Waldemar Edler von Baußnern (also ''Baussnern'' or ''Bausznern''; 29 November 1866 – 20 August 1931) 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 ...

and music teacher.

Life

Born in

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 ...

, and descended from

Transylvanian Saxons The Transylvanian Saxons (german: Siebenbürger Sachsen; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen''; ro, Sași ardeleni, sași transilvăneni/transilvani; hu, Erdélyi szászok) are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania ( ...

, Baußnern was the son of a financial official. He grew up in both

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

and

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

in the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(in present-day

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

respectively). Between 1882-1886 he was a student of

Friedrich Kiel Friedrich Kiel (8 October 182113 September 1885) was a German composer and music teacher. Writing of the chamber music of Friedrich Kiel, the scholar and critic Wilhelm Altmann notes that it was Kiel’s extreme modesty which kept him and his e ...

and

Woldemar Bargiel Woldemar Bargiel (3 October 182823 February 1897) was a German composer. Life Bargiel was born in Berlin, and was the younger maternal half-brother of Clara Schumann. Bargiel’s father Adolph was a well-known piano and voice teacher while his mo ...

at the Berlin Musical Academy (Berliner Musikhochschule). He then conducted various choirs; after 1909 he became director of the Großherzoglichen Musikschule in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

. From 1916 to 1923 he served as director of the

Hoch Conservatory Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium – Musikakademie was founded in Frankfurt am Main on 22 September 1878. Through the generosity of Frankfurter Joseph Hoch, who bequeathed the Conservatory one million German gold marks in his testament, a school for ...

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. In 1923 he became undersecretary of the

Academy of Arts, Berlin The Academy of Arts (german: Akademie der Künste) is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The Academy's predecessor organization was fo ...

. He died in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

Music

Baußnern's extensive catalogue of compositions includes almost all musical genres, yet it displays an emphasis on both choral symphonic and orchestral composition. As a composer, Baußnern found stimulation from poetry, for not only his vocal music, but also his instrumental music; the poetry of

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

emerged as an especial source of inspiration. This compositional impetus is reflected in numerous titles of his works, yet his oeuvre lacks any programmatic design. Stylistically, Baußnern stands out as a maverick to his contemporaries, remaining a composer who defies classification. Generally, however, his music is rooted in the 19th century, yet exhibits independence of form, ranging from extremes of conventional

tonality Tonality is the arrangement of pitches and/or chords of a musical work in a hierarchy of perceived relations, stabilities, attractions and directionality. In this hierarchy, the single pitch or triadic chord with the greatest stability is call ...

to frequently polyphonic

chromaticism Chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic scale, diatonic pitch (music), pitches and chord (music), chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. In simple terms, within each octave, diatonic music uses o ...

, nonetheless never metamorphosizing into

atonality Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...

. Baußnern completed

Peter Cornelius Carl August Peter Cornelius (24 December 1824 – 26 October 1874) was a German composer, writer about music, poet and translator. Life He was born in Mainz to Carl Joseph Gerhard (1793–1843) and Friederike (1789–1867) Cornelius, actors i ...

's fragmentary opera ''Gunlöd'' in 1906 and served as editor of the operatic section of a comprehensive edition of Cornelius' works. Sustained success eluded Baußnern during his life, and many of his compositions (for example, all of his symphonies) were never published. Research into Baußnern work remains in its infancy, but a Baußnern Society (Baußnern-Gesellschaft), founded by German composer Dietrich von Bausznern (1920–1980), Baußnern's grandson, seeks to promote awareness of his life's work. Current chair of the society is Angela Gehann-Dernbach.

