Hans Ulrich Engelmann
Encyclopedia
Hans Ulrich Engelmann was a German composer.
and Wolfgang Fortner
. He was a regular attendee of the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music, and he was particularly affected by the twelve-tone classes of René Leibowitz
(1948) and Ernst Krenek
(1951), which helped him move from free atonality to serialism. Eventually, he would publish a history of the courses. In 1947, he began studying musicology with Gennrich Friedrich and Helmut Osthoff, earning a Ph.D in 1952. He also studied philosophy with Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer
, Hans-Georg Gadamer
.
A brief marriage took him to Iceland from 1953-4, before returning to Darmstadt to work as the music adviser and composer for the Hessisches Landestheater for the next seven years. His next post was in the same capacity at the Nationaltheater Mannheim
, where his tenure lasted from 1961-9. He also held the same position one more time at the Städtische Bühnen in Bonn from 1972-3. In 1969, he began teaching at the Frankfurt Musikhochschule, and he remained on the faculty there for seventeen years.
In the early 60's, Engelmann began to incorporate techniques like electronic sound generation, graphic notation, jazz and collage into his music. By the end of the decade, he had assembled a pluralistic style which he showcased in large multimedia works such as Ophelia (1969). From 1974-9, he was largely occupied with revising his earlier work, before returning to smaller, less eclectic compositions.
A recipient of many scholarships and awards throughout his career, some of Engelmann's most notable honors include scholarships from Harvard and the Villa Massimo
(1960, 1967, 1983), the Lidice Prize of Radio Prague
(1960), the Stereo Prize of the German broadcasting industry (1969), the Johann Heinrich Merck
Award (1971), the Goethe Medal
(1986), the Order of the BRD (1991) and the Hessian Order pour le merite (1997).
Orchestra
Vocal
Chamber
Biography
Engelmann studied composition with Hermann HeissHermann Heiss
Hermann Heiss is a German composer. He studied with Josef Matthias Hauer and was also self-taught. Hauer dedicated his book Twelve-Tone Technique to Heiss. He later taught twelve-tone music at Darmstadt and composed electronic music at Cologne....
and Wolfgang Fortner
Wolfgang Fortner
Wolfgang Fortner was a German composer, composition teacher and conductor.-Life:Fortner was born in Leipzig. From his parents - both singers - Fortner very early on had intense contact with music...
. He was a regular attendee of the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music, and he was particularly affected by the twelve-tone classes of René Leibowitz
René Leibowitz
René Leibowitz was a French composer, conductor, music theorist and teacher born in Warsaw, Poland.-Career:...
(1948) and Ernst Krenek
Ernst Krenek
Ernst Krenek was an Austrian of Czech origin and, from 1945, American composer. He explored atonality and other modern styles and wrote a number of books, including Music Here and Now , a study of Johannes Ockeghem , and Horizons Circled: Reflections on my Music...
(1951), which helped him move from free atonality to serialism. Eventually, he would publish a history of the courses. In 1947, he began studying musicology with Gennrich Friedrich and Helmut Osthoff, earning a Ph.D in 1952. He also studied philosophy with Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer was a German-Jewish philosopher-sociologist, famous for his work in critical theory as a member of the 'Frankfurt School' of social research. His most important works include The Eclipse of Reason and, in collaboration with Theodor Adorno, The Dialectic of Enlightenment...
, Hans-Georg Gadamer
Hans-Georg Gadamer
Hans-Georg Gadamer was a German philosopher of the continental tradition, best known for his 1960 magnum opus, Truth and Method .-Life:...
.
A brief marriage took him to Iceland from 1953-4, before returning to Darmstadt to work as the music adviser and composer for the Hessisches Landestheater for the next seven years. His next post was in the same capacity at the Nationaltheater Mannheim
Nationaltheater Mannheim
The present National Theatre Mannheim , which dates from 1957, is a theatre and opera company in Mannheim, Germany with a variety of performance spaces...
