Gerd Domhardt (19 February 1945 in

Wolmirstedt Wolmirstedt () is a town in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is located 14 km north of Magdeburg, on the river Ohre. The town Wolmirstedt consists of Wolmirstedt proper and the ''Ortschaften'' (municipal divisions) Elbeu, Fa ...

– 18 February 1997 in Halle) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

. Domhardt grew up in Schleusingerneundorf. He studied

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

German studies German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German hi ...

and

musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

at the

University of Halle-Wittenberg Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university i ...

from 1963 to 1968. From 1973 to 1976 he was a master student for

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

with

Ruth Zechlin Ruth Zechlin (22 June 1926 – 4 August 2007) was a German composer. Life Ruth Oschatz was born in Grosshartmannsdorf, where she began piano lessons at the age of five years, and wrote her first composition at the age of seven. From 1943 to 1 ...

at the

Academy of the Arts, Berlin The Academy of Arts (german: Akademie der Künste) is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The Academy's predecessor organization was fou ...

. Until 1969 he worked at the Staatskapelle Halle under Olaf Koch. From 1969 to 1973 he worked as an

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

at the Deutscher Verlag für Musik in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

. He was a teacher of the Halle composers class and from 1987 an honorary lecturer at the University of Halle-Wittenberg. Until 1995 he directed the Society of Composers of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...

and the contemporary music festival Hallische Musiktage. He was also founder and artistic director of the concert series approximation. In 1979 he composed the ''Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra in One Movement'' as the opening concert at the

Handel Festival, Halle The Handel Festival (in German: Händel-Festspiele) in Halle an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt, is an international music festival concentrating on the music of George Frideric Handel in the composer's birthplace. It was founded in 1922 and it grew into ...

. Last lived and worked as a freelance composer in Halle.

Awards

* 1978 Hans Stieber Prize * 1982

Hanns Eisler Prize The Hanns Eisler Prize was an East-German music award, named after the composer Hanns Eisler. It was awarded by Radio DDR – with advisory participation of the music section of the Akademie der Künste der DDR in Berlin (East) and the (VDK) – ...

Selected works

;Stage * ''Weiberkomödie'', Opera after

Heiner Müller Heiner Müller (; 9 January 1929 – 30 December 1995) was a German (formerly East German) dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. His "enigmatic, fragmentary pieces" are a significant contribution to postmodern drama and postdr ...

;Orchestra * Symphony No.1 * Symphony No.2 (1982) * ''Kammersinfonie 1'' (Chamber Symphony No.1) (1972) * ''Kammersinfonie 2'' (Chamber Symphony No.2) for 12 solo strings and percussion (1978) * ''Mémoire'', Music for string orchestra (1986) ;Concertante * Concerto for 2 violins and orchestra (1978–1979) * Concerto for violin and orchestra (c.1989) * Concerto for viola and orchestra * ''Orpheus'' for English horn and string orchestra ;Chamber music * ''Monolog'' for flute solo (1973) * String Quartet No.1 (1974) * ''Trio Sonata'' for flute, oboe and bassoon (1978) * String Quartet No.2 (1980) * String Sextet for 2 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos (1980) * ''Quattrosonata'' for flute, clarinet, bassoon and piano (c.1984) * ''Orpheus: Fragmente I'' for 2 guitars * ''Orpheus: Fragmente II, In Memoriam Victor Jara'' for oboe, trombone, viola, cello, guitar, piano and percussion (1985) * ''Nachtklang 2'', Music for flute (alto flute/piccolo) and percussion (2 players) (c.1994) * ''Sotto Voce'', Music for alto flute, clarinet and bass clarinet (1995) * Sonata for violin and piano ;Choral * ''Assoziationen'', Cycle for mixed chorus a cappella (1969–1970); words by

Heinz Czechowski Heinz Czechowski (7 February 1935 – 21 October 2009) was a German poet and dramatist. At the age of ten, Czechowski survived the highly destructive bombing of his birthplace of Dresden. After training in surveying and graphic design, he studied ...

and Kurt Bartsch * ''Melodramen für Chile'' for narrator, flute, piano and percussion (1974); words by Viktor Jara und

Pablo Neruda Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973), better known by his pen name and, later, legal name Pablo Neruda (; ), was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Nerud ...

* ''Invocación: "In Memoriam Paul Dessau"'' for mixed chorus a cappella (1974); words by

* ''Hölderlin'' for mixed chorus a cappella (1988); words by

Friedrich Hölderlin Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (, ; ; 20 March 1770 – 7 June 1843) was a German poet and philosopher. Described by Norbert von Hellingrath as "the most German of Germans", Hölderlin was a key figure of German Romanticism. Part ...

* ''Der Frieden muß halten'' for children's chorus and piano (1989) * ''Rundgesang'' for mixed chorus and piano (1989)

Sources

Gerd Domhardt biography at Landesverband Sachsen-Anhalt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Domhardt, Gerd 1945 births 1997 deaths People from Wolmirstedt 20th-century German composers