Friedrich Zehm (22 January 1923 – 4 December 2007) was a German classical composer.

Life

Zehm was born in Neusalz in Lower Silesia. He received first piano lessons by the composer in

Stettin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin language, Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Po ...

when he was 8 years old. In 1941, he began studies at the Mozarteum in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

with Walter Lampe (composer) (piano) and Friedrich Frischenschlager (theory). He continued after the war at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg with

Harald Genzmer Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardrada ...

(composition) and

Edith Picht-Axenfeld Edith Picht-Axenfeld (Freiburg im Breisgau, 1 January 1914 – Hinterzarten, 19 April 2001) was a German pianist and harpsichordist. Career She started her concert career in 1935, and took part two years later in the III International Chopin Pian ...

(piano). From 1952 to 1956, he worked as a private music teacher, pianist and composer, from 1956 to 1963 he was responsible for music at the Amerika-Haus in Freiburg, and from 1963 to 1985 as an editor and for the music publishing house Schott in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

. He died on 4 December 2007 in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

Work

His career as a composer spanned from 1950 to 2007. He wrote some 200 works, focused on

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

. He also wrote vocal music, especially songs and song cycles. He composed orchestral works, concertos, music for piano, organ and harpsichord, a few works for theater, radio plays and film, educational literature, works for school orchestras and amateur orchestras. He published arrangements of international folklore under a pen name. As a student of

and in the wake of

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 ...

, Bartók and

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

, Zehm composed in extended tonality. His music includes elements of avant-garde, connected to traditional formal elements. His music shows formally clear and concise structure, using traditional forms such as

fugue In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...

and rondo, catchy, concise and rhythmically profiled themes, and dancing rhythm. He composed ''Grasshoffiade'', four songs on lyrics by

Fritz Grasshoff Fritz Graßhoff (9 December 1913 – 9 February 1997) was a German painter, poet and songwriter. He was known for hits sung by Lale Andersen, Freddy Quinn and Hans Albers. As a painter, he participated in important exhibitions; as a writer, he ...

for men's choir. His Mass ''Deutsche Messe mit Einheitsliedern'' was premiered on 15 September 1968 in Wiesbaden by the

Chor von St. Bonifatius The Chor von St. Bonifatius (Choir of St. Boniface) is a German mixed choir, the church choir of the parish St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden. It was founded in 1862 as a male choir and was a mixed choir from 1887. From 1981 to 2018, it was conducted by ...

and members of the

Hessisches Staatsorchester The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden ('Hessian State Theatre Wiesbaden') is a German theatre located in Wiesbaden, in the German state Hesse. The company produces operas, plays, ballets, musicals and concerts on four stages. Known also as the ...

, conducted by Peter Kempin.

Selected works

*Sonata for viola and piano (1949) *Duo for violin and viola (1954) *''Präludium'' for viola solo (1954) *''Allegro concertante'' for large orchestra (1959) *''Lyrische Kantate'' (Lyrical Cantata) after Julius Bissier for baritone and orchestra (1964/65) *''Deutsche Messe mit Einheitsliedern'' (German Mass with Hymns) for mixed choir, six brass instruments and congregational singing (1965) *''Capriccio'' for percussion and chamber orchestra (1968) *''Schwierigkeiten & Unfälle mit 1 Choral'' (Difficulties and Accidents with 1 Chorale) for a conductor and ten wind players (1974) *''Albumblatt'' (Album Leaf) for viola and piano (1980) *''Rhapsodische Sonate'' for violin and piano (1982) *''Divertimento armonico'' for accordion orchestra (1985) *''Drei Elegien'' (3 Elegies) for viola and piano (1987) *''6 Impromptus'' for clarinet and viola (1987–1988) *''Klavierbuch für die Jugend'' (Piano Book for the Young) (1988) *''Inventionen'' for piano (2007)

Literature

* Heidrun Miller
Friedrich Zehm. Komponist zwischen Tradition und Moderne
in ''Schriften zur Musikwissenschaft 8'', Musikwissenschaftliches Institut der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz 2003 * Heidrun Miller: ''Zur Kammermusik von Friedrich Zehm'', in: Kristin Pfarr, Karl Böhmer,

Christoph-Hellmut Mahling Christoph-Hellmut Mahling (25 May 1932 – 13 February 2012) was a German musicologist and lecturer at various universities. Life and career Born in Berlin, Mahling studied musicology by Walter Gerstenberg, Georg Reichert, Joseph Müller-Blat ...

(ed.), ''Teil 1 Kammermusik an Rhein und Main. Teil 2 Beiträge zur Geschichte des Streichquartetts'', Mainz 2007

References

External links

*
Friedrich Zehm
website
Friedrich Zehm

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were fou ...

Friedrich Zehm (1923 - 2007)
komponisten.at {{DEFAULTSORT:Zehm, Friedrich 1923 births 2007 deaths German male composers German composers Hochschule für Musik Freiburg alumni People from Nowa Sól People from the Province of Lower Silesia 20th-century German musicians 20th-century German male musicians