Helmut May (composer)

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Helmut W. May (born May 28, 1929 in Wiesbaden ; † May 27, 2013 ibid) was a German writer and composer of serious music .

Life

Helmut May was born into a musical family, his mother was a trained soprano. However, the mother did not support Helmut May's musical upbringing and development. In his own short biography he writes:

“[In my final years at school] I taught myself notes and piano because my mother didn't sponsor the lessons. She had had bad experiences with two artistically gifted brothers in not achieving or asserting their talents. I, your son, should get through school well first, everything else would then be found. "

As a result of various post-war circumstances, Helmut May came into contact with the Wiesbaden tenor Heinrich Schorn (1882–1960), who recommended him a musical career. So Helmut May registered at the Rheinische Bildungsstätte für Musik, founded in Wiesbaden after the war, and studied composition with Franz Flößner , violin with Richard Lerch , piano and conducting.

After completing his studies, Helmut May got a position in the editing department of the music publisher Schott Music in Mainz, where he published classical music as well as arrangements and educational works until 1973. Most of Helmut May's own compositions were not published and remained in manuscript. From 1973 until his retirement in 1994 Helmut May taught music at the Wiesbaden high school Mosbacher Berg .

In 1958 Helmut May was also a founding member of the Wiesbaden Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Carl Witzel and until 2009 also its concertmaster.

In his last years Helmut May concentrated again on writing novels. If his musical compositions were almost completely ignored by publishers, he was more successful with his stories. In the last years of his life, Helmut May published the novels Der Herr aus Leipzig , Die Burg , Heimlich, mit dem Nachtzug ... and Cziupke dreams, among others .

The compositional estate of Helmut May is in the private archive of Tobias Bröker .

Compositions

  • 1948: Prelude, for string orchestra and timpani
  • 1949: Music for treble recorder and piano
  • 1950: Sonata in D for violin and piano
  • 1951: Serenade for violin and piano
  • 1951: Sonata for violin and piano
  • 1958: Seven violin duets with 12 notes, for 2 violins
  • 1966: Concert I want to die easy , for trombone, percussion and string orchestra
  • 1966: Impromptu for violin and string orchestra
  • 1967: Lamentations for baritone and orchestra
  • 1979: Concertino I want to die easy , for violin and string orchestra (Schott-Verlag)
  • 1981: Concert Festival , for 2 violins and string orchestra
  • 1982: Maqam Concerto for violin and orchestra
  • 1983: Postcard greetings for narrator and 2 violins
  • 1984: Concerto for cello and orchestra
  • 1985: Fantasy for string sextet
  • 1985: Symphony Walks , for orchestra
  • 1986: Adagio for violin and string orchestra
  • 1989: Pastorale for violin and string orchestra
  • 1991: Divertimento giocoso for string orchestra
  • 1999: The violin hermit for string orchestra (arrangement of the work op. 128 No. 1 by Max Reger)
  • ?: Sacred concert for 3 trombones and speaker
  • ?: Concert Scene de ballet for viola and orchestra
  • ?: May time bans sorrow, for choir, 2 violins and piano
  • ?: Trio for flute, viola and cello
  • ?: Concerto for flute and string orchestra
  • ?: Concert music for violin and string orchestra
  • ?: Suite lyrique for violin and string orchestra

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Obituary. June 8, 2013, accessed June 12, 2015 .
  2. ↑ https://www.tobias-broeker.de/rare-manuscripts/mr/may-helmut/
  3. ↑ https://www.tobias-broeker.de/rare-manuscripts/mr/may-helmut/
personal data
SURNAME May, Helmut
ALTERNATIVE NAMES May, Helmut W.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German composer
DATE OF BIRTH May 28, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Wiesbaden , Germany
DATE OF DEATH May 27, 2013
Place of death Wiesbaden