Johannes Fehring

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Johannes Fehring (born Johannes Fernbach ; born November 14, 1926 in Vienna ; † January 4, 2004 ibid) was an Austrian jazz composer and musician. He was also active as a film composer , producer and band leader.

Life

Johannes Fehring was born on November 14, 1926 in Vienna under the name Johannes Fernbach.

After the Second World War , Fehring took composition lessons at the age of 19 and later did a conducting course . He then began to study musicology at the University of Vienna . To finance his studies, he played the piano in the orchestra of Walter Heidrich in the Embassy Club , a jazz club run by the American occupation soldiers . During this time he took the stage name Fehring .

In 1948 he met Teddy Windholz . The two founded a band and played in the Volksgarten Vienna . Over time, they became more and more popular and received offers as a backing band for recordings. Fehring then broke off his studies in order to concentrate entirely on music. In 1950 they won the golden plaque for the best dance orchestra in Austria at a competition organized by the Austrian radio station RAVAG . It was also during this time that Fehring received orders to compose film music and composed the music for over 60 films during his career.

In 1955 he separated from Windholz and founded the Johannes Fehring Orchestra , an Austrian All Star Big Band . Well-known members of this band were Willy Hagara , Erich Kleinschuster , Robert Opratko , Hans Salomon and Joe Zawinul . With this band he went on tour with Peter Alexander , Gilbert Bécaud , Ella Fitzgerald , Udo Jürgens and Caterina Valente . From 1958 there were appearances on television in programs like Every Second One Schilling and Wünsch Dir something .

Between 1963 and 1966 he also directed the large dance and entertainment orchestra of the WDR and from 1965 to 1983 the orchestra at the Theater an der Wien .

Johannes Fehring grave site

At the end of the 1960s, Fehring produced the song A Glock'n the 24 Hours Ringing for Marianne Mendt and then worked as a producer for well-known artists such as Kurt Sowinetz and Arik Brauer . In doing so, he laid the foundation for Austropop . In total, he achieved five gold records as a producer.

In 1971 Fehring gave up his old band and was a co-founder of the ORF Big Band , which emerged from the Johannes Fehring orchestra . In contrast to the old orchestra, the members were musicians from abroad, especially from the USA . His last production was in 1983 the event 25 years of Wiener Stadthalle . After that he had to give up his professional life for health reasons.

Johannes Fehring died on January 4, 2004 at the age of 77. He was married to Susi Schweizar and the father of two children. His honorary grave (Gr. 3, R. 46, No. 19) is located at the Vienna Central Cemetery . In 2007, the Johannes-Fehring-Promenade in Vienna- Floridsdorf (21st district) was named after him.

Film music

Awards

Quotes

  • “ There were two things that were really important to me: classical and jazz. “Fehring on his 70th birthday.

Works

  • Together with Walter Heidrich: The new jazz style: modern phrasing and how to play it correctly , Vienna 1948,

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Fehring, Johannes
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fernbach, Johannes (birth name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian composer and band leader
DATE OF BIRTH November 14, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna , Austria
DATE OF DEATH January 4, 2004
Place of death Vienna , Austria