Wladimir Vogel
Encyclopedia
Wladimir Rudolfowitsch Vogel (b. 17 February/29 February 1896 in Moscow
; d. 19 June 1984 in Zurich
) was a Swiss
composer
of German
and Russian
extraction.
and Ferruccio Busoni
in Berlin
, where he subsequently taught (1929–33) at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory
. He was close to the expressionist circle around Herwarth Walden
and was active (together with George Antheil
, Hanns Eisler
, Philipp Jarnach
, Stefan Wolpe
, and Kurt Weill
) in the music section of the November Group of Max Butting
and Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt
.
In 1933, branded a “degenerate artist” by the Nazi regime, he left Germany and went to Strasbourg
, Brussels
, Paris
, and London
. He first turned to twelve-tone technique
with his Violin Concerto in 1937. From 1939 he lived in Switzerland, at first in Ascona
and from 1964 in Zürich. Until he became a Swiss citizen in 1954, he was not allowed to work in Switzerland, and relied on the support of wealthy patrons and his wife, the writer Aline Valangin. During this time, he taught composition privately, was active in the ISCM, participated in Hermann Scherchen
’s ‘Sessions d’études musicales et dramatiques’ in Strasbourg, and organized the International Twelve-Tone Music pre-conference in Osilina in 1949. His students include Erik Bergman
, Maurice Karkoff, Rodolfo Holzmann, Robert Suter, Einojuhani Rautavaara
, and Rolf Liebermann
.
, pieces for orchestra, string orchestra, wind ensemble, a concerto for violin and another for cello, works for choir, soloists and orchestra—the most important of which, called "drama-oratorios", are based on a synthesis of speech and song—and chamber-music works.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
; d. 19 June 1984 in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
) was a Swiss
Swiss (people)
The Swiss are citizens or natives of Switzerland. The demonym derives from the toponym of Schwyz and has been in widespread use to refer to the Old Swiss Confederacy since the 16th century....
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...
of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
and Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
extraction.
Life
Vogel first studied composition in Moscow with Scriabin, then between 1918 and 1924 with Heinz TiessenHeinz Tiessen
Richard Gustav Heinz Tiessen was a German composer.-Biography:Tiessen was born at Königsberg, where he studied with composer Erwin Kroll before moving to Berlin. There, he enrolled at Humboldt University and at the Stern'sches Konservatorium, where he studied composition and music theory...
and Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
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...
, where he subsequently taught (1929–33) at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory
Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory
The Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory was a music institute in Berlin, established in 1893, which for decades was one of the most internationally renowned schools of music. It was formed from the existing schools of music of Xaver Scharwenka and Karl Klindworth, the Scharwenka-Konservatorium and...
. He was close to the expressionist circle around Herwarth Walden
Herwarth Walden
Herwarth Walden was a German Expressionist artist and art expert in many disciplines...
and was active (together with George Antheil
George Antheil
George Antheil was an American avant-garde composer, pianist, author and inventor. A self-described "Bad Boy of Music", his modernist compositions amazed and appalled listeners in Europe and the US during the 1920s with their cacophonous celebration of mechanical devices.Returning permanently to...
, Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler was an Austrian composer.-Family background:Eisler was born in Leipzig where his Jewish father, Rudolf Eisler, was a professor of philosophy...
, Philipp Jarnach
Philipp Jarnach
Philipp Jarnach was considered in the 1920s to be one of the most important composers of modern music....
, Stefan Wolpe
Stefan Wolpe
Stefan Wolpe was a German-born composer.-Life:Wolpe was born in Berlin. He attended the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory from the age of fourteen, and the Berlin Hochschule für Musik in 1920-1921. He studied composition under Franz Schreker and was also a pupil of Ferruccio Busoni...
, and Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
) in the music section of the November Group of Max Butting
Max Butting
Max Butting was a German composer.-Life:Max Butting was the son of an ironmonger and of a piano teacher. He received his first musical instruction from his mother and later from the organist Arnold Dreyer...
and Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt
Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt
Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt was a German composer, musicologist, and historian and critic of music.- Life :...
.
