrens in the Kohlhof near Heidelberg . He later followed Fortner to the Northwest German Music Academy in Detmold , today's Detmold University of Music . There he studied composition with Fortner (until 1956) and choral conducting with Kurt Thomas (1953–1955). In 1955 Becker passed the exam in choral conducting, and in 1956 the exams for music theory and composition there.

After completing his studies, Becker went to Greece for twelve years (1956–1968) , where he a. a. Music educator of the then Crown Prince and later King Constantine II at the Greek National School Anavryta , a boarding school based on the principles of the Salem Castle School in a suburb of Athens. Later Becker taught at the Dörpfeld-Gymnasium in Athens and was music advisor and choir director of the Goethe Institute in Athens. Becker founded the studio of the Goethe Institute for New Music Athens. During this time he stayed connected to Germany, mainly through several lectureships at the International Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music (composition, instrumentation and live electronics).

1968 returned Becker after the military coup in Greece , where some of his friends and colleagues had been driven out of the country or arrested as a freelance composer to Germany, founded in 1969, the MHz written group "megahertz" and taught from 1973 to 1989 initially as a lecturer and then after a year (from 1974) as a professor for composition and live electronics - a novelty in the Federal Republic of Germany - at the Robert Schumann University of Music in Düsseldorf .

After completing his teaching duties in 1989, Becker worked as a freelance composer and lived for a few years in Düsseldorf before he moved his retirement home to Bad Lippspringe.

In 1965 , Günther Becker was appointed honorary member of the Greek section of the International Society for New Music (IGNM). From 1971–74, Günther Becker was President of the German section of the International Society for New Music. Two pieces by Becker, “Transformations” (1970) and “Tria paidiá Voliótika” (1980) were performed at the IGNM's World Music Festival, the Warsaw Autumn . In 1969 he received the Juventudes Musicales Madrid Prize .

As a composer, he created an extensive oeuvre that encompasses all types of music. The main works include stable-unstable (1965), Magnum Mysterium - Testimony to the Resurrection (1979/80), Night and Dream Songs (1964), Attitude (1972/73) and the Concerto for Electronically Modulated Oboe and Orchestra (1973). Records and CDs were released by Philips and Cybele. a. Published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Edition Zimmermann, Peters, Gerig and Gravis.

As a pedagogue, Becker soon gathered a large international crowd of students, like his teacher Fortner.

