Paul Dessau
Encyclopedia
Paul Dessau was a German composer
and conductor
.
, his uncle, Bernhard Dessau, a violinist at the Royal Opera House
, Unter den Linden
, and his cousin Max Winterfeld became generally known under the name Jean Gilbert
as a composer of operettas.
From 1909 he majored in violin at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory
in Berlin. In 1912 he became répétiteur
at the City Theatre (Stadttheater) in Hamburg. There he studied the works of the composers Felix von Weingartner and Arthur Nikisch
and took classes in composition from Max Julius Loewengard. He was second Kapellmeister
at the Tivoli Theatre in Bremen
in 1914 before being drafted for military service in 1915.
After World War I
he became conductor at the Intimate Theatre (Kammerspiele), Hamburg, and was répétiteur and later Kapellmeister at the opera house in Cologne
under Otto Klemperer
between 1919 and 1923. In 1923 he became Kapellmeister in Mainz
and from 1925 Principal Kapellmeister at the Städtische Oper Berlin
under Bruno Walter
.
In 1933 Dessau emigrated to France, and 1939 moved further to the U.S.
where initially he lived in New York
before moving to Hollywood. Dessau returned to Germany with his second wife, the writer Elisabeth Hauptmann
, and settled in East Berlin in 1948.
Starting in 1952 he taught at the Public Drama School (Staatliche Schauspielschule) in Berlin-Oberschöneweide where he was appointed to a professorship in 1959. He became a member of the Deutsche Akademie der Künste
Berlin in 1952 and was vice-president of this institution between 1957 and 1962. He taught many Meisterschüler (pupils in a master class), including Friedrich Goldmann
, Reiner Bredemeyer
, Jörg Herchet, Hans-Karsten Raecke, Friedrich Schenker, Luca Lombardi
and Karl Ottomar Treibmann.
From 1954 he was married to the choreographer and director Ruth Berghaus
. Their son Maxim Dessau (b. 1954) studied at the College of Film and Television (Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen) in Potsdam
-Babelsberg. Maxim Dessau is now a movie director.
Dessau died on 28 June 1979 at the age of 84, in the then East German city of Königs Wusterhausen, on the outskirts of Berlin.
s, scenic plays, incidental music
, ballets, symphonies
and other works for orchestra, and pieces for solo instruments as well as vocal music. Since the 1920s he had been fascinated by film music. Among others he wrote compositions for early movies of Walt Disney
, background music for silent pictures and early German films. While in exile in Paris he wrote the oratorio Hagadah shel Pessach after a libretto by Max Brod
. In the 1950s in collaboration with Bertolt Brecht
he focussed on the musical theatre. During that time his operas were produced. He also wrote Gebrauchsmusik (utility music) for the propaganda of the German Democratic Republic
. At the same time he lobbied for the musical avant-garde (e.g. Witold Lutosławski, Alfred Schnittke
, Boris Blacher, Hans Werner Henze
and Luigi Nono
).
5 Songs for three female voices and cappella:
"Appell der Arbeiterklasse" for alto and tenor solo, narrator, children's and mixed choir and large orchestra, 1960-1961
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...
and 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...
.
Biography
Dessau was born in Hamburg into a musical family. His grandfather, Moses Berend Dessau, was a cantorCantor (church)
A cantor is the chief singer employed in a church with responsibilities for the ecclesiastical choir; also called the precentor....
, his uncle, Bernhard Dessau, a violinist at the Royal Opera House
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
, Unter den Linden
Unter den Linden
Unter den Linden is a boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is named for its linden trees that line the grassed pedestrian mall between two carriageways....
, and his cousin Max Winterfeld became generally known under the name Jean Gilbert
Jean Gilbert
Jean Gilbert was a German operetta composer and conductor. His real name was Max Winterfeld. He adopted the name of Jean Gilbert for the production of his first operetta in 1901.Gilbert was born in Hamburg...
as a composer of operettas.
From 1909 he majored in violin 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...
in Berlin. In 1912 he became répétiteur
Répétiteur
Répétiteur , repetitore , or Korrepetitor / Repetitor , originally from the French verb répéter meaning "to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse"....
at the City Theatre (Stadttheater) in Hamburg. There he studied the works of the composers Felix von Weingartner and Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch ; 12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London and - most importantly - Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Liszt...
and took classes in composition from Max Julius Loewengard. He was second 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...
at the Tivoli Theatre in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
in 1914 before being drafted for military service in 1915.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he became conductor at the Intimate Theatre (Kammerspiele), Hamburg, and was répétiteur and later Kapellmeister at the opera house 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...
under Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading conductors of the 20th century.-Biography:Otto Klemperer was born in Breslau, Silesia Province, then in Germany...
between 1919 and 1923. In 1923 he became Kapellmeister in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
and from 1925 Principal Kapellmeister at the Städtische Oper Berlin
Deutsche Oper Berlin
The Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany. The resident building is also home to the Berlin State Ballet.-History:...
under Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939...
