Gerd Witte

Gerd Witte (born June 14, 1927 in Berlin ; † December 7, 2015 in Trossingen ) was a German church musician , composer and university professor .

Life

Gerd Witte received his first training as an organ player from 1945 with Ludwig Doormann in Göttingen , at the same time he completed music history studies with Rudolf Gerber . It was followed by a study of church music at the church music school Berlin-Spandau at Herbert Schulze and Ernst Pepping . Witte finished his studies in 1950 at the Stuttgart University of Music, which was relocated to Trossingen, with Herbert Liedecke and Helmut Degen . In the same year he became cantor and organist at the Martin Luther Church in Trossingen. In addition, he worked from 1958 to 1971 as a teacher for organ playing at the church music school of the Württemberg regional church in Esslingen am Neckar . In 1971 Witte received a professorship for organ playing and Protestant church music at the Trossingen University of Music . In 1981 he resigned from the office of cantor in Trossingen. In addition to his professorship, from 1985 Witte held the office of organist at the St. Georg Church in Stein am Rhein . In 1991 he was retired as a professor.

The choir of the Martin Luther Church in Trossingen made a number of recordings under Gerd Witte's direction. As an organ player, Witte came out with numerous radio recordings and some records and CDs. He wrote a large number of compositions for organ and for choir , most of which are intended for practical use in Protestant worship . Some of the compositions were published by Carus-Verlag .

Student (selection)

• Hans-Peter Braun
• Christian-Markus Raiser

Works

• “Christ, you are light and day to us”, chorale partita for organ
• "How beautifully does the morning star shine" Partita for positive or organ (Schaffhauser Organistenverband OVS 01001)
• Several organ compositions in: Playing the organ with hand and foot, ed. by Hans-Peter Braun (Strube Verlag VS3317)
• Chimes for organ and piano
• Toccata for organ positive and harpsichord (Carus CV 18.198 / 00)
• Choral preludes for organ (Carus CV 18.197 / 00)
• Six psalms for solo voices and organ (Carus CV 40.770 / 00)
• "Alone to you, Lord Jesus Christ", motet for choir a cappella (Carus CV 07.105 / 00)
• Nativity songs, for choir and instruments (Carus CV 07.337 / 00)
• "I want to go to my father", for a cappella choir, in: Choral movements for the Evangelical Hymnbook (Carus CV 90.100 / 00)
• "Because God appeared in the dead of night", for a cappella choir, in: Choral movements for the Evangelical Hymnbook (Carus CV 90.100 / 00)
• Meditation on Holy Saturday, for choir and organ (Carus CV 10.235 / 00)
• "Sing to the Lord a new song", Psalm 98 for a cappella choir (Carus CV 07.014 / 00)
• The rice field, songs from all over the world for young voices (Carus CV 12.320 / 00)
• 7 canonical sentences about old Christmas tunes for treble recorder, 2 Vl and Vc (Moeck ZFS248)
• Miniatures to the Christmas story for recorder (Moeck ZFS295)

Books and essays

• On Ernst Pepping's Psalmics. In: Musik und Kirche, 25, 1955, p. 58.
• Floor plan of a choral voice training. Bärenreiter Kassel 1963.
• The music between churchgoers and musicians. In: Musik und Kirche, 35, 1965, p. 283.
• The Christmas story of Luke in the version by Ernst Pepping. In: Festschrift Ernst Pepping, 1971, p. 84.
• Methodical approaches in improvisation lessons. In: Musica sacra, 95, 1975, p. 341.
• Frank Michael Beyer . Game and example - Josquin-Glosadas. In: Musik und Kirche, 53, 1983, pp. 287–290.
• «Who knows how close my end is to me»: an organ partita by Ernst Pepping. In: Pepping Studies 1, 1996, pp. 135-146

Published recordings

Records:

• 1971: Helmut Degen : Easter Oratorio 1942/43 . Choir of the Martin Luther Church Trossingen, Chamber Choir of the State University for Music Education Trossingen, conductor: Gerd Witte. corona SM 30031
• 1972: Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach : The raising of Lazarus, The childhood of Jesus. Soloists, Soloists' Association Trossingen, Trossingen choir community, choir of the Martin Luther Church Trossingen, conductor: Gerd Witte. corona SM 30 0566/57/58
• 1972: Music for organ, harpsichord, piano. Gerd Witte, organ; Arwed Henking, harpsichord, Hermann Maihöfer, piano. audite MAS 51001
• 1974: Music II for organ, harpsichord, piano. Gerd Witte, organ; Arwed Henking, harpsichord, Hermann Maihöfer, piano. audite FSM 53188 aud
• 1978: organ concert. Organists at organs in southern Württemberg. Recordings by the Südwestfunk Landesstudio Tübingen. Gerd Witte (and others) organ. SWF Tü-OK 1978
• 1979/1980: Johann Nepomuk David : Motets of Death and Eternity. Choir of the Martin Luther Church Trossingen, headed by Gerd Witte. audite FSM 53405 aud

CDs:

• 1989: Baroque organ in Sitzberg 1869-1897 in Stein am Rhein. Gerd Witte, organ. Recording studio Mauermann Ostfildern (Ruit), Copyright Kirchgemeinde Stein am Rhein-Hemishofen
• 1992: The new Metzler organ in the town church of St. Georg Stein am Rhein. Gerd Witte, organ. Recording studio Mauermann Ostfildern (Ruit), Copyright Kirchgemeinde Stein am Rhein-Hemishofen
• 1994: Johann Sebastian Bach in the town church Stein am Rhein. Gerd Witte, organ (and other musicians). Recording studio Mauermann Ostfildern (Ruit), Copyright Kirchgemeinde Stein am Rhein-Hemishofen.

literature

• 75 years choir of the Martin Luther Church in Trossingen . Evang. Parish, Trossingen 1989.
• Booklet for: The new Metzler organ in the town church of St. Georg Stein am Rhein. CD recorded by Gerd Witte. Stein am Rhein-Hemishofen parish, Stein am Rhein 1992.

Web links

• Literature by and about Gerd Witte in the catalog of the German National Library

Notes and individual references

1. ↑ recorded by Gerd Witte on the CD: Baroque organ in Sitzberg, 1869–1897 in Stein am Rhein. Stein am Rhein-Hemishofen parish, Stein am Rhein 1990.
2. ↑ recorded in 1972 by Gerd Witte and Hermann Maihöfer on the record: music for organ, harpsichord and piano. Audit MAS 51001