Works

• “Four Bagatelles” for piano for two hands, 1954 (Breitkopf & Härtel). World premiere (premiere) March 9, 1962 in Athens
• “Three Madrigals” for 3-part a cappella choir based on poems by George Forrestier, 1955
• “Missa Brevis” for 3-part a cappella choir, 1955
• “Drei Inventionen” for flute solo, 1957 (Edition Gamma). Premiere March 9, 1962 in Athens
• “Inventiones” - Exordium, Cantus, Variatio, Conclusio - (1959/60) for chamber ensemble, 18 players (Edition Gravis). Premiere August 28, 1999 Tonhalle Düsseldorf . Ensemble Notabu
• “Dialogos” for violoncello and piano, 1961. Premiere December 8, 2006 in Düsseldorf
• “Four Epigrams” for baritone and chamber ensemble, 1961 (Edition Peters). Premiere July 18, 1962 at the International Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt
• “Trio” for violin, viola and violoncello (1961). Premiere November 15, 2006 Düsseldorf
• “Game for nine” for chamber ensemble, 1962 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere April 1st, 1964 in Athens
• “Diaglyphs alpha-beta-gamma” for chamber orchestra, 1962 (Edition Peters). Commissioned by the Hessischer Rundfunk Frankfurt. Premiere July 24, 1963 at the International Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt
• “Con buen ayre”, Duplum for flute and guitar, 1962 (Edition Gamma). Premiere January 25, 1963 at Norddeutscher Rundfunk, broadcasting station in Hanover
• "I. String Quartet ”, 1963 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere July 17, 1964 by the Parrenin Quartet Paris at the International Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt
• “Night and Dream Songs” based on poems by Odysseas Elytis for mixed choir and orchestra, 1964 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere February 16, 1965 “das neue werk” by Norddeutscher Rundfunk Hamburg
• “Moirologi” for high female voice, clarinet in Eb, clarinet in Bb, bass clarinet in Bb and harp, 1964 (Edition Gamma). Premiere July 25, 1965 at the International Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt
• “Metathesis” for solo guitar, 1964. Premiere March 7, 1965 in Tokyo
• “Three phases” for piano for two hands, 1965 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere November 25, 1966 in the Studio for New Music in Munich
• “Stable - unstable” for large orchestra, 1965 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere October 28, 1966 "Music of the Times" by the West German Radio in Cologne
• “Correspondances I” for small clarinet in Eb, clarinet in Bb, bass clarinet in Bb, alto saxophone in Eb and chamber orchestra, 1966 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by Südwestfunk Baden-Baden. Premiere October 22, 1966 at the Days of Contemporary Music in Donaueschingen
• “Rigolo” for high voice, five instruments and tape, 1966 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the German Library in Rome. Premiere February 27, 1967 in Athens
• “Greece Suite” for voice and guitar, 1966
• "II. String Quartet ”, 1967 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the city of Darmstadt. Premiere August 31, 1967 by the Parrenin Quartet Paris at the International Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt
• “Three male choirs” based on Greek folk tunes, 1967
• “Greek Dance Suite” for plucked orchestra, 1967 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the Saarländischer Rundfunk Saarbrücken. Premiere August 29, 1967 in Saarbrücken
• "Serpentinata" for wind quintet, 1968 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by Radio Bremen. Premiere May 4th, 1968 "Musica nova" Radio Bremen by the Danzi Quintet , Amsterdam
• “Caprices concertants” for mandolin, mandola, guitar and plucked orchestra, 1968 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the Saarländischer Rundfunk Saarbrücken. Premiere May 18, 1969 in Hanover
• “Aphierosis” for violoncello and piano, 1968 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the Ford Foundation , USA. Premiere December 17, 1968 in Athens by Siegfried Palm , violoncello, and Aloys Kontarsky , piano
• “Correspondances II” for chamber ensemble, 1968/69 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Composition commission from what was then Yugoslavia. Premiere May 8, 1969 at the Zagreb Music Biennale
• “Meteoron” for electronically processed sounds, organ and percussion, 1969 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Composition commissioned by the Kantorei to St. Martin , Kassel. WP April 10, 1969 "3rd Week for Sacred Music of the Present ”in Kassel
• "Schnickschnack", audio vision for double bass with contact microphone and various modulation devices, four-channel tape, slide projectors and light environment, 1969 - withdrawn
• “Correspondances III” for electronically controlled string instruments, 1969 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere June 7th, 1968 “musica nova” by Bavarian Radio, broadcasting station in Nuremberg
• “Scanning” for brass quintet and two-channel tape, 1969/70 (Edition Gamma). Commissioned by the city of Witten / Ruhr. Premiere April 25, 1970 “ Witten Days for New Chamber Music ” in Witten by the American Brass Quintet , New York
• “Transformations” for orchestra, soloist ensemble with contact microphones, amplifiers, various sound generators and tape, 1970 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln. Premiere September 24, 1970 " Warsaw Autumn "
