Edmund Nick
Encyclopedia
Edmund Nick was a German composer
, conductor
, and music writer
.
, Nick studied from 1910 to 1915 law
in Vienna
and Graz
. At the same time, he studied music at the Vienna Music Academy and at the Conservatorium Dresden
. He received his doctorate
in law (Dr. jur.) from the University Graz in 1918. Nick moved to Breslau in 1919, working as concert accompanist, piano
teacher and critic. He became Kapellmeister
of the theatre in Breslau in 1921 and Head of the Music Department of Radio Silesia
in 1924.
It was here that he first met Erich Kästner
; Nick wrote the music to a radio play
by Kästner which became very successful. This was the beginning of a life-long friendship.
When he was dismissed in 1933, he moved to Berlin
where he was Head of Music at the Theater des Volkes from 1936 to 1940.
In 1945 he moved to Munich
, starting as a critic
at the Neue Zeitung. He then became Musical Director of the cabaret
Die Schaubude where he continued his collaboration with Erich Kästner; eventually, he set more than 60 of Kästner's works to music. In 1947 he became for two years chief conductor of the Bavarian State Operetta. He was made Professor in 1949 at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
; from 1952 to 1956 he was head of the music department of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk
in Cologne
. He then worked as a music critic for the paper Die Welt
, and since 1962 for the Süddeutsche Zeitung
.
He wrote piano
works, chamber music
, film score
s, and music for theatre and radio plays; he is mostly known for his musical comedies
and operetta
s.
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...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, and music writer
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
.
Biography
The son of a merchantMerchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
, Nick studied from 1910 to 1915 law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
. At the same time, he studied music at the Vienna Music Academy and at the Conservatorium Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. He received his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in law (Dr. jur.) from the University Graz in 1918. Nick moved to Breslau in 1919, working as concert accompanist, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
teacher and critic. He became Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
of the theatre in Breslau in 1921 and Head of the Music Department of Radio Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
in 1924.
It was here that he first met Erich Kästner
Erich Kästner
Emil Erich Kästner was a German author, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known for his humorous, socially astute poetry and children's literature.-Dresden 1899–1919:...
; Nick wrote the music to a radio play
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
by Kästner which became very successful. This was the beginning of a life-long friendship.
When he was dismissed in 1933, he moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
where he was Head of Music at the Theater des Volkes from 1936 to 1940.
In 1945 he moved to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, starting as a critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
at the Neue Zeitung. He then became Musical Director of the cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
Die Schaubude where he continued his collaboration with Erich Kästner; eventually, he set more than 60 of Kästner's works to music. In 1947 he became for two years chief conductor of the Bavarian State Operetta. He was made Professor in 1949 at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
The Hochschule für Musik und Theater München is one of the most respected traditional vocational universities in Germany specialising in music and the performing arts. The seat of the Hochschule is the former Führerbau of the NSDAP, located at Arcisstraße 12, on the eastern side of the Königsplatz...
; from 1952 to 1956 he was head of the music department of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD...
in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. He then worked as a music critic for the paper Die Welt
Die Welt
Die Welt is a German national daily newspaper published by the Axel Springer AG company.It was founded in Hamburg in 1946 by the British occupying forces, aiming to provide a "quality newspaper" modelled on The Times...
, and since 1962 for the Süddeutsche Zeitung
Süddeutsche Zeitung
The Süddeutsche Zeitung , published in Munich, is the largest German national subscription daily newspaper.-Profile:The title literally translates as "South German Newspaper". It is read throughout Germany by 1.1 million readers daily and boasts a relatively high circulation abroad...
.
He wrote piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
works, chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
s, and music for theatre and radio plays; he is mostly known for his musical comedies
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
and operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
s.
Operettas
- Über alles siegt die Liebe (based on Karl GutzkowKarl GutzkowKarl Ferdinand Gutzkow was a German writer notable in the Young Germany movement of the mid-19th century.-Life:...
's Zopf und Schwert, Bruno Hardt-Warden) (1940 Berlin, Theater des Volkes) - Das Halsband der Königin (Gerhard Metzner) (1 December 1948 Munich, Bavarian State Operetta)
Musical comedies
- Das kleine HofkonzertDas kleine HofkonzertDas kleine Hofkonzert is a musical comedy in three acts "from the world of Carl Spitzweg", music by Edmund Nick, libretto by Paul Verhoeven and Toni Impekoven...
(Paul VerhoevenPaul Verhoeven (Germany)Paul Verhoeven was a German actor, writer, and film and theatre director.He had 13 siblings and the family lived in modest circumstances.He directed and acted in over 50 films, and wrote over 20 film scripts, the first of which was Das kleine Hofkonzert in 1935, an operetta with music by Edmund...
, Toni Impekoven) (19 November 1935 Munich, Munich KammerspieleMunich KammerspieleThe Munich Kammerspiele is a successful German language theatre in Munich. The Schauspielhaus in the Maximilianstrasse is the major stage.-History:...
) - Die glücklichen Tage (1937 Bremen)
- Xantippe (1938 Frankfurt (Main))
- Titus macht Karriere (based on Talisman by Johann NestroyJohann NestroyJohann Nepomuk Eduard Ambrosius Nestroy was a singer, actor and playwright in the popular Austrian tradition of the Biedermeier period and its immediate aftermath...
by Gerhard Metzner) (1939 Berlin, Theater an der Behrenstraße) - Nur für Erwachsene (1941 Berlin)
- Dreimal die Eine (1941 Leipzig)
- Karussell! – Karussell! (Gustel Graepp, Rudolf Rieth) (1941 Darmstadt)
- Der Prinzgemahl (Fritz Schwiefert) (1938)