Richard Laugs (10 March 1907 in
Hagen
Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...
- 1978 in
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
) was a well-known German conductor and pianist.
Laugs was the son of conductor
Robert Laugs. He studied in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
under both
Joseph Pembaur and
Artur Schnabel amongst others. After his academic studies he undertook a concert tour as a pianist and worked as a
Répétiteur
A (from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. A feminine form, , also appears but is comparatively rare.
Opera
In opera, a is the person ...
in
Hannover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
and Berlin.
From 1945 to 1951 Laugs was the first
Kapellmeister
(, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...
at the
Nationaltheater Mannheim
The Mannheim National Theatre (german: Nationaltheater Mannheim) is a theatre and opera company in Mannheim, Germany, with a variety of performance spaces. It was founded in 1779 and is one of the oldest theatres in Germany.
History
In the 18 ...
(''Nationaltheater Mannheim''). He attained a university teaching position at the
Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim
The Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim is a Hochschule, a university for music and performing arts in Mannheim, Germany, of the state Baden-Württemberg
History
The Hochschule dates back to the 1762 ''Academie ...
(''Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts'') and became its president in 1951. In 1955 he became a professor.
In 2000 his widow and the Mannheimer law professor
Claus Meissner Claus (sometimes Clas) is both a given name and a German, Danish, and Dutch surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (1907–1944), a German officer who, along with others, attempted to assassina ...
created the
Beethoven Klavierwettbewerb Richard Laugs
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
(''Beethoven piano competition Richard Laugs'') in Laugs' memory.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laugs, Richard
German male conductors (music)
1907 births
1978 deaths
German classical pianists
German male classical pianists
20th-century German conductors (music)
20th-century classical pianists
20th-century German male musicians
Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany