Heinrich Konietzny

Heinrich Josef Konietzny, 1954

Heinrich Josef Konietzny (born May 7, 1910 in Gleiwitz , † April 23, 1983 in Saarbrücken-Dudweiler ) was a German musician , university professor and composer .

Life

Heinrich Konietzny was born the son of a Silesian-Prussian officer and socialist mayor. He gained his first musical experiences in early childhood on the mandolin , singing and with percussion instruments . At the age of nine he came to the Konvikt in Bad Ziegenhals as a student , where he worked as a choir boy and also received his first systematic music theory lessons. From the age of eight Konietzny received violin lessons. In Berlin he studied composition with Paul Hindemith . In 1936 he became a bassoonist in the orchestra of the Reichsender Saarbrücken . In 1947 he was appointed to the Saarbrücken Conservatory (today Saar University of Music ) as a lecturer in the master class for composition, instrumentation and chamber music. He wrote six symphonies and numerous radio plays, television and film music as well as compositions for plucked instruments , in which he developed new possibilities of sound and expression. The documentary film "New Music - Heinrich Konietzny" ( Saarländischer Rundfunk ), which was made under the direction of Manfred Heikaus at the end of the 1960s, gives an insight into the composer's work.

Musician

Konietzny received his first violin lessons in 1918. At the age of seventeen he became concertmaster in the spa orchestra in Bad Kudowa . In 1929 Konietzny became concertmaster of the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra. A fracture of his left hand after an accident ended his career as a violinist in 1930. In May 1931 he began studying the bassoon on the advice of Hindemith . In the years 1933 to 1936 Konietzny had several orchestral positions as a bassoonist. From 1936 to 1939 he was principal bassoonist for what was then the Reichsender Saarbrücken. From 1939 to 1945 he had to do military service. In 1946 Konietzny became principal bassoonist in the Saarland Radio Symphony Orchestra . He held this position until 1964.

At the same time as his orchestra position he was leading a woodwind ensemble of the symphony orchestra.

composer

From 1931 Konietzny studied composition with Paul Hindemith at the Berlin State Music Academy. In 1934 he met Hugo Distler , who strongly influenced his compositional style. The work of Alban Berg also had a major impact on Konietzny's work. From 1949 to 1975 Heinrich Konietzny was a resident composer and lecturer for Saarland Radio.

His oeuvre is very extensive (an estimated 500 to 600 works), widely differentiated and has been performed internationally in some cases: six symphonies , one percussion symphony , several string quartets , 25 instrumental concerts, chamber music for a variety of different ensembles, ballets , over 300 film and radio plays , as well as over 200 songs and cantatas. Konietzny also wrote the lyrics for several songs.

In addition, numerous compositions for amateur musicians: works for accordion, wind instruments and around 40 compositions for plucked instruments .

A complete catalog of works does not yet exist. Konietzny categorically did not add opus numbers to his compositions. Many autographs are missing. Therefore only rough estimates of the total scope of his work are possible. 42 Konietzny autographs are stored alongside other parts of his estate in the Saarbrücken state archive .

Konietzny's works have been published by the following publishers, among others: Bärenreiter, Boosy & Hawkes, Edition Modern, Gering, Junne, Köbl, Piwa & Wolf, Sandvoss, Simrock, Schott, Trekel, Vogt & Fritz, Wunn, Zimmermann.

Conductors of the premieres of Konietzny works were

• Rudolf Michl
• Philipp Wüst
• Paul Angerer
• Bruno Maderna
• Herbert Schmolzi
• Wolfgang Sawallisch
• Siegfried Koehler
• Antonio Janigro
• Siegfried Behrend
• Marcel Wengler

Are dedicators or performers of Konietzny's works

• Maurice Gendron
• Siegfried Palm
• Max Strub
• Siegfried Fink
• Robert Leonardy
• Hans and Kurt Schmitt
• Norio Oshima
• Takashi Ochi
• Wilhelm Werner

University professor

In 1947 Konietzny became a lecturer in the master class for composition , instrumentation and chamber music ( woodwind instruments ) at what was then the Saarbrücken Conservatory (today Saar College of Music ). He was appointed professor in 1963.

