Otto Dunkelberg

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Portrait of Otto Dunkelberg

Otto Dunkelberg (born March 25, 1900 in Hann. Münden ; † March 18, 1964 in Bergheim / Erft ) was a German organist and composer . From 1927 to 1945 he was the cathedral organist at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Passau .

Life

Otto Dunkelberg, who was born in 1900 as the son of a piano tuner , was already playing the organ every Sunday at the age of ten in St. Elisabeth's Church . He attended the Catholic elementary school, went to the Catholic preparatory institute in Wollstein in 1914, until he went to the teachers' college in the same place in 1917. In July 1918 he had to interrupt his studies due to the beginning of military service and was only able to resume in Hildesheim in April 1919 and take his first teacher examination in March 1920. Before he began studying at the State Academic Institute for Church and School Music in Berlin-Charlottenburg in April 1921 , which he completed in July 1922 as an organist and music teacher at higher educational establishments, he worked as a private tutor in Nordhorn . He then worked as a teacher at the Josephinum Hildesheim grammar school until he switched to the position of cathedral music director in Hildesheim and organist at the Jesuit Church in 1923. As early as 1924 he continued his studies at the Academy for Church and School Music in Berlin-Charlottenburg, where he also received organ lessons and in 1926 passed a final examination for the teaching profession. During his studies in Berlin he was also organist and choir leader at the Dominican Maria Viktoria Chapel and gave numerous organ concerts, for example in the Philharmonie, Singakademie, Hochschule für Musik and Corpus Christi Church.

Dunkelberg at the cathedral organ, Passau

Otto Dunkelberg then taught at the Goethe Reform Gymnasium in Berlin-Wilmersdorf and at the Hindenburg-Oberrealschule in Berlin-Schmargendorf . From 1927 to 1945 he was a cathedral organist in Passau and at the same time held a teaching position for organ and organ structure at the church music school in Regensburg (1930–1937 and 1942–1944). The work as an organist was the one he did the longest. He was considered one of the best organ players of his time. While he was working in Passau, he held the office of state organ expert. In 1935 he made recordings under the title Odeon at Electrola as well as tape recordings in May 1944 for the "German European broadcaster" (Bach, Buxtehude, Handel, Reger, Liszt, Widor, Guilmant, Flor Peeters, Rheinberger, Renner and his own improvisations). Dunkelberg also played more often outside of Passau, in schools or other churches, and made a name for himself far beyond the city limits.

On May 22, 1945 Otto Dunkelberg was arrested due to his membership of the SS from 1933, the NSDAP from May 1937 and the security service of the Reichsführer SS from 1939. In his arrest report and in the later requests for release he always emphasized that he was only an honorary member. Since he had apparently not been active as a Nazi, he was released in April 1947

After the Second World War he resumed his church music activities at the Benedictine abbeys of Metten / Donau and Münsterschwarzach / Franconia as well as with the Dominicans in Walberberg, worked as a primary school teacher in Hildesheim in 1948/49 and became a lecturer at the church music school in Münster. At the same time he worked from 1949 to 1953 as a music teacher at the Dionysianum grammar school in Rheine and as head of the municipal music association choir. There were annual concert series as choir and symphony concerts with the Vestische Sinfonieorchester Recklinghausen . From 1953 to 1962, Dunkelberg was a music teacher at the modern language grammar school in Cologne-Nippes . During these years Otto Dunkelberg worked as an organist at the Dominican churches of St. Andreas and St. Cross in Cologne until his death in 1964.

The older Otto Dunkelberg at the organ
Otto Dunkelberg in his teaching work

Otto Dunkelberg was married to Elisabeth Dunkelberg. He was the father of Gisela (* August 14, 1927), Hans Otto (* October 8, 1928), Hubert (* February 26, 1930) and Karl-Heinz Dunkelberg (* September 21, 1931).

His entire written estate is archived at the Bavarian State Library.

