Philipp Harnoncourt

The title of this article is ambiguous. For the director, see Philipp Harnoncourt (director) .

Philipp Harnoncourt during a lecture, 2011

Philipp Harnoncourt , also Philipp Graf de la Fontaine and d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt , (born February 9, 1931 in Berlin ; † May 25, 2020 in Grundlsee ) was an Austrian theologian , Roman Catholic priest and musician .

family

Philipp Harnoncourt, 2009

Philipp Harnoncourt's parents both came from the nobility . The father Eberhard Harnoncourt (1896–1970) was from the Luxembourgish - Lorraine dynasty of the Count de la Fontaine d'Harnoncourt- Unverzagt , the mother Ladislaja Johanna Franziska (1899–1997; "the wild Laja") as a native Countess of Meran a great-granddaughter Archduke John of Austria . His father, who actually wanted to become a musician, had graduated as a former naval navigation officer with a degree in engineering in order to work as a civil engineer in Berlin . He brought two children with him from his first marriage and at that time lived in the immediate vicinity of Bertolt Brecht and Helene Weigel on Spichernstrasse in Berlin. The parents married on December 29, 1928 in Graz.

In 1931 the family moved from Berlin to Graz , where they had their residence in the Palais Meran , in whose premises the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz has been located since 1963 . The father subsequently completed a law degree (Dr. jur.) And then received a position in the Styrian state government . Philipp Harnoncourt's brothers are Renatus ( half-brother ), the conductor and cellist Nikolaus Harnoncourt as well as the physician Karl Harnoncourt and the lawyer Franz Harnoncourt . His sisters are Alice ( half sister ) and Juliana. The director Philipp Harnoncourt is his nephew. During the summer months, the family lived on the so-called Brandhof , a property of the Merans in the municipality of Mariazell in the Bruck-Mürzzuschlag district in Upper Styria , which Archduke Johann had acquired.

Together with his brother Nikolaus, Philipp Harnoncourt tried his hand at playing the piano four-handed during primary school. As altar boys in Graz Cathedral , both of them acquired elementary knowledge of church music . Above all, music was played regularly with the family with father, mother and siblings . At the end of 1944, the family moved from Graz to Grundlsee because of the increasing threat from Allied air raids from 1943 onwards .

Life and work as priests and scientists

Philipp Harnoncourt (right) with the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Austria Arsenios Kardamakis (center) and the Orthodox theologian Grigorios Larentzakis (left), 2012

Appreciation for Philipp Harnoncourt by the Styrian diocesan bishop Egon Kapellari , 2011

After returning to Graz after the end of the Second World War , Philipp Harnoncourt decided at the age of 17 to pursue a career as a priest. He completed his theology studies at the Karl-Franzens University in Graz and at the Georgianum in Munich , where, according to his own statements, he a. a. especially Romano Guardini shaped in his "Thinking and Belief". He was ordained a priest on July 11, 1954 . He received his doctorate from the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich under Joseph Pascher . After years of chaplaincy in Arnfels and Hartberg , he became secretary to the Graz diocesan bishop Josef Schoiswohl in 1959 .

Harnoncourt founded the church music department in 1963 at what is now the Graz University of Art , the family's former residence in the Palais Meran, and was its director for nine years. In 1971 , after further study visits to Munich , he completed his habilitation with studies on the liturgical calendar of saints and on singing in church services, with special attention to the German-speaking area . In 1972 he was appointed university professor and from 1972 until his retirement in 1999 was head of the Institute for Liturgical Science , Christian Art and Hymnology (today: Institute for Systematic Theology and Liturgical Science ) and from 1975 to 1976 Dean of the Theological Faculty of the University of Graz.

Harnoncourt was nationally and internationally one of the most influential and important liturgical scholars after the Second Vatican Council . He was particularly committed to the practical implementation of the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council, the theological reflection of the church service and the ecumenical movement of the Christian churches. In the early 1970s he played a key role in the Praise of God , the first common prayer and hymn book for all German-speaking Roman Catholic dioceses . The teaching and research priorities of the Catholic theologian - calendar issues and hymnology - were an important contribution to the post-conciliar liturgical reform . The scientific and popular literature of Harnoncourt is documented in around 550 publications.

