Hans Ludwig Kurt Reinhold Grüß (4 March 1929 – 24 November 2001) was a German

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

and ensemble leader.

Life

Childhood and studies

He spent his childhood and adolescence in

Freiberg Freiberg () is a university and former mining town in Saxony, Germany, with around 41,000 inhabitants. The city lies in the foreland of the Ore Mountains, in the Saxon urbanization axis, which runs along the northern edge of the Elster and ...

since his father taught as professor of mathematics and technical mechanics at the

Bergakademie Freiberg The Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (abbreviation: TU Bergakademie Freiberg, TUBAF) is a public university of technology with 3,471 students in the city of Freiberg, Saxony, Germany. The university's focuses are exploration, mining ...

from 1936. As a grammar school student he was drafted to the

Volkssturm The (, ) was a ''levée en masse'' national militia established by Nazi Germany during the last months of World War II. It was set up by the Nazi Party on the orders of Adolf Hitler and established on 25 September 1944. It was staffed by conscri ...

and was only able to take 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 ...

after he had been a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. First he studied German language and literature, musicology and pedagogy at the

Humboldt University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

from 1947, and from 1949 at the

Leipzig University Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

and the Musikhochschule. Early on, he became interested in performance practice of

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

and received his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in 1956 with a work on

Josquin des Prez Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...

Professional activity

In 1957 Grüß was given a lectureship at the University of Leipzig. Because of political disagreements he was threatened with the withdrawal of his teaching license by the SED in 1963. It was only after the political change in 1993 that he was appointed extraordinary professor and taught until 1996. As a sought-after specialist, he continued to hold lectureships at the

Technical University of Dresden TU Dresden (for , abbreviated as TUD), also as the Dresden University of Technology, is a public research university in Dresden, Germany. It is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony a ...

and at the Leipzig Academy of Music after his retirement.

Ensemble leader

In 1957 he founded the Capella Fidicinia, an ensemble consisting of members of the Leipzig Institute for Musicology, which was dedicated to the faithful performance of early music. They played on historical instruments of the

Museum of Musical Instruments of Leipzig University The Museum of Musical Instruments of the University of Leipzig () is a museum in Leipzig, Germany. It is located on Johannisplatz, near the city centre. The museum belongs to the University of Leipzig and is also part of the Grassi Museum, whose ...

, whereby Grüß played the

viol The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...

. For larger performances Grüß and his ensemble regularly received support from musicians of the

Gewandhausorchester The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...

and the

MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra The MDR-Sinfonieorchester (MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra) is a German radio orchestra based in Leipzig. It is the radio orchestra of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the public broadcaster for the German states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony ...

. A particularly close collaboration existed with the

Dresdner Kreuzchor The Dresdner Kreuzchor is the boys' choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden, Germany. It has a seven-century history and a world-wide reputation. Today, the choir has about 150 members between the ages of 9 and 19, from Dresden and the surroundin ...

and the soloists

Winfried Schrammek Winfried Schrammek (7 June 1929 – 4 March 2017) was a German musicologist and organist. Life Education Born in Breslau, Schrammek, son of a surveying engineer, received his first organ lessons as a pupil of the Herzog-Friedland-Gymnasium i ...

(organ),

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 ...

and

Martin Krumbiegel Martin Krumbiegel (born 1963) is a German classical tenor, conductor and musicologist. A member of the Thomanerchor as a boy, he is mostly active in oratorios, cantatas and vocal chamber music of the 17th and 18th century. Krumbiegel has been the ...

, who has led the ensemble since the death of its founder. Grüß died in Much at the age of 72.

Honours

* Ehrennadel der Karl-Marx-Universität Leipzig, 1984 *

Kunstpreis der Stadt Leipzig From 1959 to 1989, the city of Leipzig awarded the Kunstpreis der Stadt Leipzig, which was given for outstanding merits in the artistic field to persons who promoted the reputation of the city beyond the region: architects, visual artists, compos ...

, 1985 * Ordinary member of the

Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften The Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig () is an institute which was founded in 1846 under the name ''Royal Saxon Society for the Sciences'' (). Notable people * Kurt Aland * Annette Beck-Sickinger * Walther Bothe * Alexander Car ...

, 1995

Literature

* Hans Grüß: ''Ansichtssachen'', Verlag Kamprad, Altenburg 1999. *

: ''Magister und Musicus. Hans Grüß zum Gedenken'',''Magister und Musicus : Hans Grüss zum Gedenken''
on WorldCat Leipzig 2005.

Recordings

*Ockeghem/Obrecht "Missa L'Homme armé" Capella Fidicinia, Thomanerchor Leipzig, Hans Grüß querstand

References

External links

*
Hans Grüß im Professorenkatalog der Universität Leipzig

Mitglieder der Sächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

Capella Fidicinia
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gruss, Hans 1929 births 2001 deaths 20th-century German musicologists Musicologists from Berlin German conductors (music) Academic staff of the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig Academic staff of TU Dresden Volkssturm personnel Child prisoners of war German child soldiers in World War II German prisoners of war in World War II Humboldt University of Berlin alumni