Rudolf Mauersberger

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Mauersberg village model , Mauersberger Museum, made by R. Mauersberger himself in 1926
Mauersberger conducts the Kreuzchor on the Wartburg (1954)
Memorial plaque on the residential building in Dresden
Residential house in Dresden

Rudolf Mauersberger (born January 29, 1889 in Mauersberg ; † February 22, 1971 in Dresden ) was a German choir director ( Kreuzkantor ) and composer .

Life

Youth and education

Rudolf Mauersberger was the first son of the cantor and teacher Ferdinand Oswald Mauersberger from Mildenau (Erzgebirge) in Mauersberg , his home village in the Erzgebirge . The father's musical roots, which are further back, are said to go back to Bohemian musicians who strove across the border in droves around the 17th century and settled right behind it. From 1895 to 1902 he attended the village school on the ground floor of the school house where the family lived. From the age of nine, Rudolf Mauersberger acted as organist during services, initially with the help of a special children's footrest. In 1902 he switched to the one-year seminar preschool in Annaberg and was then confirmed in St. Anne's Church . From 1903 to 1909 he continued his training at the royal teachers' seminar in Annaberg-Buchholz and headed the seminar orchestra as prefect. As an “internal pupil” he had to walk to and from his family once a week.

Early work

From 1909 to 1912 he did his military service and worked as an assistant teacher. He studied from 1912 to 1914 and 1918/19 at the Conservatory in Leipzig . His teachers there were Robert Teichmüller (piano), Karl Straube (organ), Stephan Krehl (theory) and Hans Sitt (orchestral conducting). In 1914 he won the Nikisch Prize for Composition. In the war years 1915 to 1918 he was a soldier and military music director in Bad Lausick near Leipzig. After the end of the war, he went to the Anna Church in Aachen and the City Concert Hall in Aachen for six years as cantor and organist and head of the Aachen Bach Society . In 1925 he became the first country church music warden of the Protestant Church of Thuringia and cantor at Bach Baptistery of St. George in Eisenach , where he the Bach Choir Eisenach and a boys' choir, the George choir , founded.

Kreuzkantor and Kreuzchor in Dresden

In 1930 Mauersberger was appointed from around 80 applicants to Dresden as Kreuzkantor and director of the famous Dresden Kreuzchor and took up his post on July 1, 1930. In 1931 he was appointed church music director. In his 40-year term in office, he shaped the choir like no other before him and brought it to an internationally recognized level.

With effect from May 1, 1933, Mauersberger became a member of the NSDAP (party number 2,451,659). Hitler awarded him the title of Professor on April 20, 1938 . Despite his party membership, Mauersberger tried to keep the influences of Nazi ideology away from the Kreuzchor. The singers were part of the Hitler Youth as a "follower" ; at the same time, however, their influence was limited. Mauersberger refused to perform Nazi chants with the choir. Instead, the Christian character of the choir was not only preserved, but also accentuated.

Crucians from this period report that the choir was only forced to put on Hitler Youth uniforms once, namely at an official farewell by the city in Dresden Central Station before a concert tour to the occupied Netherlands in 1944. When Mauersberger heard of this intention, appeared he did not leave for departure, but let himself be chauffeured to the next train station, Dresden-Neustadt, and gave instructions when boarding to change the brown shirts to civilian clothes immediately.

Mauersberger disregarded performance bans and included works by Jewish and ostracized composers such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Günter Raphael in the Kreuzchor's programs, even in autumn 1938 on the Kreuzchor's second US tour.

His opposition to Nazi cult activities motivated him to increasingly redesign the services and vespers in the Kreuzkirche in the sense of liturgical renewal with the main choir and altar choir in liturgical caroling clothes with candles in order to set a church accent.

The Christmas vespers from the 1930s, the Christmas mass from 1936 and the Easter mass from 1940 bear eloquent testimony to these efforts . Almost unchanged in their musical form, they are still an integral part of the Christmas and Easter festivities in Dresden's Kreuzkirche.