, where his tenure lasted from 1961-9. He also held the same position one more time at the Städtische Bühnen in Bonn from 1972-3. In 1969, he began teaching at the Frankfurt Musikhochschule, and he remained on the faculty there for seventeen years.
In the early 60's, Engelmann began to incorporate techniques like electronic sound generation, graphic notation, jazz and collage into his music. By the end of the decade, he had assembled a pluralistic style which he showcased in large multimedia works such as Ophelia (1969). From 1974-9, he was largely occupied with revising his earlier work, before returning to smaller, less eclectic compositions.
A recipient of many scholarships and awards throughout his career, some of Engelmann's most notable honors include scholarships from Harvard and the Villa Massimo
Villa Massimo
Villa Massimo, short for Deutsche Akademie Rom Villa Massimo , is a German art institute in Rome, established in 1910 and located in the Villa Massimo....
(1960, 1967, 1983), the Lidice Prize of Radio Prague
Radio Prague
Radio Prague is the official international broadcasting station of the Czech Republic.Radio Prague broadcasts in six languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Czech and Russian. It broadcasts programmes about the Czech Republic on shortwave, satellite and on the Internet...
(1960), the Stereo Prize of the German broadcasting industry (1969), the Johann Heinrich Merck
Johann Heinrich Merck
Johann Heinrich Merck , German author and critic, was born at Darmstadt, a few days after the death of his father, a chemist....
Award (1971), the Goethe Medal
Goethe Medal
The Goethe Medal, also known as the Goethe-Medaille, is a yearly prize given by the Goethe Institute honoring non-Germans for meritorious contributions in the spirit of the Institute. It is an official decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany....
(1986), the Order of the BRD (1991) and the Hessian Order pour le merite (1997).
Selected Works
Stage- Doctor Faust's Höllenfahrt, op.4, 1949–50
- Magog, op.16, 1955–6
- Noche da luna (pantomime for dancers), 1958
- Der verlorene Schatten, op.22, 1960
- Der Fall van Damm, op.30, 1966–7
- Ophelia, op.36, 1969
- Revue, op.43, 1972–3
Orchestra
- Music for Strings, brass and percussion, 1948
- Violin Concerto, 1948
- Impromptu, 1949
- Orchestral Fantasia, 1951
- Partita, 1953
- Strukturen, 1954
- 5 Pieces, 1956;
- Polifonica, 1957;
- Ezra PoundEzra PoundEzra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
Music, 1959 - Trias, 1962
- Shadows, scenes, 1964
- Sonata, op.32, 1967
- Capricciosi, 1968
- Sinfonies, 1968
- Modelle II, 1970
- Sinfonia da camera, 1981
- Adagio et Aria, 1996
- Concerto for percussion ensemble, 2001
- Theatre Music, im memoriam Leonard Bernstein, 2002
Vocal
- Consolationes, chorus and strings, 1952
- Elegia e canto, soprano, piano and strings, 1952
- Komposition in 4 Teilen, soprano, flute, piano, and percussion 1953
- Die Mauer, soprano, tenor, baritone, chorus and orchestra, 1954
- Atlantische Ballade, alto, baritone, percussion trio, and strings, 1955
- Nocturnos, soprano, orchestra, 1958
- Incanto, soprano, saxophone, and percussion ensemble, 1959
- Eidophonie, chorus, percussion, 1962
- Commedia humana, speaker, double chorus, cello and tape 1972
- Missa Popularis, chorus and orchestra, 1980
- Les chansons, soprano, flute, clarinet, viola, cello and piano 1982