In 1933, branded a “degenerate artist” by the Nazi regime, he left Germany and went to Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He first turned to twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg...
with his Violin Concerto in 1937. From 1939 he lived in Switzerland, at first in Ascona
Ascona
Ascona is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.It is located on the shore of Lake Maggiore.The town is a popular tourist destination, and holds a yearly jazz festival, the Ascona Jazz Festival....
and from 1964 in Zürich. Until he became a Swiss citizen in 1954, he was not allowed to work in Switzerland, and relied on the support of wealthy patrons and his wife, the writer Aline Valangin. During this time, he taught composition privately, was active in the ISCM, participated in Hermann Scherchen
Hermann Scherchen
Hermann Scherchen was a German conductor.-Life:Scherchen was originally a violist and played among the violas of the Bluthner Orchestra of Berlin while still in his teens...
’s ‘Sessions d’études musicales et dramatiques’ in Strasbourg, and organized the International Twelve-Tone Music pre-conference in Osilina in 1949. His students include Erik Bergman
Erik Bergman
Erik Valdemar Bergman was an influential composer of classical music from Finland.Bergman's style ranged widely, from Romanticism in his early works to modernism and primitivism, among other genres...
, Maurice Karkoff, Rodolfo Holzmann, Robert Suter, Einojuhani Rautavaara
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Einojuhani Rautavaara is a Finnish composer of contemporary classical music, and is one of the most notable Finnish composers after Jean Sibelius.-Life:...
, and Rolf Liebermann
Rolf Liebermann
Rolf Liebermann , was a Swiss composer and music administrator born in Zurich, and associated with several different musical genres. His output included chansons, classical, and light music. His classical music often combines myriad styles and techniques, including those drawn from baroque,...
.
Compositions (selective list)
Vogel composed a symphonySymphony
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...
, pieces for orchestra, string orchestra, wind ensemble, a concerto for violin and another for cello, works for choir, soloists and orchestra—the most important of which, called "drama-oratorios", are based on a synthesis of speech and song—and chamber-music works.
- Drei Sprechlieder nach August Stramm for baritone and piano (1922)
- Sinfonischer Vorgang for large orchestra (1922–23)
- Wagadus Untergang durch die Eitelkeit, drama-oratorio (1930)
- Sinfonia fugata for large orchestra (1930–1932)
- Vier Etüden for large orchestra (1930–1932)
- Variétude for piano (1931)
- Rallye for orchestra (1932)
- Violin Concerto (1937)
- Thyl Claes, Parts I and II, drama-oratorio (1941–42 and 1943–45)
- In memoriam, Two Sonnets by Roger Vuataz for contralto, viola, harp and timpani, VWV 42 (1947)
- Jona ging doch nach Ninive, drama-oratorio (1957–58)
- Meditazione sulla maschera di Modigliani, drama-oratorio (1960)
- An die akademische Jugend (Notker Balbulus) for mixed choir a cappella (1962)
- Worte (Hans Arp) for 2 speaking voices and strings (1962)
- Flucht, drama-oratorio (1963–64)
- Mondträume (Hans Arp), permutations and paraphrases after verses from Mondsand by Hans Arp for speaking choir a cappella (1965)
- Hörformen I for orchestra (1967)
- Hörformen II for orchestra (1967–69)
- Gli spaziali drama-oratorio (1970–71)
- Abschied for string orchestra (1973)
- Vier Versionen einer Zwölftonfolge for piano (1973)
- Meloformen for string orchestra (1974)
- Hommage nach einer 6-Tonfolge von Hermann Jöhr for strings in variable scoring (1975)
- Composition for chamber orchestra (1976)
- In Signum IM for large orchestra (1976)
- Verstrebungen for chamber orchestra (1977)
- Kleine Hörformen for viola and piano, VWV 51 (1979)
- Reigen for chamber orchestra (1981)
- Humoreske, Paraphrasen über 2 Themen von Gottschalk and Tschaikowsky for large orchestra (1981)
- Trio for three clarinets (1982)
- Klangexpressionen (Bulgakov), string quartet (1983)
- Colori e movimenti for orchestra (1983)