Opus

orchestra

  • Piano concerto i. D (1946) [DBN 4.014.575]
  • Symphony i. D unfinished (1946/1947)
  • 1st movement: Grave-Allegro moderato (Vexilla regis)
  • 2nd movement: Adagio (Haec Dies) melodies of the greg. Singing [DBN 5.973.163]
  • Prelude and Fugue in E minor BWV 548 JSBach orchestral arrangement (1946) [DBN 5.973.167]
  • Adagio and Fugue in C minor BWV 546 JSBach orchestral arrangement (1945/1946) [DBN 5.411.378]
  • Suite in the old style (1958) for strings, 2 flutes and 2 horns [DBN 3.878.284]
  • Andante for wind orchestra [DBN 8.510.206]
  • Orchestral piece - Andante maestoso [DBN 8.510.205]
  • 4 small orchestral pieces (for school orchestra) (spring song [DBN 5.973.178], gypsy dance [DBN 5.973.181], Kaernerliedchen [DBN 5.973.183], O as beautiful and good)
  • 5 songs (arrangement for choir and orchestra) (From noble music (or: From noble music) [DBN 5.973.195], Be greeted a thousand times [DBN 5.973.201], The best time [DBN 5.973.203], Summer song [DBN 5.973.204], Der Gutzgauch [DBN 5.973.206])
  • 12 German dances (arrangement for chamber orchestra, dance no. 8 is missing) [DBN 8.513.586]
  • "Frankenburger Würfelspiele" for wind orchestra

Chamber music

measure up

  • Missa pastoritia (1945) [DBN 3,878,252] ( review )
  • Missa "Veni creator spiritus" (1963) [DBN 3.977.044] ( review )
  • Corbinians Mass (1947) [DBN 3.977.048] ( Review )
  • Sacerdos et Pontifex (1938) [DBN 4,333,829] ( Review )
  • Mass in E [DBN 4.417.620] ( review part 1 , review part 2 )
  • "Missa Gregoriana" for soprano, alto, baritone and organ [DBN 5.973.168]
  • "Fair i. D major “, large orchestra, organ, 4 voices. according to Choir [DBN 9.835.695]

Cantatas

  • Rorate, coeli, desuper et nubes pluant justum [DBN 3.878.259] ( review )
  • Festival cantata in honor of St. Augustinus (1963) (male choir, boys' choir and orchestra)
  • Festival cantata in honor of St. Augustinus (1963) (male choir, boys' choir and organ)
  • Festival cantata in honor of St. Augustinus (1963) (mixed with choir, boys' choir and orchestra) [DBN 3.787.281] ( review )

Motets

  • Psalm 98 "Singet dem Herrn a new song" (1950) (mixed choir, 3 trumpets, 2 horns, 3 pos., And timpani) [DBN 3.977.051] ( review )
  • Psalm 99 "Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt" (mixed choir, string orchestra and 2 trumpets) [DBN 3.977.053] ( review )
  • Psalm 116 "Laudate Dominum omnes gentes" (mixed choir and organ)
  • Psalm 116 "Laudate Dominum omnes gentes" (1963) (mixed choir and orchestra) [DBN 3.878.274] ( review )
  • "Motet for the year-end devotion" (1923) (mixed choir, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and organ) [DBN 3.977.055] ( review )

Choir with orchestra / organ

  • "Resonet in laudibus" for gem. Choir and Organ [DBN 4.333.833]
  • "Resonet in laudibus" for gem. Choir and string orchestra [DBN 4.333.833] ( review )
  • "Ecce sacerdos magnus" (1929) for gem. Choir, 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani and organ [DBN 4.333.820]
  • "Marienhymnus" (1954) for four. mixed choir and organ [DBN 4.784.834] ( review )
  • “Christmas Oratorio” (Müller / Nick) orchestral arrangement (1923) for solos, mixed Choir and Orchestra [DBN 1822452 to 1822491]

A cappella

  • 10 old Marienlieder (mixed choir) [DBN 1.454.707] ( review )
  • 3 Christmas carols (mixed choir) [DBN 4.784.805]
  • 4 motets for gem. Choir "Let us rejoice in the Lord" and "Why do you grieve" [DBN 4.417.610] as well as "I will sing to you Jehovah" and "Gladly praise the Lord"
  • 2 offers for male choir "Mihi autem" and "Improperium" [DBN 5.973.172]
  • 2 offers for 4-8 votes. according to Choir "Terra tremuit" and "Inveni David"
  • "Ecce sacerdos" for gem. Choir [DBN 4.333.820]
  • "God be gracious to me" double fugue for gem. Choir [DBN 4.784.805]
  • "Pange lingua" for five-part acc. Choir [DBN 4.784.841]
  • "Tantum ergo" (1951) for four-part gem. Choir and winds [DBN 4.784.837]

