Joseph Ahrens
Joseph Johannes Clemens Ahrens (born April 17, 1904 in Sommersell , † December 21, 1997 in Berlin ) was a German composer and organist .
Life
Ahrens was born in Sommersell, Westphalia, the son of an organist, and has lived in Berlin since he was a student . After starting his studies in Münster , he studied in Berlin with Alfred Sittard and Max Seiffert . From 1928 he taught as a lecturer at the Berlin Academy for School and Church Music. From 1929 to 1933 he was organist in St. Marien (Berlin-Wilmersdorf) . From 1931 to 1940 he was the organist of the Berlin Philharmonic . From 1934 he worked as a cathedral organist at the Sankt Hedwigs Cathedral (Berlin) and from 1945 to 1957 as an organist at the Salvator Church (Berlin-Schmargendorf) . From 1945 to 1969 he was professor of church music at the Hochschule für Musik Berlin , whose deputy director he was from 1954 to 1958. In 1963 he became a member of the Academy of the Arts in Berlin. Ahrens is one of the most important exponents of a renewed Catholic church music.
One of his main works is the chorale cycle “The Holy Year”, which contains a number of cantus firmus arrangements. Ahrens' linear style of writing is characterized by a distinctive thematic structure, expanded tonality and orientation towards liturgy and worship. From 1959 he consistently used the dodecaphony .
He was married to Gisela geb. Schroeder . This marriage resulted in two children, including the organist Sieglinde Ahrens .
His grave is in the Zehlendorf forest cemetery .
Awards
Organ works
- Small Christmas Partita "Born in Bethlehem" (1929)
- Canzone in F (1930)
- Prelude, Aria and Toccata in A minor (1931)
- Toccata eroica (1932)
- Passamezzo and Fugue in G minor (1933)
- Ricercare in a (1934)
- Pange lingua, hymn (1935)
- Partita "Christ is risen" (1935)
- Five little pieces (1936): Intrada - Intermezzo - Invention - Interludium
- Regina Coeli (1937)
- Doric Toccata (1938)
- Fantasy, Grave marcia funebre and Toccata in C minor (1939)
- Little Music in A Minor (1940)
- Concerto in E minor (1941)
- Jesus, my joy, Partita (1942)
- Prelude and Fugue in F minor (1942)
- Toccata and Fugue in E minor (1942)
- Concertino in G major (1943)
- Fantasy in B minor (1943)
- Canzone in cis (1943)
- Organ Mass (1945)
- Grant us peace graciously, Partita (1947)
- Hymn "Veni, Creator Spiritus" (1947)
- Praise the Lord, Partita (1947)
- Triptych BACH (1949)
- The Holy Year: Choral Work for Organ (1948/50)
- Concertino for positive (1950)
- Cantiones Gregorianae pro organo I-III (1957)
- Trilogia sacra I: Domus Dei. Seven Contemplations for Organ (1959)
- Trilogia sacra II: Civitas Dei. Seven Visions After the Apocalypse (1960)
- Metamorphoses I (1963), II (1964) and III (1965)
- Fantasy and Ricercare on a Theme by J. Cabanilles (1965)
- Five Leisen (1969): Praise be to Jesus Christ - Christ is risen - In God's name we go - Now we ask the Holy Spirit - God be praised and given
- Trilogia contrapunctica (1972,1975,1976)
- Canticum Organi I-III (1972,1975,1976)
- Trilogia dodekaphonica (1978)
- Passacaglia dodekaphonica (1980)
Fonts
- Joseph Ahrens: Form principles of Gregorian chant and my organ style. Heidelberg 1978.
- Joseph Ahrens: From Modes to Dodecaphony. Heidelberg 1979.
literature
- Johanna Schell : The organ work by Joseph Ahrens. An overview of the history of development . In: Musica Sacra . 109 (1989).
- Michael Heinemann : Holy Years. To the organ music by Joseph Ahrens. In: Ars Organi . 42 (1994)
- Rudolf Walter: Organ sound ideal and registration methods by Joseph Ahrens. In: Alfred Reichling (Ed.): Aspects of the organ movement. Kassel 1995.
- Michael Heinemann: Joseph Ahrens . In: Michael Heinemann, Briger Petersen (ed.): Organ movement and late romanticism . Studies on Organ Music, No. 6 . Dr. J. Butz, Bonn 2016, p. 129-138 .
Web links
- Works by and about Joseph Ahrens in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Heinemann: Joseph Ahrens . In: Michael Heinemann, Briger Petersen (ed.): Organ movement and late romanticism . Studies on Organ Music, No. 6 . Dr. J. Butz, Bonn 2016, p. 129-138 .
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Ahrens, Joseph |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ahrens, Joseph Johannes Clemens |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German composer and organist |
DATE OF BIRTH | April 17, 1904 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Sommersell (Nieheim) |
DATE OF DEATH | December 21, 1997 |
Place of death | Berlin |