• “Study on a Chord” for piano for two hands, 1970 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Edited by Alfons Kontarsky . In: Pro Musica Nova. Studies in Playing New Music for Piano
• “Study on Aphierosis” for cello solo, 1970 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Edited by Siegfried Palm . In: Pro Musica Nova. Studies in playing new music for the violoncello
• "Hz", study for oboe with microphones, electrical modulation devices and loudspeakers, 1970 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Edited by Heinz Holliger . In: Pro Musica Nova. Studies in Playing New Music for Oboe
• “Disposition X”, acoustic-optical events for live electronic ensemble, dancer, projectors, films and environment, 1970 - withdrawn
• “Actions for Dancers”, a live electronic ballet, 1971 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the Städtische Bühnen Wuppertal. Premiere June 12, 1971 in Wuppertal as part of URBS 1971
• “Series 8” for live electronic soloist ensemble and tape, 1972 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere September 1, 1972 at the Munich Olympics
• “Apeiron” for ten choir groups with microphones and controls, live electronic ensemble and four-channel tape, 1972 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere September 26, 1972 “das neue werk” from the North German Broadcasting Corporation in Hamburg
• "Four songs" based on poems by Bertolt Brecht for baritone and piano, 1972 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere January 10, 1973 “Studio for New Music”, Munich
• “Attitude” for orchestra, 1972/73 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the city of Bonn. Premiere June 4th 1973 Beethovenhalle in Bonn
• “Con buen ayre”, version for oboe and guitar, 1973 (Edition Gamma). Premiere October 1973 Villa Hügel in Essen
• “Ferrophonie” for electronically modulated steel sounds, 1973 (self-published). Composition order from Klöckner-Werke AG, Duisburg, for the 1973 industrial fair in Hanover. Premiere April 26, 1973 in Hanover
• "Paraphrase". Version of “Correspondances II” for solo guitar and string quartet, 1973 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere September 13, 1981 in Ingolstadt
• “Mikrografien” for two-handed piano, 1973 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Edited by Rudolf Lück . In: "New German Piano Music, BRD"
• “Concerto for electronically modulated oboe and orchestra”, 1973 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere April 5, 1974 “musica viva” by Bavarian Radio Munich
• “À la mémoire de Josquin” for organ solo, 1974 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Composition commissioned by the Kantorei to St. Martin , Kassel. WP April 3, 1975 “6. Week for Sacred Music of the Present ”in Kassel
• “Anklänge” for flute, violin, violoncello, piano / celesta and percussion, 1975 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere November 14, 1975 in Detmold
• "Passages" for speech sounds, keyboard instruments, drums and electronic modulation devices, 1975/76 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln. Premiere June 13th, 1976 "Musik der Zeit" by Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln
• “Epiklesis Alpha” for chamber ensemble and two-channel tape, 1976. Premiere January 16, 1977 “musica viva” by Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich
• “Divertissements” for guitar solo, 1977 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere February 21, 1977 “Studio for New Music”, Münster / Westphalia
• “Tricinia” for flute (piccolo), oboe (English horn) and clarinet (bass clarinet), 1977/78 (Edition Gamma). Premiere November 7, 1978 in the “three x new” series, Düsseldorf
• "Con buen ayre", Duplum for 2 guitars, 1978 (Edition Gamma)
• “Their wickedness will turn the whole earth into a desert” ( Book of Wisdom 5:23). Sacred concert in four parts for speaker, alto voice, mixed choir, organ, instrumental ensemble and tape, 1978 (Breitkopf & Härtel). WP February 14, 1979 at the Robert Schumann Institute in Düsseldorf
• from it a single edition "Three Little Organ Pieces", Meditation I, Litany, Meditation II (Breitkopf & Härtel)
• "From Alpbach's grove and corridor", electronic study on Geradflügler, 1978
• "Fragments from 'Hymnen an die Nacht'" by Novalis for contratenor , tenor and bass baritone, 1979 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere May 30, 1979, Radio Basel / Switzerland
• “Magnum Mysterium - Witness Statements on the Resurrection” for speakers, mixed choir, favorit choir, organ, wood and brass, percussion and tape, 1978/79 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland. Premiere May 4, 1980 Johanneskirche Düsseldorf
• “Tria paidiá Voliótika” for clarinet, violoncello, trombone and piano, 1980 (Breitkopf & Härtel): premiered September 23, 1980 Festival “Warsaw Autumn”
• "Quasi una fantasmagoria". Scenes based on Robert Schumann's “Sphinxes” for wind sextet, 1980 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker . Premiere May 4, 1981, Tonhalle Düsseldorf
• “Berlin - The Symphony of the Big City”, adaptation of Edmund Meisel's film music from 1927 for 2 pianos and percussion, 1980 (Ries & Erler). Premiere Berlinale 1982
• “Ariosi” for oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, vibraphone and marimba, 1982 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Composition commission "Days of New Music Hannover eV" and "Musical Youth eV Hannover". WP January 26, 1983 “25. Days of New Music ”, Hanover