- Stele für Büchner, alto, baritone, chorus and orchestra, 1986–7
- Omnia tempus habent, chorus, 1996
Chamber
- Jazz-Sonatine, piano, 1945
- Piano music, 1945
- Toccata, piano, 1947
- Cello Sonata, 1948
- Piano Suite no.1, 1948–50
- Olaf’s Blues, guitar and piano 1949
- 2 Piano Pieces, 1950
- Piano Suite no.2, 1952
- String Quartet, 1952
- Integrales, alto saxophone and piano, 1954
- Permutazioni, flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon, 1959
- Variante, flute 1959
- Cadenza, piano and tape 1961
- Timbres, harp, celeste, piano, percussion quartet and tape, 1963
- Mobile I ‘Fragmente’, piano and synthesizer 1967–71
- Mobile II, clarinet and piano, 1968
- mini-music to siegfried palm, op.38, cello, 1970
- Modelle I oder ‘I love you Bäbi’, chamber ensemble, 1970
- Klangstück, violin and piano, 1974
- Divertimento, piano duo, 1980
- Assonanzen, cello duo, 1983
- Epitaph fü einen imaginären Freund, trumpet and piano, 1983
- Inter-Lineas, alto saxophone, clarinet and percussion a sax, 1985
- Dialoge, piano and percussion 1986–90
- Clarinota, clarinet, 1991
- Tastenstück, piano, 1991–3
- Essay, organ, 1992
- Ciacona, flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone, piano, violin, viola, and cello 1993
- Modus, bassoon, 1993
- Memoires à René Leibowitz, guitar, 1994–7
- Black Invocations, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano and double bass, 1995
- per Luigi, flute, clarinet, cello, percussion and tape, 1996
- Jazz-Capriccio, piano 2001
Notable Students of Hans Ulrich Engelmann
- Gerhard Müller-Hornbach (b. 1951)
- Hans-Jürgen von BoseHans-Jürgen von BoseHans-Jürgen von Bose is a German Composer.-Life:After an unsettled adolescence, Bose entered the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt in 1969, where he received instruction in piano and music theory...
(b. 1953) - Adrian Oswalt (b. 1954)
- Claus KühnlClaus KühnlClaus Kühnl is a German composer and teacher. He lives in Frankfurt am Main.- Life :Kühnl is the eldest child of Gudrun Kühnl from Lower Franconia and Wilhelm Kühnl who comes from the Sudetenland.His musical training began in 1973, first as an external student during his last years of high school...
(b. 1957) - Wolfgang Kleber (b. 1958)
- Ralf Emig (b. 1959)
- Rolf Rudin (b. 1961)
- Karl-Wieland Short (b. 1961)
Writings
- Béla Bartóks ‘Mikrokosmos’: Versuch einer Typologie ‘Neuer Musik’ (diss., U. of Frankfurt, 1952; Würzburg, 1953/R)
- ‘Fragen serieller Kompositionsverfahren’, Gesellschaft für Musikforschung: Kongress-Bericht: Kassel 1962, 374–9
- ‘Rhythmus und bildnerisches Denken’, Melos, ix (1968), 261–7
- ‘Selbstgespräch über die Funkoper’, Melos, xi (1968), 418–23
- ‘Erfahrungen mit Kompositionsschülern’, Melos, xvi (1974), 347–9
- ‘Zur Genesis der Darmstädter Schule’, 50 Jahre Ferienkurse, ed. Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt (Darmstadt, 1996), 50–54
Further reading
- U. Stürzbecher, U. Dibelius, C. Kühnl and others: Commedia humana. Hans Ulrich Engelmann und sein Werk (Wiesbaden, 1985)
- W. Knauer: ‘Hans Ulrich Engelmann und der Jazz: ein Dialog’, Jazz und Komposition: Beiträge zur Jazzforschung (Hofheim, 1993), 27–3
- H. Rohm: ‘Über Hans Ulrich Engelmann’, Werkverzeichnis Hans Ulrich Engelmann (Wiesbaden, 1996), 4–5 [Breitkopf & Härtel catalogue]
- G. Borio and H. Danuser: Im Zenit der Moderne (Freiburg, 1997)