Joseph Ahrens

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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 .

tomb

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 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