Gustav Schreck

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Gustav Schreck, around 1900

Gustav Ernst Schreck (born September 8, 1849 in Zeulenroda , Principality of Reuss older line ; † January 22, 1918 in Leipzig , Kingdom of Saxony ) was a German music educator, composer and Thomaskantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig from 1893 to 1918.

Life

Schreck was born in 1849 as the son of a stocking weaver - a common profession at the time in this region of the Vogtland. The children also sat at the knitting chair and contributed to the family's upkeep. The monotonous activity was loosened up in Schreck's parents' house by singing at work. The musical abilities of the child Gustav were encouraged through piano lessons at an early age. From 1863 to 1867 he attended the teachers' college in Greiz and became prefect of the school choir under Music Director Urban. After completing his training, he temporarily worked as a village school teacher in Gommla and Remptendorf , but in 1868 he moved to Leipzig to study music at the Conservatory in Leipzig , among others with the Thomaskantor Ernst Friedrich Richter . In 1870 the 21-year-old followed his brother to Vyborg in Finland and taught there as a music teacher for four years at the German grammar school. Married to the poet Emmy Krohn, he returned to Leipzig in 1874 as a freelance composer and musician.

He composed chamber music and individual choral movements. During this time two oratorios were written: King Fjalar (originally by Johan Ludvig Runeberg ) and Christ, the Risen One , for which his wife wrote the texts. The premieres in the Gewandhaus were greeted with roaring applause. In 1887 he was appointed to teach theory and composition at the conservatory founded by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy , where he became a professor in 1898 and worked until his retirement in 1917.

In May 1892, Thomaskantor Wilhelm Rust died and the position was looked after for a year by the external music teacher, Bernhard Friedrich Richter, a son of the former incumbent, until Gustav Schreck was chosen, which was introduced on April 17, 1893. He was aware of the responsibility that this "first cantor position in the world" meant. He carried out the set tasks with great conscientiousness; his pedagogical skills, his great theoretical knowledge and knowledge of the Leipzig music scene were ideal prerequisites.

The working conditions for the Thomaner were exemplary after the move to the new school (1877) and alumni (1881). At the same time, his peer Emil Jungmann was the headmaster of the school, an educated new humanist who was open to music and who advocated a wide range of activities for his students.

The church music tasks in the Thomas and Nikolaikirche were increasingly filled with works by Johann Sebastian Bach and other former Thomaskantors. Gustav Schreck began a series of choir books and on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the Thomas School in 1912, a concert was organized exclusively with works by the Thomaskantors from Georg Rhau to Schreck. The choir's area of ​​responsibility was expanded, it took part in the Gewandhaus concerts with choral symphonic works, and the New Year's concerts with the St. Thomas Boys became the annual highlight of the Gewandhaus season.

In 1897 he wrote a four-part choral version of the Christmas carol Silent Night, Holy Night , which the St. Thomas ' Choir and most mixed choirs still use today.

The artistic quality of the performances under Schreck's direction increased - his work was recognized, among other things, by the title of professor (1898) and an honorary doctorate (1909) from Leipzig University. Gustav Schreck dedicated the motet Der Herr ist mein Hirte to Rector Jungmann for the 25th anniversary of his service (1906). The cantatas for the 500th anniversary of the university (1909) and the 700th anniversary of the Schola Thomana were honorable commissions that document his appreciation. The texts of the cantatas again came from his wife, who also integrated herself into the man's work by painting portraits of former Thomas cantors, which can still be seen today in the rehearsal room of the Thomas Alumnate.

Gustav Schreck's grave

As Thomaskantor, Schreck was not content with replacing historical instruments; he arranged for the oboe d'amore , clarin trumpets and other instruments of the Bach orchestra to be purchased or reproduced . He dared to play the cantatas in their entirety, taking up the practice of his predecessor and Bach researcher Rust to cast the solo parts in soprano and alto with St. Thomas.

Gustav Schreck was a founding member of the New Bach Society in 1900 . The Bach festivals of this society take place with regular participation of the Thomaner up to the present day.

In 1887, Schreck became a teacher of composition and music theory at the Leipzig Conservatory before he succeeded Wilhelm Rust in 1893 and was appointed Thomas Cantor. He carried out this office until his death. From 1901 Schreck was secretary of the New Bach Society founded the year before . In 1909 he wrote the cantata for the 500th anniversary of the university. He also appeared as an arranger of folk songs for the folk song book for male choir published in 1906 ("Kaiserliederbuch").

Under his direction, the St. Thomas' Choir no longer only performed in the St. Thomas and St. Nicholas Churches in Leipzig , but increasingly also in concerts in the Leipzig Gewandhaus .

In his works, contrapuntal technique and vocal lead dominate. Schreck largely kept himself free from the influences of Wagner and later Reger .

He was a first class knight of the Albrecht Order . Schreck died on January 22nd, 1918 at the age of 68 in Leipzig. He was buried in the Leipzig South Cemetery (IV. Department).

Works (selection)

Oratorios

  • King Fjalar
  • Christ the Risen One
  • The thirteenth psalm. Lord, oh Lord, how long!
    • I. Lawsuit. Lord, how long will you even forget mine?
    • II. Please. Light up my eyes
    • III Confidence, but I hope so
  • The twenty-third psalm. The Lord is my Shepherd for alto solo and seven-part choir
  • Lord have mercy on me. based on words from the 25th Psalm for solo voices and four-part choir
  • Comfort us, God, our Savior ( Psalm 85, verses 5–8 ) for solo quartet and four-part choir.
  • How should I receive you. Advent motets
  • God with us. In God's name we travel for a four to five-part choir.
  • The day is waning. for seven-part choir

Chamber music

  • Sonata op.9 for bassoon and piano
  • Sonata op.13 for oboe and piano

literature

  • Ulrich Zimmer (Ed.): Gustav Schreck: Lied-Motets and Psalms. Choir archive. Music by the Thomaskantors in Leipzig. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1993, BA6941.
  • Martin Petzoldt (ed.): St. Thomas in Leipzig . Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2000, ISBN 3-374-01842-4 .

Documents

Letters from Gustav Schreck are in the holdings of the Leipzig music publisher CFPeters in the Leipzig State Archives .

See also

Web links

Commons : Gustav Schreck  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ursula Brekle: Silent Night ... and Leipzig. In: Leipzig reading. Retrieved November 10, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Silent Night. (pdf; 166 kB) In: Carus-Verlag. November 5, 2013, accessed November 10, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Gottlieb Tesmer, Walther Müller: Honor roll of the Thomas School in Leipzig. The teachers and high school graduates of the Thomas School in Leipzig 1912–1932. Commissioned by the Thomanerbund, self-published, Leipzig 1934, p. 17.
personal data
SURNAME Fright, Gustav
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schreck, Gustav Ernst (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German music teacher, composer and choir director
DATE OF BIRTH September 8, 1849
PLACE OF BIRTH Zeulenroda , Principality of Reuss older line
DATE OF DEATH January 22, 1918
Place of death Leipzig , Kingdom of Saxony , German Empire