Former graduates of Konietzny's composition class include:

• Manfred Kelkel
• Clemens Kremer
• Gerd Boder
• Heinz Martin Lonquich
• Heinz Heckmann (composer)
• Peter Hoch
• Marcel Wengler

Honourings and prices

• 1952: International Composition Prize Radio Luxemburg for the Concerto for Strings and Timpani
• 1959: Saarland Art Prize
• 1962: Rome Prize of the Federal Government ( Villa Massimo )
• 1970: Honorary membership in the Saar Association for Plucked Music and Folk Music
• 1972: Honorary membership in the Association of German Plucked Musicians
• 1975: Saarland Order of Merit
• 1975: Johann Wenzel Stamitz Prize , Stuttgart

Works

• Heinrich Konietzny: 13 songs for a voice and piano accompaniment . Foreword by Joseph Müller-Blattau . Schneider, St. Ingert 1954.
• Heinrich Konietzny: The dead of Parga. Dramatic cantata . Libretto: Karl Christian Müller. Meister, Heidelberg 1963.
• Heinrich Konietzny: Triad for xylophone, vibraphone, marimbaphone and three cymbals . Score (also performing score). Schott, Mainz 1973
• Heinrich Konietzny: sound carrier CD + booklet. Fono-Schallplatten-Gesellschaft, Laer 1994. Recording: Saarländischer Rundfunk from 1962–1994. Interpretation: Saarland plucked orchestra
• Heinrich Konietzny: Concerto for speaking voice, viola, guitar, organ, percussion and strings . Vinyl record. Performers: Men's Choir 1902 Dillingen Saar, Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra. TELDEC Telefunken-Decca, Hamburg 1965. Published by the Association of Friends of Contemporary Music (Saarbrücken) in cooperation with the Saarland Broadcasting Corporation. Also contains Clemens Kremer : Battaglia per sette cori and Paul Arma: 7 Transparences for two pianos .

literature

• Ernst Meeß: Heinrich Konietzny. Music from the time . In: Saarheimat . Issue 1, 1957, p. 8.
• Karl Conrath on the awarding of the art prize to Heinrich Konietzny. In: Saarheimat . 1959.
• Hans Bünte: Heinrich Konietzny. Music as a commitment . In: SR information . 1975, No. 5, p. 15.
• Horst-Dieter Veeck: The composer Heinrich Konietzny . In: Saarheimat . Volume 34, 1990, pp. 50-51.
• Roland Kunz: visionary and pragmatist. The composer Heinrich Konietzny . In: Nike Keisinger, Ricarda Wackers (ed.): Music in Saarbrücken. Echoes of a checkered history . Staden, Saarbrücken 2000, ISBN 3-935348-02-9 .
• Thomas Wolter: The one who smiled through the notes: the composer Heinrich Konietzny . In: alla BREVE , magazine of the Saar University of Music. No. 1/2010, pp. 8–9 (see also web link)
• Edwin Mertes: Heinrich Konietzny - a poet of timbres . In: Concertino 4/2010, pp. 198–203 (see also web link)

Web links

• Short biography of Edwin Mertes with a complete list of the works for plucked instruments on the website of the Saarland plucked orchestra (PDF file; 480 kB)
• Article about Konietzny in the Dr. Robert Hahn, Musicology Uni Saarbrücken
• Blog with information about the Konietzny year 2010
• Alla Breve 1/2010 (see literature)
• version of Mertes 2010 available online
• Heinrich Konietzny in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ First broadcast according to the Saarländischer Rundfunk's television archive database: January 17, 1971
2. ^ Announcement of awards of the Saarland Order of Merit . In: Head of the State Chancellery (Ed.): Official Gazette of the Saarland . No. 21 . Saarbrücker Zeitung Verlag und Druckerei GmbH, Saarbrücken April 18, 1975, p. 505 ( uni-saarland.de [PDF; accessed on May 25, 2017]).