.
In 1933 Dessau emigrated to France, and 1939 moved further to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where initially he lived in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
before moving to Hollywood. Dessau returned to Germany with his second wife, the writer Elisabeth Hauptmann
Elisabeth Hauptmann
Elisabeth Hauptmann was a German writer who worked with Bertolt Brecht....
, and settled in East Berlin in 1948.
Starting in 1952 he taught at the Public Drama School (Staatliche Schauspielschule) in Berlin-Oberschöneweide where he was appointed to a professorship in 1959. He became a member of the Deutsche Akademie der Künste
Akademie der Künste
The Akademie der Künste, Berlin is an arts institution in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1696 by Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg as the Prussian Academy of Arts, an academic institution where members could meet and discuss and share ideas...
Berlin in 1952 and was vice-president of this institution between 1957 and 1962. He taught many Meisterschüler (pupils in a master class), including Friedrich Goldmann
Friedrich Goldmann
Friedrich Goldmann was a German composer and conductor.-Life:Born on 27 April 1941, in Siegmar-Schönau, Chemnitz, Goldmann’s music education began in 1951 when he joined the Dresdner Kreuzchor...
, Reiner Bredemeyer
Reiner Bredemeyer
Reiner Bredemeyer was a German composer. He was born in Vélez, Santander and went to school in Breslau. In 1944 he began his military service. After World War II he met Karl Amadeus Hartmann. From 1949 to 1953 he studied composition with Karl Höller at the Munich Academy for Musical Arts...
, Jörg Herchet, Hans-Karsten Raecke, Friedrich Schenker, Luca Lombardi
Luca Lombardi
-Biography:Lombardi studied composition initially with Armando Renzi and Roberto Lupi, later enrolling at the Pesaro Conservatory where he studied with Boris Porena, receiving his diploma in 1970. He then studied musicology at the University of Rome, graduating with a thesis on Hanns Eisler...
and Karl Ottomar Treibmann.
From 1954 he was married to the choreographer and director Ruth Berghaus
Ruth Berghaus
Ruth Berghaus was a German choreographer and opera and theatre director.Berghaus was born in Dresden and studied Expressionist dance and Dance direction with Gret Palucca there and was an advanced student at the German Academy of Arts in Berlin, at least part of the time under Walter Felsenstein -...
. Their son Maxim Dessau (b. 1954) studied at the College of Film and Television (Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen) in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
-Babelsberg. Maxim Dessau is now a movie director.
Dessau died on 28 June 1979 at the age of 84, in the then East German city of Königs Wusterhausen, on the outskirts of Berlin.
Works
Dessau composed operaOpera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s, scenic plays, incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
, ballets, 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...
and other works for orchestra, and pieces for solo instruments as well as vocal music. Since the 1920s he had been fascinated by film music. Among others he wrote compositions for early movies of Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, background music for silent pictures and early German films. While in exile in Paris he wrote the oratorio Hagadah shel Pessach after a libretto by Max Brod
Max Brod
Max Brod was a German-speaking Czech Jewish, later Israeli, author, composer, and journalist. Although he was a prolific writer in his own right, he is most famous as the friend and biographer of Franz Kafka...
. In the 1950s in collaboration with Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
he focussed on the musical theatre. During that time his operas were produced. He also wrote Gebrauchsmusik (utility music) for the propaganda of the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
. At the same time he lobbied for the musical avant-garde (e.g. Witold Lutosławski, Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke ; November 24, 1934 – August 3, 1998) was a Russian and Soviet composer. Schnittke's early music shows the strong influence of Dmitri Shostakovich. He developed a polystylistic technique in works such as the epic First Symphony and First Concerto Grosso...
, Boris Blacher, Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
and Luigi Nono
Luigi Nono
Luigi Nono was an Italian avant-garde composer of classical music and remains one of the most prominent composers of the 20th century.- Early years :Born in Venice, he was a member of a wealthy artistic family, and his grandfather was a notable painter...
).