In the ecumenical rapprochement between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches , Harnoncourt was one of the theological masterminds. Since 1986 he has been a member of the board of the ecumenical foundation Pro Oriente , which was established in 1964 by Franz Cardinal König , the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Austria and the Ecumenical Commission of the Austrian Bishops' Conference . Until his death he worked in the Graz section of Pro Oriente and was its honorary chairman.

In 1997 he was given an honorary doctorate in Orthodox theology in Hermannstadt , Sibiu in Romanian . He is also behind the signing of the partnership between the theological faculties in Graz and Sibiu in the same year, the first of its kind between a Catholic and Orthodox faculty worldwide. A few years later, at the end of 2009, Philipp Harnoncourt also performed his self-imposed eucharistic fast in the Orthodox Romanian monastery of Sâmbăta de Sus ( Transylvania ) . He wanted to "experience for himself what Christian churches do to each other when they exclude fellow Christians from sister churches from receiving the Eucharist."

The “Styrian model” developed by Harnoncourt for evaluating new church buildings and renovations is unique in Austria.

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Philipp Harnoncourt donated the art prize 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 under the sign of the Trinity , which focused on the Christian concept of God in the fine arts , literature and music .

During the last decade of his life, Harnoncourt devoted himself to one unexpected project: In 2011, on his initiative and on the initiative of his siblings, according to the motto This project has no use, it makes sense. A support association and an action to rescue and restore the Holy Spirit Chapel in Bruck an der Mur were launched in order to reuse the sacred building, which was profaned in 1794, as a unique monument.

“There is no such building anywhere in Europe, perhaps not even in the whole world. ... In the Middle Ages, plague, hunger and war were considered the deadly trinity of evil that could only be overcome by invoking the trinity of God. Vows were made in times of need. The citizens of Bruck built this chapel as a thank you and memorial for the population after the end of such plagues. Today the deadly plagues for the whole earth are the willful destruction of soil, water and air - gifts that the Creator has entrusted to mankind for preservation. This building should be a strong memorial in the future, reminding of the obligation to protect the environment. "

- Philipp Harnoncourt on the project to renovate the Holy Spirit Chapel in Bruck an der Mur

For his extraordinary commitment to the late Gothic architectural jewel, Philipp Harnoncourt was awarded the Iron Fountain in Gold with Diamond from the city of Bruck an der Mur .

On June 7, 2020, Trinity Sunday , as Harnoncourt had wished, the completion of the restoration of the Holy Spirit Chapel in Bruck an der Mur was celebrated with a ceremony - just a few days after his death and one day after his funeral in Grundlsee. The celebration was broadcast via livestream on the website of the city of Bruck an der Mur.

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  Holy Spirit Chapel, Bruck an der Mur, 2018

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  Star rib vault inside the chapel

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  Philipp Harnoncourt in the Holy Spirit Chapel, 2017

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  Harnoncourt leads through the chapel

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  This project is of no use, it makes sense.

From 1959 to 1985 Philipp Harnoncourt was curate of the Graz 11 scout group.

Harnoncourt died on May 25, 2020 in Grundlsee with his family.

The funeral service for him was celebrated in the garden of the Meran family of the Harnoncourt family in Grundlsee in a private, familiar setting with invited guests. The service was led by a relative of the deceased, the pastor of the Grazer Herz-Jesu-Kirche , Matthias Keil . The celebrations were attended by, among others, the Salzburg Archbishop Franz Lackner OFM , the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau Wilhelm Krautwaschl , the Styrian Episcopal Vicar Heinrich Schnuderl , the Graz parish priest Christian Leibnitz and the former Styrian Vicar General Prelate Leopold Städtler , himself already 95 years old, part. The motto for this came from a letter from a professor from Romania , once a student of Philipp Harnoncourt: "I cannot mourn because I am so grateful."

Philipp Harnoncourt was then at the cemetery in Grundlsee grave of Albrecht Graf von Meran , his great-uncle of his ordination in 1902 until his death in 1928 as curate , had worked in Grundlsee buried .

