Rochus Dedler (15 January 1779 – 17 October 1822) was a German

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 ...

. He is best known as the author of a stage music for the version of the ''

Oberammergau Passion Play The Oberammergau Passion Play (german: Oberammergauer Passionsspiele) is a passion play that has been performed every 10 years from 1634 to 1674 and each decadal year since 1680 (with a few exceptions) by the inhabitants of the village of Obera ...

'' by Father .

Life

Dedler was born on 15 January 1779 in

Oberammergau Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The small town on the Ammer River is known for its woodcarvers and woodcarvings, for its NATO School, and around the world for its 380-year tradition of ...

. His father Johann (1737-1811) and his mother Barbara (1736-1825) ran the inn "Zum weißen Lamm" there. Originally Dedler was destined for a spiritual profession. He was a choirboy at Rottenbuch Abbey and went to Munich for further education, where he graduated in 1798 from the (present)

Wilhelmsgymnasium (Munich) The Wilhelmsgymnasium is a gymnasium (selective school) in Munich, Germany. Founded in 1559 to educate local boys, it is now coeducational. Wilhelmsgymnasium is one of the few remaining gymnasiums in Bavaria to be a "pure ''Humanistisches Gymnas ...

. Subsequently, he began the obligatory basic studies (philosophy) at the affiliated Lyceum, but then returned to Rottenbuch to work as chamber scribe of the prelate. In 1802, however, he gave up his spiritual career and took a position as a teacher and choir director in Oberammergau. Dedler was married to Maria Josepha, ''née'' Sepp, from Uffing (1779-1824). Together they had three sons and six daughters. Dedler died on 17 October 1822 at age 43 due to a lung disease in

Oberföhring Bogenhausen (Central Bavarian: ''Bognhausn'') is the 13th borough of Munich, Germany. It is the geographically largest borough of Munich and comprises the city's north-eastern quarter, reaching from the Isar on the eastern side of the Englischer ...

, where his brother was a pastor, and was buried there at the cemetery of St. Lorenz. A path leading past the cemetery is named "Rochus-Dedler-Weg" in his honour. In 1825 his mother Barbara was buried next to him. An epitaph commemorates the two of them.

Work

Dedler's main work is the stage music composed in 1810 for the Oberammergau Passions Play, for which the Ettal Benedictine priest Othmar Weis had written a new text version after the prohibition of the performance in 1810. The stage music contains an overture, arias, duets and choirs and shows influences of

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

and

Wolfgang Amadeus 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. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

especially in the orchestration. In the new version, the Passion was first performed in 1811 under the direction of Othmar Weis. The music was revised in 1950 by

Eugen Papst Eugen Papst (24 December 1886 – 2 January 1956) was a German composer and music teacher. Life Papst was born in Oberammergau the son of the pedagogue and head teacher of the same name, Eugen Papst (1855-1923), after whom the Eugen-Papst-För ...

and is still played to the Passion with some changes and additions from 2000 and 2010. Among the other works of Dedler are: * ''German High Mass in D'', also called ''Pollinger Messe'' * ''Anniversary Deo'' * ''Missae breves cum totidem offertoriis pro omni tempore'' * ''Symphony in B flat major'' (circa 1799) * ''Symphony in D Major''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dedler, Rochus 1779 births 1822 deaths 19th-century German composers People from Garmisch-Partenkirchen