Operas
- "Die Reisen des Glücksgotts" (fragment), 1945 (after Bertolt Brecht)
- Die Verurteilung des Lukullus [Das Verhör des Lukullus], 1949-1951 (after Bertolt Brecht), world premiere on March 17, 1951 at the StaatsoperBerlin State OperaThe Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
- "Puntila", 1956-1959 (Peter Palitzsch and Manfred Wekwerth after Brecht play), world premiere on November 15, 1966 at the Staatsoper
- "Die heilige Johanna der Schlachthöfe" [fragment], 1961 (after Bertolt Brecht)
- "Lanzelot", 1967-9 (text: Heiner MüllerHeiner MüllerHeiner Müller was a German dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. Described as "the theatre's greatest living poet" since Samuel Beckett, Müller is arguably the most important German dramatist of the 20th century after Bertolt Brecht...
and Ginka Tsholakova), world premiere on 19 December, 1969 at the Staatsoper - "Einstein", 1969-1972, (text: Karl Mickel), world premiere on February 16, 1974 at the Staatsoper
- "Leonce und Lena", 1976-1979 (Thomas Körner after Georg BüchnerGeorg BüchnerKarl Georg Büchner was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose. He was the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchner. Büchner's talent is generally held in great esteem in Germany...
), world premiere on November 24, 1979
Incidental music
- "99%- eine deutsche Heerschau" (Furcht und Elend des Dritten ReichesFear and Misery of the Third ReichFear and Misery of the Third Reich, , also known as The Private Life of the Master Race, is one of Bertolt Brecht's most famous plays and the first of his openly anti-Nazi works. It was first performed in 1938...
) 1938 - "Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder: Chronik aus dem Dreißigjährigen Krieg" 1946-1949
- "Der gute Mensch von Sezuan" 1947-1948
- "Die Ausnahme und die RegelThe Exception and the RuleThe Exception and the Rule is a short play by German playwright Bertolt Brecht and is one of several Lehrstücke he wrote around 1929/30...
" 1948 - "Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti", VolksstückFolk playFolk plays such as Hoodening, Guising, Mumming and Soul Caking are generally verse sketches performed in countryside pubs in European countries, private houses or the open air, at set times of the year such as the Winter or Summer solstices or Christmas and New Year...
(folk play) 1949 - "Wie dem deutschen Michel geholfen wird." Clownspiel (clown play) 1949
- "Der Hofmeister" 1950
- "Herrnburger BerichtReport from HerrnburgReport from Herrnburg is a production performed by a youth chorus that consisted of ten songs, each with a brief introductory commentary, written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, and two fragments of film, given on a concert platform in the form of a report. The music for the production was...
" for youth choir, soloists and orchestra 1951 - "Mann ist MannMan Equals ManMan Equals Man , or A Man's a Man, is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. One of Brecht's earlier works, it explores themes of war, human fungibility, and identity...
" 1951-1956 - "Urfaust" 1952-1953
- "Don JuanDon Juan (Brecht)Don Juan is an adaptation by the twentieth-century German dramatist Bertolt Brecht of a seventeenth-century French play by Molière.-Works cited:...
" 1953 - "Der kaukasische KreidekreisThe Caucasian Chalk CircleThe Caucasian Chalk Circle is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than its natural parents....
" 1953-1954 - "CoriolanCoriolanus (Brecht)Coriolanus is an unfinished German adaptation by the modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht of the English 17th-century tragedy by William Shakespeare. Brecht wrote it sometime between 1951 and 1953...
" 1964
Film music
- "Alice the Fire Fighter" (Alice und ihre Feuerwehr) (21.8.1928), "Alice's Monkey Business" (Alice und die Flöhe) (25.9.1928), "Alice in the Wooly West" (Alice und die Wildwest-Banditen) (18.10.1928) and "Alice Helps the Romance" (Alice und der Selbstmörder) (31.1.1929) by Walt Disney
- "L'Horloge Magique. 2. La Forêt enchanté" (Der verzauberte Wald) (7.9.1928) and "L'Horloge Magique. 1. L'Horloge Magique" (Die Wunderuhr) (12.11.1928) by Ladislas Starewitch
- "Doktor Doolittle und seine Tiere" (15.12.1928) by Lotte ReinigerLotte ReinigerCharlotte "Lotte" Reiniger was a German silhouette animator and film director.- Early life :Lotte Reiniger was born in Berlin-Charlottenburg, German Empire, on June 2, 1899...
with arrangements of music by Kurt WeillKurt WeillKurt 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...
, Paul HindemithPaul HindemithPaul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
and a private composition - Musical director in musical and operetta films together with Richard TauberRichard TauberRichard Tauber was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Some critics commented that "his heart felt every word he sang".-Early life:...