Selected works

Operas

* ''Poet and World'' (''Dichter und Welt''), musical drama (Libretto: Julius Petri; 1894, première: Weimar 1897) * ''Dürer in Venice'' (''Dürer in Venedig'') (Libretto:

Adolf Bartels __NOTOC__ Adolf Bartels (15 November 1862 – 7 March 1945) was a pastor, German journalist and poet. Known for his '' völkisch'' worldview, he has been seen as a harbinger of Nazi anti-Semitism.Roderick Stackelberg, "Bartels, Adolf", in ''Antis ...

based on a text from a novella by

Adolf Stern Adolf Stern (real name: ''Adolf Ernst''; June 14, 1835 – April 15, 1907) was a German literary historian and poet. He was born in Leipzig. He studied at the universities of Leipzig and Jena, and in 1868 was appointed professor of the histo ...

; 1897, première: Weimar 1901) * ''Herbort and Hilde'' (''Herbort und Hilde''), light heroic opera (Libretto: Eduard König; 1901, première: Mannheim 1902) * ''The Bundschuh'' (''Der Bundschuh'') (Libretto: Otto Erler; 1903, première Frankfurt am Main 1904, surviving only in a piano arrangement) * ''Satyros'' (''Satyros'') (Libretto: Waldemar von Baußnern based on a text by

; 1922, première: Basel 1923)

Choral works

* ''The Birth of Jesus'' (''Die Geburt Jesu''), Christmas motet for soprano, alto, choir, orchestra and organ (1911) * ''The Song of Songs on Life and Death'' (''Das Hohe Lied vom Leben und Sterben''), oratorio for soloists, choir and orchestra (1913, surviving only in a piano arrangement) * ''Aus unserer Not'', Kantate für Bariton, Chor und Orgel (based on a text by

Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (; 2 July 1724 – 14 March 1803) was a German poet. His best known work is the epic poem ''Der Messias'' ("The Messiah"). One of his major contributions to German literature was to open it up to exploration outside ...

, 1923) * ''Ich will den Herrn loben'' für Chor und Orgel (nach Psalm 34 1925) * ''Das Göttliche'' für Chor und Orchester (based on a text by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1927) * ''Hafis'', Sinfonische Kantate für Soli, Chor, Orchester und Orgel (based on a text by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1929) * numerous smaller a cappella compositions, including: *''Deutschland! Heil’ger Name!'', Hymne für gemischten Chor (based on a text by

August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben August Heinrich Hoffmann (, calling himself von Fallersleben, after his hometown; 2 April 179819 January 1874) was a German poet. He is best known for writing "Das Lied der Deutschen", whose third stanza is now the national anthem of Germany, an ...

)

Orchestral works

* Ouvertüre ''Champagner'' for large orchestra (1899) * Symphony No. 1 in A major ''Jugend'' (1899) * Symphony No. 2 in B minor ''Dem Andenken von

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

'' (1899) * Symphony No. 3 ''Leben'' (with a final chorale, "Ganymed", based on a text by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1911) * Symphony No. 4 in C minor (1914) * Chamber Symphony ''Himmlische Idyllen'' für 10 Streicher und Orgel (1916) * Symphony No. 5 ''Es ist ein Schnitter, heißt der Tod'' (with a final chorale based on the eponymous folk song, 1922) * Symphony No. 6 ''Psalm der Liebe'' (with solo soprano in Elizabeth Barrett-Browning's paraphrase of

Rainer Maria Rilke René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), shortened to Rainer Maria Rilke (), was an Austrian poet and novelist. He has been acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, and is widely recogni ...

, 1921) * ''Hymnische Stunden'', three pieces for string orchestra (1925) * Symphony No. 7 ''Die Ungrische'' (1926) * Suite ''Dem Lande meiner Kindheit'' (1929) * Symphony No. 8 (1930) * Passacaglia and Fuge for large orchestra (1931)

