Grete von Zieritz (10 March 1899 – 26 November 2001) was an Austrian-German composer and pianist.

Life

Grete von Zieritz was born in Vienna, Austria into a noble family, and grew up in Vienna,

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

and

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

. She received her first piano lessons at the age of six, and later studied with Hugo Kroemer (piano) and Roderick Mojsisovics (

musical composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

). She gave her first concert at age eight. In Berlin, she continued her studies with

Martin Krause Martin Krause (17 June 18532 August 1918) was a German concert pianist, piano teacher,James Methuen-Campbell (2001). Krause, Martin. ''Grove Music Online'', Oxford University Press music critic, and writer. Career Martin Krause was born in Lo ...

, a student of

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

, and

Rudolf Maria Breithaupt Rudolf Maria Breithaupt (11 August 1873 – 2 April 1945) was a German composer and music educator (piano). Life Born in Braunschweig, Breithaupt attended the grammar school in Braunschweig. He studied jurisprudence, then philosophy, psycholog ...

. After the successful performance of her "Japanese Songs" in 1921, she decided to become a composer. Von Zieritz worked as a music teacher and continued to study in Berlin from 1926 to 1931 under

Franz Schreker Franz Schreker (originally ''Schrecker''; 23 March 1878 – 21 March 1934) was an Austrian composer, conductor, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic plurality (a mixture ...

. In 1939 she was the only woman at the International Music Festival in Frankfurt am Main among composers from 18 nations. In 2009 in Vienna Donaustadt the Zieritzgasse was named after her. She died in Berlin in 2001.

Awards

*1928:

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

-State Award *1928: Schubert scholarship to Columbia Phonograph Company *1978: Merit First Class for Science and the Arts *1979: Order of Merit *1982: PRS-Medal of Honour for 50-year membership *1999: Badge of Honour of the National Music Council, Berlin *1999: German Critics' Award (Special)

Works

Grete von Zieritz wrote over 250 works for various ensembles. Selected works include:

Orchestral

* ''Kleine Abendmusik'' for string orchestra (1916) * Triple Fugue for string orchestra (1926) * ''Intermezzo diabolico'' (1932) * ''Bilder vom Jahrmarkt'' for flute and orchestra (1937) * ''Das Gifthorner Konzert'' for flute, harp, and strings (1940) * Triple Concerto for flute, clarinet, bassoon, and orchestra (1950) * ''Le violon de la mort (Danses macabres)'' for violin, piano, and orchestra (1956–1957) * Divertimento for 12 solo instruments and chamber orchestra (1962) * ''Sizilianische Rhapsodie'' for violin and orchestra (1965) * Concerto for 2 trumpets and orchestra (1975) * Organ Concerto (1977) * Fanfare (1979) * ''Zigeunerkonzert'' for violin and orchestra (1982)

Chamber

*''Japanese Songs'' for soprano and piano (1919) *''Prelude and Fugue'' in C minor for piano (1924) * Sonata for viola and piano, Op. 67 (1939) *''Kaleidoskop'', Duo for violin and viola, Op. 127 (1969) * Suite for viola solo, Op. 141 (1976) *''Prelude and Fugue'' for organ (1977) *''Kassandra-Rufe'' for eight solo instruments and nonet (1985/86)

Vocal

With orchestra

* ''Passion im Urwald'' for soprano and orchestra with text by the composer (1930) * ''Vogellieder'' for soprano, flute, and orchestra (1933) * ''Hymne'' for baritone and orchestra on texts by Novalis (1943) * ''Die Zigeunerin Agriffina'' for soprano and orchestra (1956) * ''Japanische Lieder'' for soprano and chamber orchestra (1972)

Unaccompanied

* ''Dem Zonnengott'' for women's chorus on texts by Hölderlin (1940) * ''Berglied'' for mixed chorus (1962) * ''4 Alt-Aztekische Gesänge'' for mixed chorus (1966) * ''5 Portugiesisch-Spanische Gesänge'' for mixed chorus (1966) * 7 Gesänge for mixed chorus on texts of "contemporary black poetry" (1966) * 3 Chöre for men's chorus on texts by Fontane (1973)