(among others "Das Land des Lächelns", "Melodie der Liebe"). with melodies by Franz LehárFranz LehárFranz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
and Bronislaw KaperBronislaw KaperBronisław Kaper was a Polish film composer who scored films and musical theater in Germany, France, and the USA. The American immigration authorities misspelled his name as Bronislau Kaper... - 400 cm^3 documentary
- "Stürme über dem Montblanc", "Der weiße Rausch" and "S.O.S. Eisberg" by Arnold FanckArnold FanckArnold Fanck was a pioneer of the German mountain film....
- "Cargaison Blanche" (by Robert SiodmakRobert SiodmakRobert Siodmak was a German born American film director. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for the series of Hollywood film noirs he made in the 1940s.-Early life:...
), "Yoshiwara"" (by Max OphülsMax OphülsMaximillian Oppenheimer — known as Max Ophüls — was an influential German-born film director who worked in Germany , France , the United States , and France again...
), "Werther" (by Max Ophüls) - See also the extensive filmography in the IMD Movie Database, at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006036/
Works for choir
- "Deutsches Miserere" for mixed choir, children's choir, soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, large orchestra, organ and trautoniumTrautoniumThe trautonium is a monophonic electronic musical instrument invented about 1929 by Friedrich Trautwein in Berlin at the Musikhochschule's music and radio lab, the Rundfunkversuchstelle. Soon Oskar Sala joined him, continuing development until Sala's death in 2002. Instead of a keyboard, its manual...
1943-1944 - "Internationale Kriegsfibel" for soloists, mixed choir and instruments 1944-45
- "Die Erziehung der Hirse", musical epic for one narrator, one solo voice, mixed choir, youth choir and large orchestra 1952-1954
- "Vier Grabschriften."
- "Grabschrift für Rosa Luxemburg" for mixed choir and orchestra
- "Grabschrift für Liebknecht"
- "Grabschrift für Lenin"
- "Die Thälmannkolonne"
- "Mein Bruder war ein Flieger"
- "Vom Kind, das sich nicht waschen wollte"
- "Sieben Rosen hat der Strauch"
- "Lied von der Bleibe"
Songs
- "Kampflied der schwarzen Strohhüte" 1936
- "Die Thälmann-Kolonne" 1936
- "Lied einer deutschen Mutter" 1943
- "Das deutsche Miserere" 1943
- "Horst-Dussel-Lied" 1943
- "Wiegenlied für Gesang und Gitarre" 1947
- "Aufbaulied der FDJ" 1948
- "Zukunftslied" 1949
- "Friedenslied" for one solo voice with one accompanying voice (text: Bertolt Brecht after Pablo NerudaPablo NerudaPablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
) 1951 - "Der Augsburger Kreidekreis." A dramatic ballad for music 1952
- "Jakobs Söhne ziehen aus, im Ägyptenland Lebensmittel zu holen" for children's choir, soloists and instruments 1953
- "Der anachronistische Zug." ballad for song, piano and percussion 1956
- "Kleines Lied" for song and piano 1965
- "Historie vom verliebten Schwein Malchus" for solo voice 1973
- "Spruch für Gesang und Klavier" 1973
- "Bei den Hochgestellten" 1975
Other compositions
- "In memoriam Bertolt Brecht" for large orchestra 1956-1957
- "Bach-Variationen" for large orchestra 1963
- Symphonic Mozart-Adaptation (after the Quintett KV 614) 1965
- "Lenin", music for orchestra no. 3 with concluding chorus "Grabschrift für Lenin." 1969
- "Für Helli", small piece for piano 1971
- Bagatelles for viola and piano (1975)
- Sonatine for viola and piano (1929)
- two symphonies
- seven string quartets and others
Awards
- Award of the music publisher Schott 1925
- National Prize III. Category 1953
- National Prize II. Category 1956
- National Prize I. Category 1965
- Vaterländischer Verdienstorden (Decoration of Honour for Services to the GDR) in Gold 1965
- Karl-Marx-Orden (Karl-Marx-Decoration) 1969
- National Prize I. Category 1974
Literature
- Fritz Henneberg: "Dessau - Brecht. Musikalische Arbeiten." (Henschel, Berlin 1963)
- Fritz Hennenberg: "Paul Dessau. Eine Biographie." (VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1965)
- Paul Dessau: "Notizen zu Noten" (ed. Fritz Henneberg, Reclam, Leipzig 1974)
- Paul Dessau: " Aus Gesprächen" (VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1974)
- Joachim Lucchesi (ed.): "Das Verhör in der Oper. Die Debatte um die Aufführung »Das Verhör des Lukullus« von Bertolt Brecht und Paul Dessau." (BasisDruck, Berlin 1993)
External links
- Biography
- The American Symphony Orchestra will perform the US Premiere of Dessau's In memoriam Bertolt Brecht (1957) in 2009 http://www.americansymphony.org