organ

  • Organ sonata (1928/1929) (using the chorale: How should I receive you ) [DBN 3.977.057] ( review )
  • Toccata and double fugue over the Great Gotthard, we adore (1946) [DBN 3.977.059] ( review )
  • Organ Partita Is that the body, Lord Jesus Christ [DBN 3.977.063]
  • Organ Partita Zion, to worship Jesus [DBN 5.973.174]
  • Fugue (4-part) [DBN 4.417.607] ( review )
  • "Ciacona" [DBN 7.809.645]
  • 6 chorale arrangements for organ: Wake up my heart , God of heaven and earth , "With peace and joy I will go there", Do it with me God as you please , Since Jesus was hanging on the cross , O sadness [DBN 5.107.849 ]
  • 3 chorale arrangements for organ: "Come with a heart full of repentance" [DBN 5.973.186], On dark night [DBN 5.973.189], The Lord speaks familiarly to the soul [DBN 5.973.192]
  • 2 organ arrangements The glorious day was published and a house full of glory looks [DBN 5.107.842]
  • 2 small Organ pieces “Adoro te u. Ave verum "[DBN 4.784.813]
  • Job bibl. Melodrama for organ and reciter [DBN 5.107.859]
  • Es ist ein Schnitter, whose name is Tod (1936) Variations and Fugue for 4 trumpets, 4 horns, 4 trombones, 2 tubas, timpani, cymbals, glockenspiel and organ [DBN 4.333.811] ( review part 1 , review part 2 )
  • "Festive Music" for brass and organ [DBN 5.107.860] ( review )
  • Christmas Gospel for baritone and organ [DBN 5.973.176]
  • Organ book for the praise of God (arrangement of 150 hymns [Diocese of Passau] with preludes and replays) [DBN 78 ..... to 82 .....] ( review )
  • 12 preludes and aftermaths different melodies (Asperges vidi aquam, Deus in adjutorium, Ite missa est, Benedicamus Domino) ( review )

Reviews

  • From the Mündener Tageblatt 1927 about a concert in the Elisabeth Church:

"This imaginative improvisation with its perfectly shaped architecture proved that Mr. Dunkelberg is not only an artist who reproduces excellently, but is also able to do productively masterly things."

  • From the Passauer Zeitung 1929 about a Sunday concert:

“At the end of the day, his unique talent for improvisation got rid of all the shackles that the program had put on him up to now. At first the organ shimmered in all the colors that were possible; but then he showed in a fugue extemporated with incredible mastery that this art, if very rare, has really not yet died out. How much longer will Berlin allow us to own this man? "

  • From the Regensburger Anzeiger 1936:

"Dunkelberg showed himself to be the artistically and technically superior master who is without a doubt one of the best organ players."

  • From the Münsterländische Volkszeitung about the farewell to Otto Dunkelberg in 1953:

“Otto Dunkelberg is one of the great improvisers. His ingenious creations feel their way from sound to sound to unexplored heights, penetrating new territory at every moment, into areas that would be inaccessible to both our controllable thinking and our feelings. They inspire the soul and carry it up to the limits of the transparency. "

Web links

Commons : Otto Dunkelberg  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Testimony
  2. ↑ Certificate of Proficiency
  3. ↑ Teacher examination
  4. ↑ Testimony
  5. ↑ writing
  6. ↑ Testimony
  7. ↑ Newspaper article (top center)
  8. ↑ a b c newspaper articles (selection)
  9. ↑ Newspaper article (last sentences)
  10. ↑ Newspaper article (right, penultimate section)
  11. ↑ newspaper articles (selection)
  12. ↑ newspaper articles (selection)
  13. ↑ newspaper articles (selection)
  14. ↑ Written statements by Otto Dunkelberg on internment (PDF)
  15. ^ Arrest Report
  16. ↑ Example of a release request
  17. ↑ Release application example "voluntary."
  18. ↑ Example
  19. ↑ Example
  20. ↑ Example
  21. ↑ Affidavits (PDF)
  22. ^ Certificate of discharge for Dunkelberg
  23. ↑ Example of correspondence
  24. ↑ Example of correspondence
  25. ↑ Example of correspondence
  26. ↑ Example of correspondence
  27. ↑ Example of correspondence
  28. ↑ Certificate of Appointment
  29. ↑ Newspaper article
  30. ↑ Newspaper article
personal data
SURNAME Dunkelberg, Otto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German teacher, organist and composer
DATE OF BIRTH March 25, 1900
PLACE OF BIRTH Hann. Münden
DATE OF DEATH March 18, 1964
Place of death Bergheim / Erft