Karl Hochreither

Karl Hochreither (born October 27, 1933 in Speyer ; † October 23, 2018 in Berlin ) was a German organist , conductor , music teacher and musicologist .

Life

The son of a carpenter made his first musical experiences in Speyer as a choir singer under the elementary school teacher and honorary church musician Adolf Graf , who ensured that the gifted boy received a good education on the piano and introduced him to church music in organ lessons, church choir and theory lessons. Karl Hochreither attended the natural science department of the State High School in Speyer (ancient language and natural science) , today's high school at the Kaiserdom . After graduating from high school in 1952, he studied German, history and philosophy at the University of Freiburg and then church music at the Northwest German Music Academy in Detmold , where he became a student of Michael Schneider , with whom he had a friendly relationship throughout his life. After completing his studies, Karl Hochreither began his work in Speyer in 1959 as a cantor in the Church Music Office of the Palatinate Regional Church , which was led by his mentor Adolf Graf, who has now been appointed Regional Church Music Director . Originally intended to be Adolf Graf's successor, he switched to the Berlin Church Music School as a lecturer for artistic organ playing in 1963 , where he taught until his retirement in 1998. From 1964 to 2001, he succeeded Hanns-Martin Schneidt and Helmuth Rilling as the director of the Bach- Choir at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin and the Bach Collegium Berlin .

As an organist and conductor, his concert tours have taken him all over the world. He has been teaching abroad since the late 1960s. As artist in residence, he was a guest at the University of Western Ontario in Canada and the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music in Manila . From 1997 to 2007 he was artistic director of the Bach Festival in Grand Rapids , Michigan, USA .

In addition to his musical and educational activities, he was active as an author, especially on topics related to the composer Johann Sebastian Bach . In 1993 the Governing Mayor of Berlin awarded him the title “Professor eh” “in recognition of outstanding cultural services to Berlin”. In 2002 he was awarded the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany .

Karl Hochreithers grave is in Berlin-Kreuzberg on the cemetery I of the Trinity parish .

Publications (selection)

• Karl Hochreither: On the performance practice of the vocal instrumental works by Johann Sebastian Bach. 183 pages with 7 illustrations, 27 facsimiles and 26 music examples. Merseburger Publishing House, Kassel
• Rudolf Elvers and Karl Hochreither (eds.): Bach cantatas in Berlin - an anniversary publication commissioned by the Bach choir at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church . CZV-Verlag, Berlin
• Karl Hochreither: Ernst Peppings Toccata and Fugue “We are in the middle of life” . In: Heinrich Poos (Ed.): Festschrift Ernst Pepping on his 70th birthday on September 12, 1971 . Merseburger Publishing House, Berlin 1971.
• Karl Hochreither: Epilogue . In: Gerda Graf [Red.], Hans Graf, Martin Graf (Ed.): Life and Work of Adolf Graf July 14, 1899 - November 4, 1978 . Karl Stock, Annweiler am Trifels 1979. Without page numbers.

Audio documents

• Franz Liszt: Works for Organ .
  Contains:

- Prelude and fugue on the name BACH (2nd version).
- Evocation à la Chapelle Sixtine (arrangements): 1. Gregorio Allegri: Miserere. 2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Ave verum corpus.
- Jakob Acadelt: Ave Maria (adaptation).
- Variations on the basso continuo of the 1st movement of the cantata “Weinen, Klagen, Sorge, Zagen” and the Crucifixus from the B minor Mass by Johann Sebastian Bach.

(LP EMI ELECTROLA, Cologne 1974, Stereo 33 No. 29 0735 1 A / 1B.
Karl Hochreither on the Rieger organ of St. Jakobskirche in Rothenburg o. T.
Recording: December 11th - 13th 1973. Producer: Gerd Berg . Sound engineer: Johann-Nikolaus Matthes)

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Cantatas BWV 11, 51, 56, 82, 172, motets BWV 225–230. Details at: bach-cantatas.com

Web links

• Karl Hochreither at the Merseburger publishing house

Individual evidence

1. ↑ https://www.kulturradio.de/nachrichten/2018/10/Karl-Hochreither-im-Alter-von-85-Jahren-verstorben.html
2. ^ Federal Gazette: Announcement of the awards of the Federal Order of Merit . In: Federal Gazette. April 1, 2002, accessed July 11, 2020 . 
3. ↑ Karl Hochreither. In: Obituary notice of the Bach Collegium. Der Tagesspiegel , October 28, 2018, accessed on October 29, 2018 . Obituary: Karl Georg Berg: From Speyer to Berlin. On the death of Karl Hochreither. In: Die Rheinpfalz No. 273 from November 24, 2018. Culture regional .