“As my teacher of liturgy, I owe him a lot: With his simplicity - gripped by the beauty of the divine service - he awakened joy for me and many others in celebrating together. He has also introduced us to an often forgotten area of ​​spiritual life, the 'art of dying well'. I thank him for his testimony of life and faith! "

- Diocesan Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl on the death of Philipp Harnoncourt

honors and awards

The Graz Cathedral Chapter in 2010 with Philipp Harnoncourt (2nd row, 1st from right)

• 1948 Appointment as honorary scout of the Graz 11 scout group
• 1949 sponsor of the RIK of the scout group Graz 11
• 1965 bearer of the silver owl of the scout group Graz 11
• 1972 Cardinal Innitzer Prize for Theology
• 1978 Winner of the Golden Raven of the Graz 11 scout group
• 1997 Honorary doctorate in Orthodox theology from the Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu / Hermannstadt (Romania)
• 1997 Domkapitular in the cathedral chapter of the cathedral and cathedral church of St. Aegydius in Graz
• Papal Honorary Prelate
• Cross of Honor for Science and Art 1st Class of the Republic of Austria
• Large gold medal with the star of the state of Styria
• Iron fountain in gold with a diamond of the city of Bruck an der Mur

Compositions

• Praise to God No. 38.1: Reverse The Lord is my light and my salvation to Psalm 27.

Fonts (selection)

• Church music and the Second Vatican Council , Styria 1965
• Catechesis and Liturgy , Styria 1965, ISBN 978-3-16-155393-6
• Liturgy for all and part of the church , Herder Verlag 1974, ISBN 978-3-451-16742-3
• with Walter Brunner , Erich Renhart : Steirische Kalvarienberge , Andreas Schnider Verlag-Atelier 1990, ISBN 978-3-900993-02-3
• with Angelus Häußling OSB, Klemens Richter , Philipp Schäfer , Richard Schaeffler , Clemens Thoma : Vom Sinn der Liturgie , Patmos 1991, ISBN 978-3-491-77387-5
• Function and characters. Church construction in Styria since Vatican II , Andreas Schnider Verlag-Atelier 1992, ISBN 978-3-900993-14-6
• Liturgy of the Church, a holistic and local church event , Graz 1993
• with Maximilian Liebmann : Theologies in Dialogue: Joint Responsibility - Joint Tasks in Southeastern Europe. Meeting of Jewish, Christian and Islamic theological faculties and universities from Southeast Europe , Inst. For Ecumenical Theology and Patrology Graz 1994, ISBN 978-3-900797-17-1
• Saints as bridge builders: Adoration of saints in ecumenical dialogue , EOS Verlag 1997, ISBN 978-3-88096-778-6
• The day is precious , Verlag Manumedia-Schnider 2000, ISBN 978-3-902020-08-6
• Celebrating God in Reconciled Diversity: Essays on the Liturgy, Spirituality and Ecumenism , Herder 2005, ISBN 978-3-451-28924-8
• with Birgit Pölzl , Johannes Rauchberger: 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 Trinity , Edition Korrespondenzen 2011, ISBN 978-3-902113-88-7

literature

Personal dedication of the commemorative publication Sursum Corda on Philipp Harnoncourt's 60th birthday (see the references) for Martin Gutl , February 9, 1991

• That your fruit remains. Farewell to the theologian Philipp Harnoncourt with many great gratitude. In: Sunday paper for Styria , No. 24, Graz, June 14, 2020, p. 15.
• Erich Renhart, Andreas Schnider (Ed.): Sursum Corda. Variations on a liturgical motif . For Philipp Harnoncourt on his 60th birthday. Academic Printing and Publishing Company , Andreas Schnider Publishing Studio, Graz 1991, ISBN 3-201-01530-X .
• Norbert Swoboda: Harmonious triad: church building, sacred music and spiritual drama. In: University time. Magazine of the Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Issue 1, Graz 1997, pp. 18–19 ( Article online (PDF), accessed on January 28, 2020).
• Norbert Swoboda, Philipp Sturm: The call of the screech owl . 80 years scout group Graz 11. Ed .: Leander Khil. Extended and completely revised edition. Corvus, Graz 2008, ISBN 978-3-9500849-1-7 .