Chamber music

* String Quartet No. 1 (1893) * Piano Quintet in E major (1896) * Quintet for Piano, Violin, Clarinet, Horn and Cello in F major (1898) * Serenade for Violin, Clarinet and Piano in E major (1898) * String Sextet (1910) * Octet in D Minor for Piano, 3 Violins, Flute, Clarinet, Cello and Double Bass (1914) * ''Hungarian Theme and Variations, Passacaglia and Fugue'' for Violin and Piano (1916) * Violin Sonata (1916) * String Quartet No. 2 (1918) * Piano Trio in A major ''Weimarer Trio'' (1921) * String Quartet No. 3 (1923) * ''Hungarian Sonate'' for Violin and Piano (1923) * 4 Instrumental Suites for Violin, Flute, Clarinet, Cello and Piano (1924) * Piano Trio in G minor ''O bellissima Italia'' (1925) * 3 Trio Sonatas for two Violins and Piano(1928) * Three Serious Pieces for Violin, Viola, Cello and Organ (1928)

Piano music

* ''Sonata eroica'' in C minor (1906) * Prelude, Fugue and Finale for two pianos (1914) * 3 Little Sonatas (1916) * 2 Preludes and Fugues ''Dem Gedächtnis der Toten - Den Lebenden'' (1916) * Suite ''Nächtliche Visionen'' (1926)

Organ music

*Choral Fantasy on " Aus tiefer Not" (1912) *Passacaglia in C minor (1927) *Sonata in A minor (1927) *3 Preludes and Fugues (1928) *Prelude and Triple Fugues in A minor (1930) *Choral preludes

Songs

* ''Zwölf Lieder zur Laute'' für Singstimme und Laute (1911) * ''Gesänge aus der Tiefe'' für Bariton und Orchester (based on texts by

Friedrich Rückert Friedrich Rückert (16 May 1788 – 31 January 1866) was a German poet, translator, and professor of Oriental languages. Biography Rückert was born in Schweinfurt and was the eldest son of a lawyer. He was educated at the local '' Gymnasium'' ...

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...

Nikolaus Lenau Nikolaus Lenau was the pen name of Nikolaus Franz Niembsch Edler von Strehlenau (13 August 1802 – 22 August 1850), a German-language Austrian poet. Biography He was born at Csatád (Schadat), Kingdom of Hungary, now Lenauheim, Banat, then p ...

, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe), 1921 * ''Die himmlische Orgel'', Liederzyklus für Alt oder Bariton, Kammerorchester und Orgel (based on a text by

Richard von Volkmann Richard von Volkmann (17 August 1830 – 28 November 1889) was a prominent German surgeon and author of poetry and fiction. Some of his works were illustrated by his son, Hans, a well known artist. Biography He was born in Leipzig on 17 Augus ...

, 1924) * numerous songs for voice and piano

Arrangements

* ''Gunlöd'' (a completed arrangement of an unfinished fragmentary opera by Peter Cornelius, 1906) * numerous arrangements of folk songs, including: **''Alte Volkslieder, dreistimmig gesetzt'' (1913)

References

* Vera Grützner, ''Waldemar von Baußnern – Leben und Werk'', Musikgeschichtliche Studien 2, Gehann-Musik-Verlag: Kludenbach 1999. * Karl Teutsch / Monica Vlaicu, ''Waldemar von Baußnern, Biografie – Briefe – Berichte – Bilder'', Musikgeschichtliche Studien VI, two volumes, Gehann-Musik-Verlag: Kludenbach 2003.

External links

Short German biography of Baußnern's life

German-language homepage of the Baußnern-Gesellschaft

Serenade for violin, clarinet, and piano in E-flat major (full score)
* * * Orchestral-, Chamber- and Pianomusic by W.v. Baußnern o
klassik-resampled

Two Preludes and Fugues ''Dem Gedächtnis der Toten - Den Lebenden'' (''In Memory of the Dead - To the Living'') in MIDI size
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baussnern, Waldemar Von 1866 births 1931 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century Hungarian people 20th-century classical composers 20th-century Hungarian people Edlers of Germany German expatriates in Hungary German opera composers Male opera composers German people of Hungarian descent Hungarian classical composers Hungarian male classical composers Hungarian male composers German male classical composers Hungarian nobility Musicians from Berlin Transylvanian-Saxon people 20th-century German composers 19th-century German composers Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar faculty 20th-century German male musicians 19th-century German male musicians