Joseph Messner

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Joseph Messner (born February 27, 1893 in Schwaz , † February 23, 1969 in St. Jakob am Thurn ) was an Austrian musician , composer and priest .

Life

Joseph Messner, brother of the social ethicist Johannes Messner , was born in Schwaz / Tyrol as the son of a miner (in the Schwaz silver mine ) and a tobacco worker. He received music lessons in singing, violin, piano and organ from an early age. At the age of twelve he moved to Salzburg in 1905 and received his musical training in the Kapellhaus, Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse 20, and then at the Mozarteum . After graduating from the Borromäum , he studied theology and was ordained a priest in 1916. He later trained in Munich with Friedrich Klose (composition) and Rheinberger student Josef Becht (organ).

In the 1920s Messner celebrated great successes as a composer, especially in Germany. "Joseph Messner organ festivals" took place in several cities, and in 1924 the "Joseph Messner Days" were held in Duisburg, where his Sinfonietta for piano was premiered. Archbishop Ignatius Rieder appointed him in 1922 as the second organist at Salzburg Cathedral , but appointed and paid him as a cooperator of parish throwing . In 1926 he finally became cathedral music director in Salzburg - a position that he held until his death.

In the 1930s Messner smoothed out his otherwise revolutionary tonal language by replacing his “counterpoint rich in dissonance” with “melodious tonic sounds”. He apparently made this change under the impression of “greater German cultural ideals”. In fact, in contrast to his brother Johannes Messner, Joseph Messner supported the annexation of Austria to the German Empire.

In 1934 he worked in his role as cathedral music director in the film Das immortliche Lied , which tells a Christmas story about the song Silent Night, Holy Night .

After the war Messner tried to build on his earlier successes, which he did not succeed. Professionally, he felt repeatedly neglected or slowed down, for example in 1946 with the hoped-for appointment as rector of the Mozarteum University of Music and at his cathedral concerts, which were deleted from the official festival program in 1968.

On August 20, 1968, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Salzburg .

Joseph Messner died unexpectedly in 1969 in his family house in St. Jakob am Thurn, where he had lived for several decades with the singer Evi Klemens.

Joseph Messner's grave, Salzburg municipal cemetery (Rayon 110)

It rests in the Salzburg municipal cemetery .

Oeuvre and style

Joseph Messner left an extensive work behind, including the Salzburg Festival Fanfare , the long version of which was used as an acoustic signet on all broadcasts of the Salzburg Festival until 1980; the bomb mass , which commemorates the destruction of Salzburg Cathedral in 1944, whereby the composer pretended to have seen it himself on the cathedral organ; numerous wind fanfares. He also composed three symphonies (in C minor, F major and A major), several instrumental and orchestral works (including the Salzburg Suite, which describes various sights in Salzburg as a program), four operas (including one about the person der Esther), numerous songs and a large number of sacred works (masses, proprium music, motets, sacred songs, etc.). He was internationally recognized as an organ virtuoso, although - like Bruckner - he composed only a few organ works, but rather impressed with his improvisational art at his organ concerts. Today only a few recordings of Messner's improvisations have been preserved (archive of the Research Institute for Salzburg Music History at the Department of Music and Dance Studies at the University of Salzburg).

Works

Songs

Numerous solo songs with piano or organ accompaniment

  • "34 songs" in the archive of the Salzburg Museum, archive no. N 16
  • Flower songs, op. 1 (1916), song cycle for voice and piano, poems by Johannes Messner alias "Ilse Planke"
  • Amsellieder, op. 2 (1916), song cycle for medium voice and piano, poems by Johannes Messner alias "Ilse Planke" (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, No. 6358)
  • Friendship Songs, op. 3 (1917), song cycle for high voice and piano, poems by Johannes Messner alias “St. P., Munich "(Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, No. 6359)
  • Two legend of Mary, op.8 (1921), for medium voice, string quartet, harp and horn (Verlag Doblinger Wien, D. 6364)
  • Five symphonic chants for soprano and orchestra, op.24 (1926) based on rhapsodic poems by Wilhelm Hendel (Verlag Universal-Edition, 1927), No. 9545 (loan material)
  • Three songs for baritone and orchestra, op.43 (1936) based on poems by Leo Maasfeld (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, 1936, no.9025)
  • Fulfillment, op. 64 (1948), for soprano and string quartet, cycle based on mystical poems by Novalis, Otto Julius Bierbaum and Johannes vom Kreuz, "Dedicated to Irmgard Seefried and the Schneiderhan Quartet"
  • Drei Lieder, op. 69 (1952), for 3 male voices and string quartet, No. 1 with soprano solo
  • Two songs after Wilhelm Busch, op. 70 (1952), for tenor and piano

