Theo Brandmüller
Theo Brandmüller was a German composer of contemporary music, organist and university Professor.
Life
Brandmüller studied school and church music as well as composition with Giselher Klebe, Olivier Messiaen and Cristóbal Halffter and instrumental theatre with Mauricio Kagel; he was accepted as a scholarship holder of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes.After working as organist at St. George's in Mainz-Bretzenheim, he received a call to the Hochschule für Musik Saar in 1979. There he first worked as professor for music theory, then for composition, analysis and organ improvisation. Later he was also director of the Institute for Contemporary Music. Since 1982 he has also been titular organist at the Ludwigskirche in Saarbrücken and since 1986 consiliarius of the Consociatio Internationalis Musicae Sacrae in Rome.
He achieved his international breakthrough as a composer in 1977 at the World Music Days in Athens with the work Ach, trauriger Mond, a commissioned work for Südwestfunk.
His compositional output, consisting of some 130 works, includes secular music and church music, chamber and vocal music as well as music for stage works and symphonic compositions. An opera commissioned by the Saarland State Theatre remained unfinished. He found inspiration for his compositions in the poetry of Christian Morgenstern and Federico García Lorca, among others, as well as in the fine arts.
In addition to his work as a university lecturer, he was also active as a lecturer in various composition courses: he supervised the youth composition courses of the Jeunesses Musicales and taught at the "Forum junger Komponisten". He was also active internationally as a lecturer in organ composition and improvisation.
In his worldwide organ concerts, Brandmüller preferred contemporary works and improvisations. He worked with internationally renowned conductors such as Marcello Viotti, Max Pommer, Gabriel Chmura, Leif Segerstam, Cristóbal Halffter and Peter Ruzicka.
Awards
- 1972: Prize for Composers of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate
- 1977: Composition Prize of the City of Stuttgart
- 1979: Rome Prize of the Villa Massimo
- 1986: Art Prize of the Saarland
- 1986: Prix Marzena, Seattle
- 1998: Art Prize of Rhineland-Palatinate
- 2005: Honorary Diploma of the Observatoire des Relations Franco-Allemandes pour la Construction Européenne
- 2007: Guest of Honour of the Villa Massimo
Works (selection)
Chamber music
Musik der Stille und Obertöne für for piano trio and percussionCis-Cantus II for viola, violoncello and double bassStill und heiter for recorder and percussionKonzert auf dem E-Zweig for viola solo Imaginations for viola and chamber ensembleNirwana-Fax I – in memoriam John Cage for chamber ensembleNirwana-Fax II – in memoriam Olivier Messiaen for chamber ensembleNachtflug mit Messiaenfenster for piano quartetGeheime Botschaften for clarinet quintetConcert works
Sonata a tre for flute, mezzo-soprano and violoncelloApokalyptische Vision for bass voice and organ after words from the Holy ScripturesReminiszenzen for orchestraAch, trauriger Mond.. Lament for Federico García Lorca for percussion solo and stringsMorgenstern – Abendstern. "Settings" of some evening poems by Christian Morgenstern for baritone, two pianos, tuba, double bass and percussion.Wie Du unseren Vätern geschworen hast. Cantata for alto voice, two trumpets, two trombones, organ after texts of the Holy ScriptureDramma per Musica for large orchestraVenezianische Schatten. Epitaph to Igor Stravinsky for small orchestraKonzert für Orgel und Orchester - Concerto for organ and orchestraUrtöne for large orchestraCis-Cantus III „Lorca-Kathedralen" for large orchestraOrganuM–zart. Orchestral fantasy on a Mozartian minor triad for clarinet, strings, percussion and organUnd der Mond heftet ins Meer ein langes Horn aus Licht und Tanz. 5 cosmic episodes for viola, violoncello, double bass and large orchestra after text ideas by Federico García LorcaChimères for saxophone quartet and orchestra Antigone 3rd sound song for choir with soli, 2 pianos and percussionLass den Balkon geöffnet. 5 Night Calls for orchestraStage music
- for Zwei zu Ross und einer auf dem Esel by Oldřich Daněk
- for Die Bluthochzeit by Federico García Lorca
- for Hamlet by William Shakespeare
- for Sir John und Goldjunge Heinz
- for Katharina Knie by Carl ZuckmayerLöwe, leih mir deine Stimme. Luzifer-Monodram after a poem by Johannes Kühn
Organ works
Hommage à Pérotin for organLa nuit de Pâques. A Litany for Organ and Live ElectronicsInnenlicht for organSieben Stücke zur Passionszeit for organEnigma I for violin and organMonodie für I. in memoriam Isang Yun for organDrei Engel für Scelsi for three clarinets and organNorge. Mountain resonances with shepherd calls for OrganPupils
His students include, among others: Manuel Gera, Zeynep Gedizlioğlu, Wolfram Graf, Han Aseon, Christian Klein, Stefan Lindemann, Karola Obermüller, Javier Party, Marc Schubring, Wang Lin, Anton Steinecker and the organist Dan Zerfaß, Seunglim Kim, Seunghyuck Lim, Jaekyung Lim, Hyeyoon Ahn.Literature
- Theo Brandmüller: Arrièregarde – Avantgarde. Texte zur Musik 1980–1998. Edited by Stefan Fricke, Wolfgang Frobenius, Sigrid Konrad and Friedrich Spangemacher. Pfau-Verlag, Saarbrücken 1998, ISBN 3-89727-006-4.
- Joachim Dorfmüller: Impulse von Perotin bis Messiaen. Zum Schaffen Theo Brandmüllers für und mit Orgel. In: Musica Sacra. Regensburg 1980. Pages 316–318.
- Jörg Abbing, Sigrid Konrad: Vingt Regards sur Theo. Komponist, Konzertorganist, Hochschullehrer. Pfau-Verlag, Saarbrücken 2013, ISBN 978-3-89727-496-9.
- Friedrich Spangemacher: Creator, Spiritus, Musicus: Theo Brandmüller – eine Biographie. Pfau-Verlag, Saarbrücken 2013, ISBN 978-3-89727-497-6.