Joseph Kromolicki

Joseph Kromolicki (also Józef Kromolicki ; born January 16, 1882 in Posen , † October 11, 1961 in Berlin ) was a German composer of the late Romantic period . He devoted himself almost exclusively to Catholic church music .

Life

Joseph Kromolicki's mother Sophia Kromolicki died soon after his birth. After graduating from high school, he went to the church music school in Regensburg , where he was trained by the Cecilian masters Franz Xaver Haberl , Michael Haller and Joseph Renner jun. was taught. He continued his studies in Berlin at the Stern Conservatory with Max Julius Loewengard , at the State Academy for Church and School Music and at the University of Berlin in the subjects of musicology , philosophy and art history . He also received private lessons in composition and conducting from Hans Pfitzner . The post of music teacher at the Königlich-Städtische Realgymnasium in Berlin secured his livelihood after completing his studies. He found his main occupation as the conductor of the church choir at St. Michael , which he directed from 1905 to 1956. In 1932 he married Elisabeth Karutz. During the Second World War, the church was largely destroyed, which is why the services had to be held in the neighboring Marienstift. This restricted his technical performance options. His apartment on Melchiorstrasse was also bombed out. He found emergency accommodation first in the Marienstift, later in Waldemarstrasse. Kromolicki spent the remaining years of his life with his wife in a retirement home in Schlachtensee in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district , where he died in 1961 after a two-year illness. His grave is in the Michaelsfriedhof.

While still alive, he received a number of awards: in 1913 he was appointed Royal Music Director, in 1930 he was awarded the Pontifical Cross of Merit Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice .

Compositional creation

Church music clearly dominates in Kromolicki's work - of the 90-number catalog raisonné, only eight numbers have a secular character. Although Kromolicki studied in Regensburg, the stronghold of Cäcilianism at that time, his first mass setting, the festival mass in honor of St. Erzengels Michael for four-part mixed choir and organ (1911) can be clearly assigned to the late Romantic period: The movement is characterized by chromaticism , bold modulations and confusion of the harmonics . In his second mass setting, the Second Festive Mass (ih S. Sophiae M.) , his largest mass composition in terms of effort and scope, in addition to the characteristics of the first mass, there are strong dynamics , exploitation of the relationship in thirds and frequent time changes. After a longer period of time, the third (1925) and fourth (1926) masses followed, both a cappella , of which the use of a correspondence choir in the fourth is worth mentioning. From the sixth Mass onwards, a stylistic change from the saturated to the ascetic can be observed: Chromatics is used more as an end in itself than a function to be modulated, fifths and fourths harmonics and muted instrumental accompaniment give his later mass settings a bitter touch.

The number of Kromolicki's compositions for organ alone occupies a marginal position in his oeuvre with only five operas. The recurring characteristics of his organ works are alternation of harp-like scale runs or decomposition of chromatic harmonies with chord clusters, syncopated chord breaks, altered chords and alternating notes. If Kromolicki uses a strict form, even if only rarely, it is the multi-theme fugue or the Passacaglia . He provided help for players who were less versed in improvisation with his 50 preludes and improvisations for harmonium (1953).

Works (selection)

Spiritual works

• 10 fairs:
  • Festive mass in honor of St. Archangel Michael for four-part mixed choir and organ ; op. 1 (1911)
  • Second Festive Mass (ih S. Sophiae M.) for four-part mixed choir and organ; 4 wind instruments or string orchestra ad lib .; op. 2 (1914)
  • Third Mass in D minor for mixed choir; op. 7 (1925)
  • Fourth Mass in B flat minor for mixed choir and female long-distance choir; op. 9 (1926)
  • Missa brevis (Fifth Mass) for four-part mixed choir ; op. 14 (1928)
  • Missa festiva in E (Sixth Mass) for mixed choir and organ ; op. 18 (1929)
  • Festive Mass for four-part male choir and organ (Seventh Mass) ; op. 20 (1930)
  • Missa Dominicalis for four-part male choir (Eighth Mass) ; op. 21 (1931)
  • Missa in festis solemnibus (Ninth Mass) for three upper voices and organ ; op. 23 (1931)
  • Missa Exsultet for two-part choir and organ or harmonium ; op. 56 (1954)
• 35 offers
• 14 graduals
• 3 Ecce sacerdos magnus
• 1 Requiem
• Te Deum in E minor for 4 mixed voices, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and organ; op.43
• Latin and German hymns and songs, including:
  • How wonderful is your name for soprano solo, mixed choir, organ and 4 wind instruments; String instruments and timpani ad lib. (Text from Psalm 8); op. 3/2
  • 4 Marienlieder for mixed choir; op.10
  • The Angel of the Lord for soprano solo, three-part women's or children's choir and organ or harmonium; op. 10/5
  • Six German Sacrament and Sacred Heart Chants for mixed choir; op.12
  • Prize chant “My soul praises the Lord” for four-part mixed choir; op. 12/3
  • Five Chants of Mary for four-part male choir; op.15
  • Alleluia. Celebratory song for Easter and Christ the King's Festival for mixed choir, organ, 2 trumpets and 2 trombones; op. 16
  • Hail, Queen. Five Chants of Mary for three-part female choir and organ ; op. 19
  • Five Eucharistic hymns for the procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi for mixed choir, 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 trombones and tuba; Timpani ad lib .; op.24a
  • Psalm “Jauchzet Gott, alle Lande” for soprano solo, mixed choir and organ; op. 32
  • Feria sexta in Parasceve. Choirs of the Passion after St. Johannes - chants for the veneration of the cross and for the procession for four-part mixed choir ; op. 40
• Cantatas:
  • Cantata about the hymn “Maria zu liebe” for community singing, mixed choir, organ, baritone solo and violin solo; op. 45
  • Cantata on the hymn “ Schönster Herr Jesu ” for community singing, mixed choir, baritone solo and organ; op. 46

Organ works

• Organ solo :
  • Theme and variations ; op. 34 (1934)
  • Five festive epilogues for organ ; op. 37 (1935)
  • Two Concert Etudes (Legato - Staccato) ; op. 49, No. 1 (1938)
  • Interlude ; op. 49, No. 2 (1941)
• Harmonium :
  • 50 preludes and improvisations for harmonium ; op. 55 (1953)
• Organ with other instruments :
  • Symphonic suite for organ, 2 trumpets, horn and trombone ; op. 26 (1932)
  • Triptych. Three impressions for organ and female voices ; op. 52 (1939)
  • Notturno for violoncello and organ ; op. 49, No. 3 (1942)

Other works

• 3 Impromptus for violoncello and piano ; op. 8 (1926)
• Songs for voice and piano based on texts by Hans Bethge , Max Bruns , Heinrich Heine , Arno Holz and others
• FLORILEGIUM CANTUUM SACRORUM , a collection of 52 Latin, classical, easily executable motets for the four-part mixed choir from the choral music of several centuries

literature

• Hans Leitner: A composer between oblivion and historicism. Joseph Kromolicki on the occasion of his 100th birthday , in: Musica sacra 02/1982.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Kromolicki's self-designation as editor, see “Foreword” of the score , with historical introduction, translations, notes and references, Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg 1904

Web links

• Works by Joseph Kromolicki in the catalog of the German National Library
• Catalog of works in the International Music Score Library Project