Works for wind instruments

  • Numerous fanfares for brass (the best known among them the Salzburg Festival Fanfare): z. B.
"Small" festival fanfare, op. 36 / b (1933)
Fanfare in C
Fanfares for the radio
Moving in fanfare
Festival fanfare, op. 55/1 (1936), for the Salzburg Festival
Paracelsus Fanfare, op. 55/2 (1941)
Prinz Eugen-Kampfruf, op. 55/3 (1941)
Great Mozart Fanfare, op. 55/4 (1941)
Canon Tusch, op. 55/10 (1929)
("Monuments of Music in Salzburg, Volume 6 - Joseph Messner, Bläserfanfaren - presented by Armin Kircher ", Selke-Verlag Salzburg, 1994)
  • Prelude in A minor and Fugue in A flat major for wind instruments and percussion, op.44 (1936)
  • Symphonic Festival Music, op.45 a (1936) for wind instruments, timpani and organ (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, 1937, No. 9082)

Masses and other sacred works

  • Mass in D for choir and organ, op.4, 1918
  • Missa poëtica, op.9, 1921 (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, 1923, no.6280)
  • Mass in B flat for soprano solo, choir and wind sextet ("Salzburger Dommesse"), op. 29, 1931 (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, 1931, no. 7778)
  • Te Deum for solos S + Bar, four- to eight-part choir, wind septet and timpani, op.38, 1935 (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, 1935, No. 8379)
  • Marienmesse for soprano solo, 3-part female choir and organ (harmonium), op. 40 (1935) (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, No. 10720)
  • Festive mass in C for 5-part choir à cappella, op.42 (1935) Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, 1935, no.8372
  • Mass in G, opus 46, for mixed choir and organ, 1937 (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, 1937, No. 8702)
  • Mass in A for choir and strings, op.66, 1949 (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, 1960, no.10723)
  • Large Mass in E for four solo voices, choir and orchestra, "Bombenmesse", op. 83, 1959, composed for the restoration of Salzburg Cathedral (in the Agnus Dei the destruction of Salzburg Cathedral by aerial bombs on October 16, 1944 is onomatopoeic; for this At the time, Joseph Messner was not sitting at the organ in the cathedral, as he always pretended)
  • Furthermore, numerous proprions and motets ("The proprium is the lyrical side idea to the drama of the mass. I have entrusted many of my most beautiful melodies to his motets." Quote from Joseph Messner)

Choral works

  • Das Leben, Symphonic Choral Work op. 13 (1924) for soprano solo, 4-part female choir, piano, harp and strings based on poems by Novalis (1772–1801)
  • The Four Last Things, Choral Symphony op. 27 (1931) for solos, choir and orchestra based on the poem by Angelus Silesius (recte Johann Scheffler, 1624–1677) "The sensual description of the four last things"
  • Heaven hangs full of violins, op. 48 (1939) for women's (boys) choir and orchestra based on texts from the song collection "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" by Achim von Arnim (Verlag Universal-Edition Wien (1939) No. 11.145, loan material )
  • Germany's honor, op. 59 (1943) for choir, wind instruments and organ
  • Peter Mayr, Wirt an der Mahr, Ballade op. 82 (1958) for solos A + B, 6-part SATB choir and orchestra

