Wolfram Menschick (28 October 1937 – 8 December 2010) was a German Catholic church musician, composer and academic teacher. From 1969 to 2002 he was responsible for the church music at

Eichstätt Cathedral Eichstätt Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Willibald and St. Salvator is an 11th-Century Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Eichstätt, Bavaria, in Southern Germany. History The first Rom ...

, also serving the

Diocese of Eichstätt In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

as music director and organ expert. He was a bell expert, a member of a national council. From 1986 to 2000, he was a professor at the

University of Music and Performing Arts Munich 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 ...

. His compositions, including 36 masses, are frequently performed.

Life and career

Born in

Pielenhofen Pielenhofen is a municipality in the district of Regensburg in Bavaria in Germany. It lies on the Naab River. Buildings It is the site of Pielenhofen Abbey, formerly a Cistercian nunnery, now a house and school of the Visitandines , image ...

, Menschick took his

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

Straubing Straubing () is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Bavaria, is held. The city is located on the Danube form ...

and studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, conducting with , composition with

Harald Genzmer Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardrada ...

, and organ with Franz Lehrndorfer. While a student, he began work as a church musician at in

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

. In 1966, he became chorale conductor at St. Georg in

Amberg Amberg () is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. In 2020, over 42,000 people lived in the town. History The town was first mentioned in 1034, at that time under t ...

. From 1969 to 2002, he was

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

, where he also served as director of church music for the

. He was also a professor of liturgical organ playing and chorale conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich from 1986 to 2000. In the diocese, he was also the expert for bells (''Glockensachverständiger'') from 1970 to 2002, and in 1972 became a member of the German national council for bells (''Beratungsausschuss für das Deutsche Glockenwesen''), which was created ecumenically by the Catholic Bishops' Conference and the Protestant Church. In this position, he approved the bells of the restored Frauenkirche in Dresden. On the occasion of his 70th birthday in 2006, he donated a bell for the north tower of Eichstätt Cathedral, dedicated to

Benedict of Nursia Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Orient ...

and also honouring Pope Benedict XVI, who was his friend (as was also the Pope's elder brother, the priest and musician

Georg Ratzinger Georg Ratzinger PA (15 January 19241 July 2020) was a German Catholic priest and musician, known for his work as the conductor of the Regensburger Domspatzen, the cathedral choir of Regensburg. He was the elder brother of the Pope Emeritus Ben ...

Organ planning

As the organ expert of the Eichstätt diocese from 1969, he planned several instruments. He preferred Baroque organs with mechanical actions, such as his largest project, the organ built for Eichstätt Cathedral in 1975 by .

Private life and death

Wolfram Menschick and his wife Roswitha had six daughters, including the author and the violin maker Julia Menschick. Menschick died in Eichstätt in 2010 at age 73. The requiem was celebrated by Bishop

Gregor Maria Hanke Gregor Maria Hanke OSB (born 2 July 1954 as Franz Maria Hanke) is a German prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the bishop of Eichstätt since 2006. A member of the Benedictines, he was abbot of Plankstetten Abbey from 1993 to 2006. Early ...

Recordings

* ''Veni Domine – Der Eichstätter Domchor singt zur Weihnacht'', choral music for Christmas, Jubilate-Verlag Eichstätt RM 101 * ''Wolfram Menschick an der Eichstätter Domorgel'', organ music, Jubilate-Verlag Eichstätt RM 102 * ''Ubi caritas et amor'', motet, in ''Ottilia Cappella – Himmelswege (Lieder vom Leben und von der Liebe)'', eos 2019

Awards

Menschick was honoured as a member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. On his retirement, Bishop

Walter Mixa Walter Mixa (2008) Walter Johannes Mixa (born 25 April 1941) is a German prelate of the Catholic Church who is the Bishop Emeritus of Augsburg and Ordinary Emeritus of the Bundeswehr. He resigned as Bishop of Augsburg in 2010 due to allegations ...

, representing Pope John Paul II, named him a Komtur of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. In 2007, Eichstätt awarded him its citizen's medal. On 23 May 2008, he received an honorary doctorate from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music.

Work

Menschick's choral sacred music is frequently performed. include: * 36 masses * Approximately 200

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...

s and settings of psalms, including extended psalms for soloists, choirs and orchestra * an oratorio about John of God * ''Johannespassion'', a setting of the Passion after

St John Saint John or St. John usually refers to John the Baptist, but also, sometimes, to John the Apostle. Saint John or St. John may also refer to: People * John the Baptist (0s BC–30s AD), preacher, ascetic, and baptizer of Jesus Christ * John t ...

for three soloists and choir ''a cappella'' * a

Marian Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places *Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queensla ...

vespers for

women's choir A women's choir or women's chorus is a choir formed exclusively by women. If all singers are young it is called a girls' choir. The voice types are usually soprano and alto, SSAA. The names are also used for music especially composed for such g ...

, congregation and organ, composed for a visit of Pope Benedict XVI in Altötting in 2007 Menschick continued composing in retirement, including in his final year, 2010, a ''Missa pro Papa'' dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI in June, and a motet for All Souls' Day.

References

External links

Menschick, Wolfram
(in German) Bayerisches Musiker Lexikon Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Menschick, Wolfram Catholic liturgical composers Knights Commander with Star of the Order of St. Gregory the Great University of Music and Theatre Munich alumni Academic staff of the University of Music and Theatre Munich 20th-century German composers 21st-century German composers People from Eichstätt 1937 births 2010 deaths People from Regensburg (district)