The Dresden Kreuzkirche and with it the entire choir archive were destroyed in the night of bombing from February 13th to 14th, 1945. Eleven Crucians were also killed in the devastating air raids on Dresden.

One of Mauersberger's achievements was the revitalization of the choir shortly after the Second World War. The first Kreuzchor Vespers after the end of the war took place on August 4, 1945 in the burned out Kreuzkirche. Mauersberger's funeral motet “ How is the city so desolate ” was premiered , an a cappella work, written on Good Friday and Saturday in 1945. In it, Mauersberger processed the dismaying experience of the burning Dresden and the completely destroyed city; he took the text from the Lamentations of Jeremiah .

Rudolf Mauersberger conducted Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor in 1968 as the 79-year-old Kreuzkantor a total of three times, most recently on December 7, 1968. In addition to his tireless efforts to rebuild the Kreuzchor in the destroyed Dresden after 1945, it should be appreciated that he was during throughout his term of office for the liturgical integration of the choir into the worship practice of the Kreuzkirche, a comprehensive maintenance of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and Heinrich Schütz (annual Heinrich Schütz Days of the Kreuzchor 1955-1970, recordings for the Schütz Edition, Foundation of the Schütz Chapel in the Kreuzkirche) and was always dedicated to contemporary music in Dresden.

Honors

In 1950 he was awarded the National Prize of the GDR 2nd class together with the Kreuzchor , and in 1964 he received the Martin Andersen Nexö Art Prize . In 1954 he was made an honorary pedagogical doctorate at the Humboldt University in Berlin and in 1959 an honorary theological doctorate at the Philipps University of Marburg . He was a member of the CDU of the GDR and at times a member of the CDU main board. In 1969 he received the Patriotic Order of Merit in Gold. He had already received the bronze version together with the Kreuzchor in 1955 and in silver in 1964.

He became an honorary member of the International Heinrich Schütz Society in 1964, the New Bach Society in 1969 and the Dresden Philharmonic in 1970. His grave is in the family crypt in Mauersberg (Ore Mountains). The place honors him with the Mauersberger Museum, which is dedicated to him and his brother Erhard Mauersberger , who was Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1961 to 1972 . Rudolf Mauersberger led the Dresden Kreuzchor to world fame.

Church reconstruction in his hometown

Kreuzkapelle Mauersberg 2017
Kreuzkapelle Mauersberg and family crypt Prof. Dr. Rudolf Mauersberger

In 1951 Rudolf Mauersberger established a foundation for the reconstruction of the former fortified church in Mauersberg , which had been demolished in 1889. Today's Kreuzkapelle was consecrated in 1953. The bell from 1571 was preserved from the old church and reinserted. The architect Fritz Steudtner designed the interior. A remarkable testimony from the 1950s is Otto Rost's dance of death in the chancel . The faces and figures reveal women and men from Mauersberg and the surrounding area. The gallery and ceiling paintings as well as the stained glass windows in the Kreuzkapelle were designed by Helmar Helas from Dresden. The new structure took up the former battlement and moved it inside the church in order to obtain a second gallery.

Rudolf-Mauersberger-Strasse , north of the Great Garden in the Striesen district of Dresden , is named after him.

student

Mauersberger's students included the singers Theo Adam , Peter Schreier and Olaf Bär , the Dresden composer Udo Zimmermann and Hans Thamm , who founded the Windsbacher Boys Choir in 1946 , and the conductor Hartmut Haenchen .

Compositions (selection)

“ How does the city lie so desolate ” is the first piece from the “Dresden Choir Cycle”, which, in addition to the “Erzgebirge” and “Christmas” choir cycles, documents Mauersberger's extensive vocal musical oeuvre. Further works followed, for example the “Dresden Requiem”, the “Sacred Summer Music”, the “Luke Passion” and the “Dresden Te Deum”. In addition, Mauersberger arranged sacred and folk songs in demanding choral movements. Mauersberger's works are listed in the Rudolf Mauersberger catalog raisonné (RMWV).