Stage works

  • Esther, Biblical opera in one act (10 scenes), op. 6 (1921), poem by Johannes Messner based on the biblical book Esther
  • Incidental music for " Jedermann ", 1926 and 1960 (op. 76) after the production by William Dieterle
  • German Law, Opera, op. 31 (1932), dramatic legend in 3 acts (5 images) based on a ballad by Enrica Handel-Mazzetti, libretto by Oskar Gunther and Karl Neumayr
  • Ines, opera, op. 35 (1933), music drama in 3 acts (5 images), libretto by Karl Neumayr and Joseph Messner based on the play “Toni” by Theodor Körner
  • Agnes Bernauer (Der Engel von Augsburg), opera, op. 39 (1936), opera in 3 acts (5 images) based on motifs by Friedrich Hebbel, libretto by Karl Neumayr

Orchestral works

  • Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 5 (1920)
  • Scherzo fugato for large orchestra, op.5a (from the 1st symphony), Verlag Doblinger Wien (loan material)
  • Symphony No. 2 in F (Savonarola), op.21 (1925)
  • Salzburg Suite for Orchestra, op.51 (1940/41), in five movements about famous Salzburg sights:
1. Hohensalzburg Fortress - Paul Hofhaimer "Choral for the Salzburg Bull" (1538)
2. Hellbrunn water games - Johann Ernst Eberlin “Choral for the water organ” (1770)
3. St. Peter's Cemetery - Michael Haydn "Here lies before your majesty"
4. Untersberg dwarfs - song "Mei Hoamat, mei Salzburg"
5. Salzburg Cathedral - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart " Ave verum "
  • Rondo giocoso for large orchestra, op.54 (1941) (Verlag Universal-Edition, no.UE 34232, loan material)
  • Symphony No. 3 in A major, op.58 (1945)

Instrumental concerts

  • Sinfonietta op.10 (1923) in one movement, for piano and orchestra with mezzo-soprano solo (piano concerto) (Doblinger Vienna publishing house, piano reduction, loan material, D. 6367)
  • Concerto for violin and orchestra, op.61 (1947)
  • Concerto for violoncello and orchestra, op.80 (1954)

Piano and organ works

  • Fantasy and Fugue in B flat for piano, op.14 (1924) (Verlag Doblinger Wien, 1924, piano works, 01281)
  • Romance for the piano, op.15 (1924) (Verlag Doblinger Wien, 1924, piano works, 01281)
  • Improvisation on a theme by Bruckner for organ, op.19 (1924) (Verlag Universal-Edition, 1924, no.7711)
  • Paraphrase on Haydn's national anthem for organ, op.28 (1931), for the inauguration of the Kufsteiner Heldenorgel on May 3, 1931 (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, 1931, No. 7776)
  • Suite for Organ, op.33 (1932) (Verlag Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg, 1932, No. 7958)
  • Sonatina in b flat for piano, op. 62 (1947) (Verlag Doblinger Wien, 1924, piano works, 01281 as well as in volume 4, "The Sonatina", D. 8183)

Other works

  • String Quartet in G minor, Op. 78 (1953)

literature

  • Ingrid Loimer, Joseph Messner - Life and Work, Salzburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-900088-29-3
  • Angela Pachovsky: Joseph Messner . Life and work. With special consideration of his church music work. Dissertation, University of Vienna 1990.
  • Catalog raisonné by Gerhart Engelbrecht (included as CD-Rom with Ingrid Loimer's biography)
  • Foreword in the edition "Joseph Messner, Piano Works", Doblinger Wien, 2009, 01281, written by Dietmar Klose (Joseph Messner's great-nephew)
  • Ernst Hintermaier:  Messner, Joseph. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 17, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1994, ISBN 3-428-00198-2 , p. 225 f. ( Digitized version ).
  • Alfred Baumgartner: Propylaea World of Music - The Composers - A lexicon in five volumes . Propylaen Verlag, Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-549-07830-7 , pp. 31, volume 4 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Messner, Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian musician and composer
DATE OF BIRTH February 27, 1893
PLACE OF BIRTH black
DATE OF DEATH February 23, 1969
Place of death St. Jakob am Thurn