Claus Bantzer is a German church musician

Church musician (Germany)

Church musician is a music profession in Germany.At present there are about 3600 main job and 25000 second job church musicians in the Protestant and Catholic Church in Germany....

, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and director.

Life and work

Claus Bantzer was born in Marburg in 1942 into an artist's family. His older brother Christoph Bantzer

Christoph Bantzer

Christoph Bantzer is a German television actor.His younger brother Claus Bantzer is a composer and musician.- External links :*...

 is an actor.

Bantzer began studying piano, organ, and conducting at the music school of the university of Frankfurt am Main. He continued his studies in Hamburg (Hochschule für Musik und Theater), where he became a master student of the organ teacher Heinz Wunderlich. He was also Wunderlich's assistant at the church St. Jacobi in Hamburg.

Since 1975, Bantzer has been organist at the church of St. Johannis Harvestehude

St. Johannis Harvestehude Hamburg

St. Johannis-Harvestehude , Hamburg, is a neo-gothic Protestant church built between 1880 and 1882.The church is one of the best-preserved turn-of-the-century monuments of Hamburg.- History :...

 in Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

. Later, the honorary title of Kirchenmusikdirektor was conferred onto him. At this church, he leads two choirs, the main church choir of St. Johannis and the chamber choir Harvestehuder Kammerchor, which he founded.

As a composer of music for more than 20 films, he has worked closely the film directors Peter Lilienthal

Peter Lilienthal

Peter Lilienthal is a German film director, writer, actor and producer. His 1979 film David won the Golden Bear at the 29th Berlin International Film Festival. His 1984 film Das Autogramm was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.-Filmography:*1958 – Studie 23. *1959 – Im...

, Doris Dörrie

Doris Dörrie

Doris Dörrie is a German film director, producer and author.-Life and work:Dörrie completed her secondary education at a humanist Gymnasium. In 1973 she began a two-year attendance in film studies, in the drama department of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. She then studied...

, Jan Schütte and Tevfik Başer. Apart from his compositions for film, he has also composed other works, usually combining religious lyrics with modern music, in particular jazz.

Film music composed by Bantzer

• Kirschblüten - Hanami (2008)
• Angesichts der Wälder (1996)
• Wasserman - Der singende Hund (1995) (TV)
• Auf Wiedersehen Amerika (1994)
• Lebewohl, Fremde (1991)
• Nach Patagonien (1991)
• Winckelmanns Reisen (1990)
• Abschied vom falschen Paradies (1989)
• Radfahrer von San Cristóbal, Der (1988)
• Wann, wenn nicht jetzt (1987) (TV)
• Drachenfutter (1987)
• Schweigen des Dichters, Das (1987)
• Adrian und die Römer (1987)
• Paradies (1986)
• 40 Quadratmeter Deutschland (1986)
• Männer... (1985)
• Im Innern des Wals (1985)
• Wagnis des Arnold Janssen, Das (1983)
• Dear Mr. Wonderful (1982)
• Geburt der Hexe (1980)
• Insurrección, La (1980)

Other compositions - selection

• time before – time after, composed together with Stephan Krause for strings and percussion (2007)
• Liebe ist nichts, sie wachse denn zuhöchst, composition for viola, chamber choir and percussion group based on a text by Paul Valéry
  Paul Valéry
  Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valéry was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. His interests were sufficiently broad that he can be classified as a polymath...
  
   (2002)
• Tu deinen Mund auf für die Stummen, Jazz-cantata, original performance in 1993 by the choir of the Northern German Television (NDR
  Norddeutscher Rundfunk
  Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
  
  )
• Missa Popularis/Jazz Messe, original performance during the NDR
  Norddeutscher Rundfunk
  Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
  
   Jazz-Workshop held in November 1980

Works on CD - selection

• Claus Bantzer: Missa Popularis, Jazz-Messe, live recording made on June 16, 2001, director Claus Bantzer, Arte Nova (Sony BMG) 2001.
• Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen..., Christmas music, Harvestehuder Kammerchor, director Claus Bantzer, Arte Nova (Sony BMG) 2000.
• Das Hohelied Salomos, collection of love songs, Harvestehuder Kammerchor, director Claus Bantzer, Arte Nova (Sony BMG) 1999.
• Samsara, organ improvisations by Claus Bantzer, Arte Nova (Sony BMG) 1998.
• Chormusik der Romantik, Harvestehuder Kammerchor, director Claus Bantzer, Arte Nova (Sony BMG) 1997.
• Mariengesänge, Harvestehuder Kammerchor, director Claus Bantzer, Arte Nova (Sony BMG) 1996.

Honours

• 2004 Member of the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts (Freie Akademie der Künste in Hamburg)
• 2001 Max-Brauer-Preis in Hamburg
• 1994 Prix de la Sacem of the Jewish-Israeli Film festival in France
• 1987 Bantzer received the highest honour in German cinema at the Bundesfilmpreis, where the Filmband in Gold was conferred upon him in the category film music for 40m2 Deutschland, Paradies and Das Schweigen des Dichters

External links

• Music at St. Johannis Harvestehude