Otto Dienel

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Otto Dienel (born January 11, 1839 in Tiefenfurt in the Bunzlau district , Lower Silesia ; † March 10, 1905 in Berlin-Steglitz ) was a German organist and composer .

Life

The son of the cantor and organist Karl Wilhelm Dienel received organ lessons from his father at an early age and represented him at church services at the age of 10. Otto Dienel graduated from high school in Görlitz and then began training at the teachers' college in Bunzlau . After several years as an assistant teacher in Olszanica (Alzenau), he had saved enough money to finance his longed for music studies. From 1863 to 1867 Dienel was initially enrolled at the Royal Institute for Church Music and from 1864 at the same time at the Berlin Academy of the Arts . He took the subjects organ playing, violin, singing and choral conducting as well as composition with August Wilhelm Bach , Eduard Grell and Wilhelm Taubert . In addition to his studies, Dienel earned a little pocket money as a singing and organ teacher and began his first official organist position in 1865 at St. Bartholomew's Church in Berlin-Friedrichshain and later switched to the Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche in Berlin-Kreuzberg .

After Dienel was honored with the silver medal of the Royal Academy of the Arts in 1869, he was appointed organist at the Marienkirche in Berlin-Mitte that same year as the successor to his teacher August Wilhelm Bach . He retained this position until his death, where he was appointed music director in 1881. At the Marienkirche, Dienel introduced the regular public and free organ concerts, supported by singers and instrumentalists, which were so popular that the church often had to be closed due to overcrowding. These concerts were financed exclusively through donations and through the sale of programs. After the joy of donations waned in later years and there were also disagreements with other organists, from 1901 the parish council tried to talk Dienel out of the concerts on the pretext that his actual duties as music director would suffer as a result.

In addition, Otto Dienel worked from 1877 to 1898 as a music teacher at the Berlin seminar for city school teachers and gave regular individual lessons. One of his most famous students was the later Thomas Cantor Karl Straube . He was also involved in the Berlin organist association, where he was initially secretary and from 1895 to 1902 chairman. Dienel campaigns above all for protection against dismissal, employment for life and pension entitlement for organists.

Dienel was regarded as a proven connoisseur of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and an excellent improviser on the organ. Several study trips, including to London (1871 and 1885), Italy (1874) and Paris (1878) shaped his compositional style. In 1898 he was made an honorary member of the American Organists' Guild for his complete works.

In addition, Dienel dealt intensively with organ building and the further development of organ technology. Among other things, the Wagner organ in the Marienkirche was changed several times under his leadership and rebuilt by the organ building company Schlag & Söhne . In addition, Dienel published several organ reports and specialist articles in this area.

Otto Dienel was married to Johanna Dienel, née Preiss (1848–1929). Together they had three sons and two daughters. Otto and Johanna Dienel found their final resting place in the Steglitz cemetery .

Works (selection)

Otto Dienel wrote around 600 works in the course of his life, only about a quarter of which have survived in print. Numerous manuscripts were burned in the Second World War , another part is still in the family's possession. Organ compositions make up the largest number of his works, followed by didactic works. Dienel's compositions for voice, male and mixed choir as well as chamber music works are practically unknown. Some compositions in detail:

  • Concert fugue op. 1 in E minor
  • Fugue op.2
  • 1. Organ Sonata in D minor, Op. 3
  • Concert movement op.10
  • 2. Organ Sonata op. 11
  • Funeral March Op. 12 Jesus, My Confidence , 1885
  • Adagio and Andante op.13
  • 5 lecture pieces for church and house Op. 16 (spiritual evening song; prayer; procession march; longing for eternal love; elegiac fugue for harmonium or organ)
  • Great Sonata (3rd Organ Sonata) op.18 in D minor, 1881
  • Echo Andante op.19
  • 2 Andante expressivi op.20
  • 2nd concert movement op.22
  • Adagio op.23
  • Scherzando in A minor, Op. 27
  • Adagio in A major op 29
  • Concert fugue op. 30
  • Fourth great concert sonata, so-called Christmas Sonata op.32
  • Allegro Cantabile , Op. 35
  • Andante with variations op.36
  • Scherzando op. 37
  • 43 Choral Preludes for Organ for Use in Church Services Op. 52
  • Mendelssohn: wedding march, arrangement for organ
  • Three concert fantasies for organ
  • Festive prelude for organ

literature

  • Fritz Abshoff: Otto Dienel's CV . In: forming spirits. Important composers of the present and the past . Berlin 1906
  • Hans Martin Balz : A memorial sheet for Otto Dienel (1839–1905) . In: Steglitzer Heimat 1985, issue 2, p. 14
  • Dagobert Liers: The Silesian Otto Dienel in Berlin and his relationship with the organ building firm Schlag & Söhne, Schweidnitz . In: Yearbook for Silesian Church History , No. 70, 1991, pp. 157–162

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. friedhof-ansichten.de: Otto Dienel