Wilhelm Killmayer Wilhelm Killmayer (21 August 1927 – 20 August 2017) was a German composer of classical music, a conductor and an academic teacher of composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München from 1973 to 1992. He composed symphonies and s ...

, a German composer, wrote several

song cycle A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice ...

s, which form a substantial part of his compositions. The earliest cycle dates from 1953, the last was completed in 2008. He set poems by German romantic writers such as

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 ...

and

Joseph von Eichendorff Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff (10 March 178826 November 1857) was a German poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic, translator, and anthologist. Eichendorff was one of the major writers and critics of Romanticism.Cf. J. A. Cuddon: '' ...

, but was also inspired by French, Greek and Spanish poems, and by texts from the 20th-century poets

Georg Trakl Georg Trakl (3 February 1887 – 3 November 1914) was an Austrian poet and the brother of the pianist Grete Trakl. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists. He is perhaps best known for his poem " Grodek", which he wr ...

and

Peter Härtling Peter Härtling (; 13 November 1933 – 10 July 2017) was a German writer, poet, publisher and journalist. He received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his major contribution to German literature. Biography Härtling wa ...

. He used mostly piano to accompany a singer, but also added percussion or other instruments, and scored some cycles in a version for voice and orchestra. His ''Hölderlin-Lieder'', setting poems from the author's late period, were performed at major festivals and recorded.

Overview

Interested in poetry and the voice, Killmayer composed more than 200

Lied In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...

er, including several

song cycles A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle, of individually complete songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarel ...

. Most of them are set for voice and piano. Many songs set poems from German

romantic poetry Romantic poetry is the poetry of the Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It involved a reaction against prevailing Enlightenment ideas of the 18t ...

, such as others on 20th-century poems. Killmayer wrote four cycles of ''Hölderlin-Lieder'' based on poems by

, especially from his late period, two cycles based on

(1993 and 1996), and one based on

(1993). Killmayer was first inspired by texts of French authors of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

, such as Charles d'Orléans, Mal Mariée and

Clément Marot Clément Marot (23 November 1496 – 12 September 1544) was a French Renaissance poet. Biography Youth Marot was born at Cahors, the capital of the province of Quercy, some time during the winter of 1496–1497. His father, Jean Marot (c.&n ...

(1953), and by poems of

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...

in German (1954), which he set for soprano, piano, ensemble or percussion. From the 1990s, he composed cycles on poems by

Stéphane Mallarmé Stéphane Mallarmé ( , ; 18 March 1842 – 9 September 1898), pen name of Étienne Mallarmé, was a French poet and critic. He was a major French symbolist poet, and his work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools of ...

and

Sappho Sappho (; el, Σαπφώ ''Sapphō'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; c. 630 – c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her Greek lyric, lyric poetry, written to be sung while ...

. Returning to German romanticism he set two song cycles based on poems by

for men's chorus, a songbook inspired by

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

, a cycle based on poems and

Eduard Mörike Eduard Friedrich Mörike (8 September 18044 June 1875) was a German Lutheran pastor who was also a Romantic poet and writer of novellas and novels. Many of his poems were set to music and became established folk songs, while others were used by ...

. His song cycles, as his other works, were published by Schott. The following table contains for every song cycle the title with translation, the year of composition, the text source and its language, voice type (

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component o ...

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

), and the number of movements.

Song cycles

''Vier Canzonen nach Texten von Petrarca''

The cycle, composed in 1950, sets four poems by

Petrarch Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited w ...

for mixed choir ''a cappella'': # # # # The whole lasts about 9 minutes. It was recorded in 2000 by chamber choir Josquin des Prèz under Uwe Witzel.

''Rêveries''

The cycle, composed in 1953, sets five old French poems for soprano, piano and percussion: # (13th century) # (15th century) # ( Charles d'Orléans) # Lamento (

) # (Charles d'Orleans) The cycle takes about 13 minutes. It was first performed on 30 July 1953 in Bayreuth by Liselotte Ebnet with the composer as the pianist and Hermann Gschwendtner.

''Romanzen''

The cycle, composed in 1954, sets five poems by

, translated by Enrique Beck, for soprano, piano and percussion: # # # # Ghasel # Lamento The duration of the work is about 15 minutes. It was first performed on 25 April 1953 in Chicago by

Leontyne Price Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American soprano who was the first African Americans, African American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where s ...

''Blasons anatomiques du corps féminin''

The cycle, composed in 1968, sets six French poems for soprano and the

Pierrot ensemble A Pierrot ensemble is a musical ensemble comprising flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano. This ensemble is named after 20th-century composer Arnold Schoenberg’s seminal work ''Pierrot Lunaire'', which includes the quintet of instruments abo ...

