Karl Marx (composer)
Encyclopedia
Karl Marx was a German
composer
, conductor
, and educator
.
Marx was born in Munich
. He first studied natural sciences but, after having met Carl Orff
, decided to make music his career, and studied musical composition
with Orff, Siegmund von Hausegger
, and Anton Beer-Waldbrunn among others. In 1928 he became choir director of the Munich Bach Society, and in 1929 was appointed professor of compositional technique
at the Akademie der Tonkunst
, Munich. From 1939 to 1945 he taught music theory
at the Johann Joseph Fux
Conservatory in Graz
, composed music for Nazi ceremonies and contributed to songbooks for the Hitler Youth
. From 1946 until given emeritus status he was professor of composition at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart
. He died in Stuttgart.
Marx composed orchestral works, concerti
, chamber music
, piano
music, works for organ
, cantata
s, numerous choral works
and lied
er set to words by German poets. One of his primary causes was to write music for young people; his compositions for youth orchestras were well received in his day.
His works include:
He is best known for his quote, "There comes a time in your life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all life is too short to be anything but happy."
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
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 educator
Music education
Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...
.
Marx was born in 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...
. He first studied natural sciences but, after having met Carl Orff
Carl Orff
Carl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
, decided to make music his career, and studied musical composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
with Orff, Siegmund von Hausegger
Siegmund von Hausegger
Siegmund von Hausegger was an Austrian composer and conductor.-Early life:Siegmund was born in Graz, the son of Friedrich von Hausegger , a lawyer and writer on music...
, and Anton Beer-Waldbrunn among others. In 1928 he became choir director of the Munich Bach Society, and in 1929 was appointed professor of compositional technique
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
at the Akademie der Tonkunst
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...
, Munich. From 1939 to 1945 he taught music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
at the Johann Joseph Fux
Johann Fux
Johann Joseph Fux was an Austrian composer, music theorist and pedagogue of the late Baroque era. He is most famous as the author of Gradus ad Parnassum, a treatise on counterpoint, which has become the single most influential book on the Palestrina style of Renaissance polyphony...
Conservatory in 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...
, composed music for Nazi ceremonies and contributed to songbooks for the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
. From 1946 until given emeritus status he was professor of composition at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart
State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart
The State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart is a professional school for musicians and performing artists in Stuttgart, Germany...
. He died in Stuttgart.
Marx composed orchestral works, concerti
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...
, 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...
, 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...
music, works for organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s, numerous choral works
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
and lied
Lied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
er set to words by German poets. One of his primary causes was to write music for young people; his compositions for youth orchestras were well received in his day.
His works include:
- 18 Variations on an Old English Folksong
- Frühlingstau in deinen Augen (for contralto, treble recorder and piano)
- Werkleute sind wir, motet for eight-part choir
- Festival Prelude
- Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 10 (published 1930)
- Concerto for 2 Violins and Orchestra
- Passacaglia for orchestra
- Divertimento for wind instruments
- String Quartet
- Sextet for flute, clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola, and cello
- Rilke-Gesänge (Rilke Songs), Opp. 1, 6 and 11, for mixed choir
- Drei Chöre (Three Choirs), Op. 46, set to words by Fritz Diettrich
- Heitere Verse (Cheerful Verses), Op. 54, set to words by Wilhelm BuschWilhelm BuschWilhelm Busch was an influential German caricaturist, painter, and poet who is famed for his satirical picture stories with rhymed texts....
and Eugen RothEugen RothEugen Roth was a German lyricist and poet, he wrote mostly humorous verse.Roth was the son of the well-known Munich writer Hermann Roth. He volunteered for service in the first world war and was severely wounded. He studied history, art history, and philosophy earning in 1922 his doctorate degree... - Raube das Licht aus dem Rachen der Schlange (Rob the Light from the Serpent's Throat), Op. 57, Cantata set to words by Hans CarossaHans CarossaHans Carossa was a German novelist and poet, known mostly for his autobiographical novels, and his innere Emigration during the Nazi era....
for solo baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
, mixed choir and orchestra
He is best known for his quote, "There comes a time in your life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all life is too short to be anything but happy."