• “Parenthesen”, studies on pure-tone microintervals for string sextets, 1982 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere April 5, 1983 “Studio Neue Musik”, Berlin
• “Linie, Zirkel, Kreis” for five solo voices, 1982/83 based on poems by Kurt Marti (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere April 27, 1984 by the Collegium Vocale Cologne at "Witten Days for New Chamber Music"
• "Un poco giocoso". Concert scenes for bass tuba and chamber ensemble, 1983 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the city of Witten / Ruhr. WP April 27, 1984 "Witten Days for New Chamber Music"
• “Double Levels” for violin and viola, 1984/85 (Breitkopf & Härtel). WP November 9, 1985 III. German Violist Day, Düsseldorf
• "Reverenz 1985", music to Heinrich Heine for two players, 1985 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere September 8, 1985 Kunstpalast Düsseldorf on the occasion of the traveling exhibition "Heinrich Heine from the point of view of Dutch and German artists"
• “Reflexe” for viola solo, 1986 (Breitkopf & Härtel). WP April 5, 1986 Amsterdam "International Viola Week"
• “Stravaganza” for violin solo, 1986 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere May 20, 1987 in the 16th cycle “Drei x neu”, Düsseldorf
• “Zeitspuren” for two pianos, 1987/88 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere May 21, 1988 Neanderkirche Düsseldorf " Rheinisches Musikfest des WDR 1988"
• “Hommage à Joseph Haydn ”, III. String quartet with obbligato flexaphone, 1988 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere May 28, 1988 Tonhalle Düsseldorf
• "Trivalent" for viola, violoncello and double bass, 1988 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere November 9, 1988 in Cincinnati (USA)
• “Apochairetismós” for speaking voice, trumpet and trombone based on texts by Francisco Tanzer , 1988 (Breitkopf & Härtel). WP April 22, 1989 "Witten Days for New Chamber Music"
• “Hard Times”, multisounds for bassoon solo and 17 instruments, 1989/90 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Premiere January 19, 1990 Tonhalle Düsseldorf. For Isang Yun
• "Over de Aarde en over de Haat" (From the earth and from hatred) for countertenor, bass clarinet and percussion, 1990 (Breitkopf & Härtel). Commissioned by the Dutch art historian Willem van Lieshout based on a text by Ter Bakst . Premiere December 30, 1990 in Nijmegen / Netherlands
• “Oh, Mr. Dolby, what a terrible noise”, for bass clarinet and computer-controlled tape, 1991 (Breitkopf & Härtel). WP May 27, 1991 by the Dutch bass clarinetist Harry Sparnaay
• “Psychogramme” for trombone, keyboard accordion and percussion, 1992 (Edition Gravis). Commissioned by the city of Düsseldorf. Premiere November 21, 1992 in the Ibach-Saal Düsseldorf. Recording of the WDR
• “In Modo Greco”, concertante scenes for guitar solo and plucked orchestra, 1992 (Edition Gravis). Commissioned by the Bundeszupforchester. Premiere May 13, 1994 in Markneukirchen at the annual conference of European plucked orchestras by the Hessian plucked orchestra, soloist Michael Tröster, instrumentation: mandolins I, mandolins II, mandoles, guitars, pizzicato double basses
• "Interpolations" for organ, 1993 (Gravis edition). First October 1993 by Werner Jacob, Sebalduskirche Nürnberg. Recording by Bavarian Radio, Studio Franken
• "Back then ... after the horror", reflections by a contemporary witness for speakers and a larger chamber ensemble, based on texts by Wolfgang Borchert , Erich Kästner and Kurt Tucholsky . Also own texts. 1994/95 (Edition Gravis). Premiere March 29, 1995 Tonhalle Düsseldorf. An anti-war composition
• “Dedication” for bass clarinet and vibraphone, 1995 (Edition Gravis). Dedicated to DUO contemporain , Rotterdam. WP July 4th 1997 in Port Darwin (Australia)
• “Sentiments” for alto saxophone in Eb, cello and piano, 1997 (Edition Gravis). Premiere October 12, 1997 at the “Niederrheinischer Herbst” festival in Wesel. The third sentence could only be written after a week in the hospital. Premiere of the final version on November 18, 1998 in the Hentrich Hall of the Tonhalle Düsseldorf by the Notabu Ensemble , directed by Mark-Andreas Schlingensiepen
• "Four Studies" for guitar solo, 1999
• “Once upon a time” for bass clarinet in Bb, 2000 (Edition Gravis). Premiere November 18, 2000 in Tutui / São Paulo (Brazil), soloist Henrik Bok, Rotterdam
• “Schwebende Welten”, six pieces for mixed choir a cappella, based on poems by Rose Ausländer , 2002/03 (Edition Gravis). Premiere March 28, 2004, Matthäuskirche in Berlin, Ars-Nova-Chor Berlin, conducted by Peter Schwarz
• “Im Schallraum” for solo chamber ensemble with 21 players, 2004 (Edition Gravis). Premiere April 28, 2004 Tonhalle Düsseldorf by Ensemble Notabu , directed by Mark-Andreas Schlingensiepen

literature

• Ursula Stürzbecher: workshop discussions with composers . Gerig, Cologne 1971.
• Günther Becker: “ By the way ...” Texts on music 1954-2004 , edited by Stefan Fricke and Michael Schwiertzy, Volume 9.1 of the source texts on the music of the 20th / 21st century. Century, Pfau-Verlag, Saarbrücken 2004.
• Jutta Scholl (Ed.): The composer Günther Becker . Music library d. Düsseldorf City Libraries, Düsseldorf 1989. [Catalog of works, discography a. Bibliography pp. 63–86]

Web links

• Works by and about Günther Becker in the catalog of the German National Library
• Audio sample
• Günther Becker archive in the archive of the Academy of Arts, Berlin