Choir cycles for solos and mixed choir a cappella

Spiritual works

Secular works

  • "Maiwärts", Spring Ode, 1917/18
  • Whistle, 1942
  • Critique of the Heart, 1958
  • “Have peace and quiet”, memorial song, 1943
  • Three Seasons Poems, 1965/66

Instrumental music

  • Piano trio in C minor, 1913/14
  • Introduction, Ciaconna and Choral E minor for organ, 1912–1914
  • Introduction and Passacaglia in A minor for organ, 1912–1914
  • Prelude and double fugue in D minor for organ, 1912–1914
  • Free organ works, 1914–1916
  • Symphony in E minor (tragic), 1914–1916

Discography (selection)

With the Dresdner Kreuzchor :

With the Dresdner Kreuzchor and the Thomanerchor , under joint musical direction with his brother Erhard Mauersberger :

Works by Rudolf Mauersberger with the Dresdner Kreuzchor under the direction of the composer:

  • Christmas with the Dresdner Kreuzchor (including works from the Christ Vespers of the Kruzians , RMWV 7 by Rudolf Mauersberger) (recording 1964)
  • Start your day happily - folk songs / choirs (including from works by Rudolf Mauersberger RMWV 1 , 5 , 43, 382, ​​386, 396, 398, 399, 401/1, 432) (recording 1964)
  • Christmas mass of the Dresden Kreuzchor with a Christmas mass game by the alumni, RMWV 71 by Rudolf Mauersberger (recorded in 1962)
  • Choral music (works by Rudolf Mauersberger from RMWV 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 10 , 11 ) (recordings 1949–1967)
  • Peter Schreier - Knabenalt of the Dresden Kreuzchor (including from works by Rudolf Mauersberger RMWV 1 , 5 , 7 , 10 , 11 , 401/1, 424, 425) (recordings 1949–1951)
  • Rudolf Mauersberger and the Dresdner Kreuzchor (including from works by Rudolf Mauersberger RMWV 1 , 10 ) (recordings 1951-1960)

Works by Rudolf Mauersberger without the involvement of the composer:

estate

The compositional estate of Rudolf Mauersberger includes around 475 catalog numbers with manuscripts, copies or copies and has been kept in the music department of the Saxon State and University Library Dresden since 1973 (call number: Mus. 11302-…).

literature

  • Erna Hedwig Hofmann and Ingo Zimmermann (eds.): Encounters with Rudolf Mauersberger - a thank you from a group of friends on the 75th birthday of the Dresden Kreuzkantor , Evangelische Verlagsanstalt Berlin GmbH 1963, 1st edition
  • Erna Hedwig Hofmann: Kreuzchor Anno 45 - A novel about the cantor and his Kruzians , Union Verlag Berlin 1967
  • Gottfried Schmiedel: The Kreuzchor zu Dresden VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik Leipzig 1979
  • Christine Stephan-Brosch: Kreuzkantor Rudolf Mauersberger. Pictures from his last decade 1961–1971. With an introduction by Matthias Herrmann , Evangelische Verlagsanstalt GmbH, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-374-00518-7
  • Matthias Grün: Rudolf Mauersberger. Studies on life and work , Cologne contributions to music research Volume 146, 1986, ISBN 3-7649-2319-9 .
  • Matthias Herrmann : Kreuzkantor zu Dresden - Rudolf Mauersberger , Mauersberger Museum 2004 (writings from the Mauersberger Museum in Mauersberg, district of Großrückerswalde / Erzgebirge, Vol. 1), ISBN 3-00-015131-1
  • Marina Lang: The estate of Rudolf Mauersberger in the SLUB Dresden. In: Sächsische Heimatblätter 61 (2015) 1, pp. 53–63
  • Helga Mauersberger (Ed.): Dresdner Kreuzchor and Thomanerchor Leipzig - two cantors and their time - Rudolf and Erhard Mauersberger ; Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft Marienberg, Marienberg 2007. ISBN 978-3-931770-46-4
  • Ulrich Schicha:  Mauersberger, Rudolf. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 16, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-428-00197-4 , p. 428 f. ( Digitized version ).
  • Stadtlexikon Dresden A-Z . Verlag der Kunst, Dresden 1995, ISBN 3-364-00300-9 .
  • Ingrid Kirschey-Feix :  Mauersberger, Rudolf . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 2. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .
  • Willy Roch: The Kreuzkantor Rudolf Mauersberger and his ancestors in music history and genealogy (45), genealogy, German journal for family history , issue 3, 25th year, March 1976, Verlag Degener & Co., owner Gerhatrd Gessner, Neustadt (Aisch) , Pp. 65-84.
  • Ingo Zimmermann: Rudolf Mauersberger , Christ in the World series , issue 22, Union Verlag Berlin, 1969
  • Matthias Herrmann (Ed.): Rudolf Mauersberger - From the workshop of a Kreuzkantor: letters, texts, speeches . Marburg 2014 (Writings of the Dresdner Kreuzchor, Vol. 1). ISBN 978-3-8288-3317-3 .
  • Matthias Herrmann (ed.): Dresden Kreuzchor and contemporary choral music between Richter and Kreile. Marburg 2017 (Schriften des Dresdner Kreuzchor, Vol. 2) ISBN 978-3-8288-3906-9 (therein about Mauersberger: pp. 51–101, 217–293, 298–317).