Web links

Commons : Philipp Harnoncourt  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Philipp Harnoncourt in the bibliographic database WorldCat
• Literature by and about Philipp Harnoncourt in the catalog of the German National Library
• Obituary of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau and the Theological Faculty of the Karl-Franzens University Graz: Mourning for Professor Philipp Harnoncourt .
• Catholic Press Agency Austria : Mourning for Graz liturgist Philipp Harnoncourt .
• Johannes Rauchberger: Obituary: In memoriam Philipp Harnoncourt (1931–2020) .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Obituary of the Graz-Seckau diocese and the theological faculty of the Karl-Franzens University Graz: Mourning for Professor Philipp Harnoncourt. catholic-kirche-steiermark.at, May 26, 2020, accessed on May 27, 2020 . 
2. ^ Theologian Philipp Harnoncourt died. orf.at, May 26, 2020, accessed on May 26, 2020 . 
3. ^ Great -great-grandson of Archduke Johann: Theologian Philipp Harnoncourt died. kleinezeitung.at, May 26, 2020, accessed on May 26, 2020 . 
4. ↑ A detailed biography. In: Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Official website, Steirische Kulturveranstaltungen GmbH (publisher), undated (after March 5, 2016), accessed on May 27, 2020.
5. ↑ ^{a b} hwember1: Ladislaja, Countess of Meran. gw.geneanet.org, accessed on May 27, 2020 (Genealogy of the High Nobility ). 
6. ↑ Nikolaus Harnoncourt. In: Cosmopolis. September 28, 2003/6. March 2016.
7. ↑ Gudrun Trausmuth: Exposing the figure of Christ. A conference on Guardini's “On the Spirit of the Liturgy” in Heiligenkreuz Abbey. In: Die Tagespost , November 22, 2017, accessed on January 28, 2020.
8. ↑ Sunday sermon Prof. Philipp Harnoncourt. Hartberg parish: hartberg.graz-seckau.at, May 29, 2016, accessed on May 28, 2020 . 
9. ↑ The Graz University of Art mourns the loss of Philipp Harnoncourt (February 9, 1931 - May 25, 2020). kug.ac.at, May 27, 2020, accessed on May 28, 2020 . 
10. ^ Institute for Systematic Theology and Liturgical Studies. uni-graz.at, accessed on May 27, 2020 . 
11. ^ Mourning the theologian Philipp Harnoncourt from Graz. Archdiocese of Vienna, May 26, 2020, accessed on May 26, 2020 . 
12. ↑ Thanks and praise. On the Feast of Corpus Christi, words of the theologian Philipp Harnoncourt, who died on May 25th, from the Ö1 series “Thoughts for the Day”. Meinekirchenzeitung.at/steiermark-sonntagsblatt, June 3, 2020, accessed on June 11, 2020 . 
13. ↑ ^{a b} Johannes Rauchberger: Obituary: In memoriam Philipp Harnoncourt (1931-2020). kultum.at, May 26, 2020, accessed on May 26, 2020 . 
14. ↑ ^{a b} Mourning for Grazer Liturgiewisschenschafter Harnoncourt. kleinezeitung.at, May 26, 2020, accessed on May 27, 2020 . 
15. ↑ Alina Pătru (ed.): Letter to Dorin Oancea . In: Meeting God in the Other. Studies in Religious Encounter and Pluralism in honor of Dorin Oancea on the occasion of his 70th birthday. LIT, Zurich 2019.
16. ↑ ^{a b c} Renovation of the Holy Spirit Chapel, Bruck an der Mur. bruckmur.at, accessed on May 27, 2020 . 
17. ↑ The Harnoncourt family want to save Brucker Kapelle. steiermark.orf.at, accessed on May 27, 2020 . 
18. ↑ Discovered unique paintings in the chapel in Bruck. kleinezeitung.at, January 29, 2013, accessed on May 27, 2020 . 
19. ↑ ^{a b} Bruck mourns Philipp Harnoncourt. bruckmur.at, June 2020, accessed on June 10, 2020 . 
20. ↑ Oriented upwards. Holy Spirit Chapel. A unique architectural gem in Bruck was saved from decay and made a meaningful symbol. Meinekirchenzeitung.at/steiermark-sonntagsblatt, June 9, 2020, accessed on June 11, 2020 . 
21. ↑ Ulf Tomaschek: Festival for Philipp Harnoncourt and the Holy Spirit Chapel . In: Kleine Zeitung , June 6, 2020, p. 16.
22. ^ Mourning for Graz liturgist Philipp Harnoncourt. kathpress.at, May 26, 2020, accessed on May 28, 2020 . 
23. ↑ “Pro Oriente” mourns Philipp Harnoncourt. prooriente.at, May 26, 2020, accessed on May 28, 2020 . 
24. ↑ ^{a b c} Renowned theologian: Philipp Harnoncourt was buried. kleinezeitung.at, June 6, 2020, accessed on June 6, 2020 . 
25. ↑ ^{a b} Obituaries of Philipp Harnoncourt. kleinezeitung.at, June 10, 2020, accessed on June 10, 2020 .