. Overall duration is about a quarter of an hour. # (Clément Marot) # ( Gilles d'Aurigny) # (anonymous) # (

Lancelot de Carle Lancelot de Carle (also Carles) (c. 1508 – July 1568), Bishop of Riez, was a French scholar, poet and diplomat. He was in London in 1536, in the service of the French Ambassador, Antoine de Castelnau. Carle was an eyewitness to the trial and ...

) # ''Le Blason de la main''
/ref> ( Claude Chappuys) # (anonymous) It was first performed on 6 July 1968 in Munich by

Joan Carroll Joan Carroll (born Joan Marie Felt, January 18, 1931 – November 16, 2016) was an American child actress who appeared in films until retiring in 1945. Childhood career Carroll was born Joan Marie Felt to Wright and Freida Felt on January ...

, with the composer as the pianist. It was recorded, with the Sappho-Lieder and the Mörike-Lieder, in 2012 on the occasion of the composer's 85th birthday by members of the

Musikhochschule München The University of Music and Performing Arts Munich (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater München), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is t ...

''Drei Gesänge nach Hölderlin''

The cycle, composed in 1965, sets three poems by Hölderlin for baritone and piano: # # # It was first performed on 23 April 1968 at the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste in Munich by Heinz Wilbrink and the composer.

''Hölderlin-Lieder''

A first cycle ', setting 19 poems from his late period, was composed between 1982 and 1985. A tenor voice is accompanied by piano or orchestra. The work lasts about 40 minutes. The orchestral version was premiered in Munich on 3 February 1986 by

Peter Schreier Peter Schreier (29 July 1935 – 25 December 2019) was a German tenor in opera, concert and lied, and a conductor. He was regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century. Schreier was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor conduct ...

with the

Bayerisches Staatsorchester The Bavarian State Orchestra (german: Bayerisches Staatsorchester, italic=no) is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the , since 1811. Profile On 9 December 2011, this ensemble c ...

, conducted by

Wolfgang Sawallisch Wolfgang Sawallisch (26 August 1923 – 22 February 2013) was a German conductor and pianist. Biography Wolfgang Sawallisch was born in Munich, the son of Maria and Wilhelm Sawallisch. His father was director of the Hamburg-Bremer-Feuerversich ...

. The piano version was first performed on 23 August 1989 as part of the festival Frankfurt Feste, by Christoph Prégardien and

Siegfried Mauser Siegfried Mauser (born 3 November 1954) is a German pianist, academic and music manager. In 2016, 2017, and 2018, German courts convicted him as a multiple sex offender.Ralf Wiegand/Susi Wimmer, ''Professor Unrat.'' In: ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'', n ...

. A second cycle, setting 18 poems from his late period with the same scoring tenor voice, with a total duration of about 45 minutes, was composed between 1982 and 1985. The orchestral version was premiered at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amad ...

on 14 August 1987 by Peter Schreier and the

ORF-Symphonieorchester The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: ''ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien'', or RSO Wien) is the orchestra of the Austrian national broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF). Unlike most other Austrian orchestras, the RSO Wien has a sub ...

, conducted by

Lothar Zagrosek Lothar Zagrosek (born 13 November 1942 in Otting, Germany) is a German conductor. As a youth, he sang in the Regensburg Cathedral choir, including performances as the First Boy in ''The Magic Flute'' at the 1954 Salzburg Festival. From 1962 to ...

. The piano version was first performed, with the first cycle, on 23 August 1989 by Prégardien and Mauser. The singer recorded in 2010 four songs of the second cycle, together with songs by Robert Schumann and Gustav Mahler titled ''Wanderer'', in an arrangement for small ensemble by the composer. A reviewer notes that Killmayer "demonstrates a real affinity with the Romantic poet" and describes the arrangement as "highly attractive scores with their spare and finely wrought chamber accompaniments". A third cycle, setting 7 poems from his late period for tenor and piano, lasting 21 minutes, was composed between 1983 and 1992. It was premiered in Vienna on 22 November 1991 Wien for ''Wien Modern'' by Prégardien and Mauser. It was recorded in 2017 by

Markus Schäfer Markus Schäfer (born 13 June 1961) is a German lyric tenor, a soloist in opera, oratorio, and '' Lied''. He has performed with major opera houses and with the ensemble La Petite Bande. He has been a professor of voice at the Musikhochschule Ha ...

and Mauser, together with the two cycles after Trakl, in 2017, titled Sommersneige (Summer's End). Prégardien and Mauser recorded all three cycles in 1992. A reviewer for

Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

notes that Killmayer thought of the poet's last period as "possessed by a special 'understanding of reality'". He describes "moments of dissonance, and unusual textural dispositions", but generally focused "on simple chordal and melodic patterns, not to create an atmosphere of expressionistic anguish, but to suggest a calm, joyous acceptance of the inevitable".

