Caspar Diethelm (31 March 1926 – 1 January 1997) was a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
composer.
Education
Born in
Lucerne
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...
, Diethelm studied at the
Conservatory and the School of Church Music there (now both divisions of the Lucerne Musikhochschule).
[Vie, Caspar Diethelm]
at fattore.com; tr. Daniel Fattore from programme notes for performance of ''Das Rad des Lebens'' He studied composition privately with
Johann Baptist Hilber (1891–1973) and
Albert Jenny, and took master classes with
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ''Ne ...
and
Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably ''Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 to ...
, which had a significant influence on him, in addition to summer courses in
Darmstadt
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
with
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...
and
Luigi Nono
Luigi Nono (; 29 January 1924 – 8 May 1990) was an Italian avant-garde composer of classical music.
Biography
Early years
Nono, born in Venice, was a member of a wealthy artistic family; his grandfather was a notable painter. Nono beg ...
. He completed his education as a conductor with
Ernst Hans Beer and
Alexander Krannhals.
[
]
Career
From 1963 to 1993 he worked as a docent
The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de conf ...
in music history, topics in music theory, composition and chamber music at the Lucerne Conservatory. At the same time he conducted his own works at home and abroad, as well as giving numerous lectures and writing well received essays.
Works
Diethelm composed some 343 works in his lifetime, amongst them over 100 for full orchestra, chamber orchestra and string orchestra including eight symphonies, concertos for almost every instrument and a ballet; 40 works for choir with orchestra, instrumental ensemble or organ, including three oratorios and numerous cantatas; several works for ''a capella'' choir, including several masses and motets; more than 20 works for wind ensemble and brass band; and an extensive repertoire of chamber works ranging from solo instrumental pieces to nonettes and including six string quartets, solo sonatas for all instruments, 22 piano sonatas, and numerous works for unusual combinations of instruments.[List of works by Caspar Diethelm]
at Klassika
In addition to works which make great demands on the performer and the listener, he also composed numerous works for amateurs, such as the ''Concerti Diletti'' for amateur string orchestra, choral and song works and masses for amateur choirs; and chamber and piano works for instructional use.[ He also made numerous arrangements and reconstructions of other composers' works, such as the ''Flute Concerto'' by F. X. Stalder, the ''Sinfonia Concertante'' by Constantin Reindl, quintet arrangements for clarinet and string quartet, and arrangements for string quintet of works by ]Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
.
Style
Diethelm's sonic palette is highly distinctive, and through its expressivity and vitality has an immediate impact on the listener. The composer engaged intensively with the latest tendencies in music, including twelve-tone music
The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition first devised by Austrian composer Josef Matthias Hauer, who published his "law o ...
, atonality
Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...
, serialism
In music, serialism is a method of Musical composition, composition using series of pitches, rhythms, dynamics, timbres or other elements of music, musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, thou ...
and aleatorics, but always rejected the constraints of dogmatism. Instead, he developed his own characteristic style,[ influenced by Jenny, Hindemith, Honneger and Hans Martin.
His music is characterised by Swiss elements and generally pursues a broad melodic linearity. Harmonically, he uses free tonality; his rhythms are sometimes elementary, characterised by a strong impulse towards the dance and a preference for large, uneven cycles. He placed great importance on the use of predictable, completable forms, such as the sonata form with its basis in duality, the ]Lied
In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...
, the rondo
The rondo is an instrumental musical form introduced in the Classical period.
Etymology
The English word ''rondo'' comes from the Italian form of the French ''rondeau'', which means "a little round".
Despite the common etymological root, rondo ...
, arched and embedded structures; however, within these he always sought individual and variable solutions.
In his later works, he turned to a more meditative approach, greater spirituality, and influences from non-European music and modes of thought.[ In this light he has been referred to as "someone who dealt cleverly with psychic phenomena ncludingin his compositions."] One example is his 1987 chamber music work ''Das Rad des Lebens'' (the wheel of life).
Honours
* 1969: Obwalden
Obwalden, also Obwald (german: Kanton Obwalden, rm, Chantun Sursilvania; french: Canton d'Obwald; it, Canton Obvaldo), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of seven municipalities and the seat of the govern ...
Art Prize
* 1985: City of Lucerne Art Prize[
]
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
Caspar Diethelm
at the German National Library
The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diethelm, Casper
Swiss male composers
1926 births
1997 deaths
People from Lucerne
20th-century male musicians
20th-century Swiss composers