Walter Baumgartner (composer)
Walter Baumgartner (born November 16, 1904 in Sevelen SG ; † October 3, 1997 in Zollikerberg ; born Walter Ernst Baumgartner ) was a Swiss composer and jazz musician ( pianist , trombonist ).
Live and act
Baumgartner studied literature in Paris and later composition at the Zurich Conservatory with Volkmar Andreae . As a track and field athlete, he represented Switzerland at the European University Championships in Rome. Around 1934 he founded the swing orchestra "The Magnolians", which included musicians such as the saxophonist Eddie Brunner , with whom he appeared and performed at the Corso Variety Theater in Zurich and in 1937 also made recordings. His artistic role models were swing composers such as Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman . In 1935 a jazz department was founded at the Zurich Music Academy, which he headed until 1947.
During the Second World War he worked as a secondary teacher in Zurich, Meilen and Grüningen ZH . During this time he arranged for pop singers like Vico Torriani , Lys Assia and the Schmid siblings . These Swiss Swing numbers are remarkable because of the “sometimes daring arrangements” ( Bruno Spoerri ).
He has been writing film scores since 1944, initially for the documentary Heilende Schweiz, which was produced in the spirit of national defense . He then composed the music for around fifty other documentaries and advertising films, for which he often hired jazz musicians.
His score for the sentimental Grandhotel film Palace Hotel made him one of the most famous Swiss film composers in 1952. Baumgartner worked for various film companies, but his collaboration with producer Erwin C. Dietrich was particularly successful . The lexicon of films lists him as a composer for no fewer than 83 feature films made between 1952 and 1990. Special mention should be made of his work for Kurt Früh's films (between 1955 and 1972).
He composed except film and swing music for cabaret programs , initially for a cabaret program with Margrit Rainer , Ruedi Walter , Helen Vita and Harro Lang, where he also acted as a pianistic companion, the other for Erich Kastner and Werner Want Berger . The list of his compositions and arrangements has more than 700 entries; his musical legacy is in the Zurich Central Library.
Baumgartner was a member of the board of directors of the copyright society SUISA for many years , where he was particularly committed to the retirement provision of its members.
In 1956 he married Helen Vita . The marriage resulted in two sons. The cameraman Peter Baumgartner is his nephew. The two were involved in several productions together.
Filmography (selection)
Radio plays (music)
- 1954: Leonhard Frank : Outside the door - Director: Walter Ohm (radio play - BR )
Lexigraphic entries
- Ingrid Bigler-Marschall: Walter Baumgartner . In: Andreas Kotte (Ed.): Theater Lexikon der Schweiz . Volume 1, Chronos, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-0340-0715-9 , pp. 135 f.
- Bruno Spoerri: Biographical Lexicon of Swiss Jazz CD supplement to: B. Spoerri (Hrsg.): Jazz in Switzerland. History and stories. Chronos-Verlag, Zurich 2005; ISBN 3-0340-0739-6
Web links
- Walter Baumgartner in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Walter Baumgartner at filmportal.de
- Biography with photo
- Legacy of the music department of the Zurich Central Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Baumgartner, Walter |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Baumgartner, Walter Ernst |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss composer and jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 16, 1904 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sevelen SG |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 3, 1997 |
| Place of death | Zollikerberg |