Web links

Commons : Rudolf Mauersberger  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Genealogy , Volume 3, p. 67
  2. ^ Hofmann: Kreuzchor Anno 45 , p. 57
  3. ↑ Postcard from 1918 with a pictured schoolhouse and church ( memento of the original from March 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fm.mauersberg.net
  4. ^ Hofmann: Kreuzchor Anno 45 , pp. 212–213
  5. ↑ Model of the Royal Saxon Teachers' College
  6. ^ Hofmann: Kreuzchor Anno 45 , pp. 312–317
  7. ↑ Fred K. Prieberg : Handbook of German Musicians 1933–1945 , CD-Rom-Lexikon, Kiel 2004, p. 4.492.
  8. ^ Ernst Klee : The culture lexicon for the Third Reich. Who was what before and after 1945. S. Fischer, Frankfurt 2007, ISBN 978-3-10-039326-5 , p. 398.
  9. ^ Otto Socher: 700 years of the Dresden Kreuzchor. Dresden: Self-published by the Kreuzchor 1937, p. 41
  10. ↑ Dieter Härtwig / Matthias Herrmann (eds.): "Der Dresdner Kreuzchor"; Ev. Publishing house, Leipzig 2006, ISBN 978-3-374-02402-5
  11. ↑ Mauersberger Museum with picture gallery ( Memento of the original from December 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sachsens-museen-enthaben.de
  12. ↑ Four-part German Choral Book, composition by Rudolf Mauersberger, church music warden of the Thuringian Evangelical Church with a foreword by Rudolf Mauersberger, published by Carl Merseburger in Leipzig (without year of publication)
  13. ^ Herrmann, Matthias: Rudolf Mauersberger (1889–1971), catalog raisonné (RMWV) 2., gänzl. edit again Edition Dresden, Sächs. Landesbibliothek, 1991. - XI, 155 pp. - Studies and materials on the music history of Dresden, Vol. 3
  14. ^ SLUB Dresden: Rudolf Mauersberger (1889-1971). Retrieved on May 6, 2020 (German).
  15. ↑ including ancestral list going back to 1537, compiled by Hans Kröckert and Willy Rosch
  16. ↑ Rare sound document from 1967. Mauersberger comments on a recording of the motet How is the city so desolate that it was just sung. Published on February 18, 2014

Remarks

  1. ↑ in particular families named Fiedler, Scharschmidt, Wagler, Hermann, Nestler
personal data
SURNAME Mauersberger, Rudolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German choir director and composer
DATE OF BIRTH January 29, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Mauersberg
DATE OF DEATH February 22, 1971
Place of death Dresden