Günter Raphael
Encyclopedia
Günter Raphael was a German
composer. Born in Berlin
, Raphael is the grandson of composer Albert Becker
. His first symphony
was premiered by Wilhelm Furtwängler
in 1926 in Leipzig
. From 1926 to 1934 he taught in Leipzig, but illness and the rise of National Socialism - he was declared a half-Jew - made this difficult for him. For surviving the Nazis while managing his illness he was awarded the Franz-Liszt award in 1948. His students include Kurt Hessenberg
.
His compositions include five symphonies
, concerto
s for violin and for organ, six string quartet
s, numerous solos and duos for strings and winds with and without piano of which several have been recorded (an oboe sonata is on CD). Raphael also composed organ, piano and choral works. He was also responsible for arranging a performance version of Antonín Dvořák
's Cello Concerto in A major
(1865) when its piano and cello score was discovered in 1918.
He was also an editor of classical and baroque
scores for Breitkopf and Härtel, preparing editions of, for example, flute sonatas by Frederick the Great
and works by Vivaldi
and Johann Sebastian Bach
(some of these can be found in the Cornell University
Library).
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
composer. Born in 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...
, Raphael is the grandson of composer Albert Becker
Albert Becker (composer)
Albert Ernst Anton Becker was a German composer and conductor of the Romantic period.Becker was born in Quedlinburg. In 1853–1856 he studied music composition under Siegfried Dehn in Berlin. He taught on the faculty of the Akademie der Künste where his famous pupils included Johan Halvorsen and...
. His first symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
was premiered by Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler was a German conductor and composer. He is widely considered to have been one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. By the 1930s he had built a reputation as one of the leading conductors in Europe, and he was the leading conductor who remained...
in 1926 in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
. From 1926 to 1934 he taught in Leipzig, but illness and the rise of National Socialism - he was declared a half-Jew - made this difficult for him. For surviving the Nazis while managing his illness he was awarded the Franz-Liszt award in 1948. His students include Kurt Hessenberg
Kurt Hessenberg
Kurt Hessenberg was a German composer and professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main.- Life :...
.
His compositions include five symphonies
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
, concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
s for violin and for organ, six string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
s, numerous solos and duos for strings and winds with and without piano of which several have been recorded (an oboe sonata is on CD). Raphael also composed organ, piano and choral works. He was also responsible for arranging a performance version of Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's Cello Concerto in A major
Cello Concerto in A major (Dvorák)
- Background :Unlike its brother, the B minor Concerto, Op.104, the A major Concerto has been more than overlooked. Written for cellist Ludevít Peer, it was discovered by composer Günter Raphael years later. Raphael orchestrated and heavily edited the work in the late 1920s, making it more his own...
(1865) when its piano and cello score was discovered in 1918.
He was also an editor of classical and baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
scores for Breitkopf and Härtel, preparing editions of, for example, flute sonatas by Frederick the Great
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
and works by Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
and Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
(some of these can be found in the Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
Library).