''Neun Lieder nach Gedichten von Peter Härtling''

The cycle ' was composed in 1993, setting nine poems by the contemporary author Peter Härtling: # # # # # # # # # It was premiered at the Linden-Museum in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

on 27 November 1993 by

Mitsuko Shirai Mitsuko Shirai (born 28 May 1947) is a Japanese mezzo-soprano and music professor.Alan Blyth, "Mitsuko Shirai", Grove Music Online Biography Born in Nagano Prefecture, Nagano, Shirai first trained in Tokyo before settling in Germany, where she co ...

and

Hartmut Höll Hartmut Höll (born November 24, 1952) is a German pianist and music professor.J. B. Steane, "Hartmut Höll", Grove Music Online Biography Höll was born in Heilbronn. He trained in Stuttgart, Milan and Munich, specializing in art song accompanim ...

''Trakl-Lieder''

The cycle ' was composed in 1993, setting eight poems by Trakl: # # # # # # # # It was premiered in the on 1 December 1998 by Christoph Prégardien and Siegfried Mauser. It was recorded in 2017 by

and Mauser, together with the third cycle of ''Hölderlin-Lieder'' and the second cycle based on Trakl, in 2017, titled Sommersneige (Summer's End) after the fifth movement.

''Sappho-Lieder''

The cycle ', based on 15 poems by

, was composed between 1993 and 2008. The whole takes about half an hour to perform. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # The cycle was premiered in the Linden-Museum in

on 31 March 2008 by

Mojca Erdmann Mojca Erdmann (born 29 December 1975) is a German soprano who is particularly associated with the Mozart operas. She created the role of Ariadne in Rihm's ''Dionysos'' at the Salzburg Festival. Career Born in Hamburg, Erdmann sang in the chi ...

and Siegfried Mauser. It was recorded, with the ' and the Mörike-Lieder, in 2012 on the occasion of the composer's 85th birthday by members of the

''Heine-Lieder''

The cycle ' was composed in 1994 and 1995, subtitled ''Ein Liederbuch nach Gedichten von Heinrich Heine'' (A songbook after poems by Heinrich Heine). Killmayer set 37 of his poems in four sections (''Abteilung''), for a total duration of about 80 minutes: # (eight songs, including "") # (twelve songs) # (ten songs including "") # (seven songs including "") Poems by Heine have been set to music by many composers, including Robert Schumann who composed in 1840 ''

Dichterliebe ''Dichterliebe'', "A Poet's Love" (composed 1840), is the best-known song cycle by Robert Schumann (Opus number, Op. 48). The texts for the 16 songs come from the ''Lyrisches Intermezzo'' by Heinrich Heine, written in 1822–23 and published as pa ...

'' on texts from Heine's ''Lyrisches Intermezzo'', including also "" and "". Killmayer observed a difference in the approach to setting Heine's poems: The composition was premiered at the Liederhalle in

on 16 November 1995 by Christoph Prégardien and Siegfried Mauser, with the composer for recitation.

''Schweigen und Kindheit''

The cycle ' was composed in 1993 , setting six more poems by Trakl: # , first version) # (fifth version) # Elis (first version) # (first version) # # , first version) It was premiered in Munich on 3 December 1996 by Sebastian Leebmann and Siegfried Mauser. It was recorded in 2017 by

and Mauser, together with the third cycle of ''Hölderlin-Lieder'' and the first cycle based on Trakl, titled Sommersneige (Summer's End).

''Mörike-Lieder''

The cycle ' was composed in 2003 and 2004, setting 15 poems by Eduard Mörike: # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # The cycle was premiered at the in

on 12 October 2004 by Christoph Prégardien and Siegfried Mauser. It was recorded, with the ' and the Sappho-Lieder, in 2012 on the occasion of the composer's 85th birthday by members of the

References

External links

* {{YouTube, EdhMPNx9G9U, Wilhelm Killmayer: Sappho (Anja Silja et al.) Contemporary classical compositions Classical song cycles in French Classical song cycles in German 1953 compositions 1954 compositions 1965 compositions 1968 compositions 1982 compositions 1983 compositions 1993 compositions 1996 compositions 2004 compositions 2008 compositions Musical settings of poems by Heinrich Heine Musical settings of poems by Friedrich Hölderlin Adaptations of works by Joseph von Eichendorff