Klaus Huber (30 November 1924 – 2 October 2017) was a Swiss composer and academic based in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

and

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

. Among his students were Brian Ferneyhough,

Michael Jarrell Michael Jarrell (born 8 October 1958) is a Swiss composer and academic teacher, whose operas, such as '' Cassandre'', have been performed internationally. Life Born in Geneva, Jarrell studied at the Geneva Conservatoire, and later with Klaus H ...

Younghi Pagh-Paan Younghi Pagh-Paan (born 1945) is a South Korean composer. Life Pagh‑Paan was born in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. She studied music at the Seoul National University from 1965 to 1971. In 1974 she received a DAAD scholarship to s ...

Toshio Hosokawa is a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music. He studied in Germany but returned to Japan, finding a personal style inspired by classical Japanese music and culture. He has composed operas, the oratorio ''Voiceless Voice in Hiroshima'' ...

Wolfgang Rihm Wolfgang Rihm (born 13 March 1952) is a German composer and academic teacher. He is musical director of the Institute of New Music and Media at the University of Music Karlsruhe and has been composer in residence at the Lucerne Festival and the Sa ...

, and

Kaija Saariaho Kaija Anneli Saariaho (; ; born 14 October 1952) is a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho has received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble Inte ...

. He received the

Ernst von Siemens Music Prize The Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (short: Siemens Music Prize, german: link=no, Ernst von Siemens Musikpreis) is an annual music prize given by the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste (Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts) on behalf of the Ernst v ...

in 2009, among other awards.

Life

Born in Bern, Huber first studied violin and music pedagogy from 1947 to 1949 at the Zurich Conservatory with Stefi Geyer. From 1949 to 1955, he was a violin teacher at the Zurich Conservatory. At the same time he studied composition with Willy Burkhard. He continued his composition studies with

Boris Blacher Boris Blacher (30 January 1975) was a German composer and librettist. Life Blacher was born when his parents (of German-Estonian and Russian backgrounds) were living within a Russian-speaking community in the Manchurian town of Niuzhuang () (h ...

in Berlin. As a composer, Huber began with

serial music In music, serialism is a method of composition using series of pitches, rhythms, dynamics, timbres or other musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though some of his contemporaries were als ...

influenced by

Anton Webern Anton Friedrich Wilhelm von Webern (3 December 188315 September 1945), better known as Anton Webern (), was an Austrian composer and conductor whose music was among the most radical of its milieu in its sheer concision, even aphorism, and stead ...

. His international breakthrough came in 1959 with the world premiere of his chamber cantata ''Des Engels Anredung an die Seele'' at the Weltmusiktage (World Music Days) of the Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik in Rome. Unusually for the time, he used consonant intervals within a strictly serial context. He became one of the leading figures of his generation in Europe, compared to Pierre Boulez and

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th and early 21st-century ...

. He composed extensively for chamber ensembles, choirs, soloists and orchestra. His works for the theatre look for scenes beyond

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

and

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

. Huber was a socially and politically conscious composer and his music often conveys a humanistic message. He set texts by biblical prophets and medieval mystics such as

Hildegard of Bingen Hildegard of Bingen (german: Hildegard von Bingen; la, Hildegardis Bingensis; 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher ...

. He was also inspired by texts of

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...

Andreas Gryphius Andreas Gryphius (german: Andreas Greif; 2 October 161616 July 1664) was a German poet and playwright. With his eloquent sonnets, which contains "The Suffering, Frailty of Life and the World", he is considered one of the most important Baroque ...

Ernst Bloch Ernst Simon Bloch (; July 8, 1885 – August 4, 1977; pseudonyms: Karl Jahraus, Jakob Knerz) was a German Marxist philosopher. Bloch was influenced by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Karl Marx, as well as by apocalyptic and religious thinkers ...

Heinrich Böll Heinrich Theodor Böll (; 21 December 1917 – 16 July 1985) was a German writer. Considered one of Germany's foremost post-World War II writers, Böll is a recipient of the Georg Büchner Prize (1967) and the Nobel Prize for Literature (1972). ...

, and of Latin American liberation theologians. From the 1980s, Huber studied

Arabic music Arabic music or Arab music ( ar, الموسيقى العربية, al-mūsīqā al-ʿArabīyyah) is the music of the Arab world with all its diverse music styles and genres. Arabic countries have many rich and varied styles of music and also man ...

and

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

and included their influences in his works. Huber taught music history at the Lucerne Conservatory from 1960 to 1963, and composition at the City of Basel Music Academy (1961–72) and at the

Hochschule für Musik Freiburg ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...

(1973–90). He was also appointed director of the composition seminars at the Gaudeamus Foundation in Bilthoven, Netherlands, in 1966, 1968, and 1972. Additionally, he held international visiting professorships and composition classes in (among others) Paris, London, Geneva, Milan, Lyon, Montreal, Sarajevo, and Tatui (Brazil). Several of his students became internationally recognized composers, including Brian Ferneyhough,

(later his wife),

, and

. He was a member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin from 1986. His manuscripts are kept by the

Paul Sacher Paul Sacher (28 April 190626 May 1999) was a Swiss conductor, patron and billionaire businessperson. At the time of his death Sacher was majority shareholder of pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche and was considered the third richest person i ...

Foundation in Basel.

Compositions

An inventory of Huber's music manuscripts at the Paul Sacher Foundation was published in 2009.

Stage works

* ''Jot oder Wann kommt der Herr zurück / Dialektische Oper in zwei Teilen'' (1973) Opera in two parts. Text: Philip Oxman, in German by Kurt Marti and Dietrich Ritschl * ''Schwarzerde'' (1997–2001) Stage work in nine sequences. Text: Michael Schindhelm in cooperation with Klaus Huber, based on poems and prose texts by

Osip Mandelstam Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam ( rus, Осип Эмильевич Мандельштам, p=ˈosʲɪp ɨˈmʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mənʲdʲɪlʲˈʂtam; – 27 December 1938) was a Russian and Soviet poet. He was one of the foremost members of the A ...

Orchestral works

* ''Tenebrae'' (1966–1967) for large orchestra * ''Erniedrigt – Geknechtet – Verlassen – Verachtet...'' (1975/78–1983) for soloist, choir and orchestra. Text:

Ernesto Cardenal Ernesto Cardenal Martínez (20 January 1925 – 1 March 2020) was a Nicaraguan Catholic priest, poet, and politician. He was a liberation theologian and the founder of the primitivist art community in the Solentiname Islands, where he lived fo ...

, Florian Knobloch, George Jackson, Carolina Maria de Jesús, Prophet Jesaja * ''Protuberanzen'' (simultaneous version) (1985/86) Three small pieces for orchestra * ''Spes contra spem'' (1986–89) A contra-paradigm to "

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), WWV 86D, is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four music dramas titled (''The Ring of the Nibelung'', or ''The Ring Cycle'' or ''The Ring'' for short). It received its premiere at the on 17 August 1876, as ...

". Text: Bertolt Brecht,

Elias Canetti Elias Canetti (; bg, Елиас Канети; 25 July 1905 – 14 August 1994) was a German-language writer, born in Ruse, Bulgaria to a Sephardic family. They moved to Manchester, England, but his father died in 1912, and his mother took her ...

Georg Herwegh Georg Friedrich Rudolph Theodor Herwegh (31 May 1817 – 7 April 1875) was a German poet,Herwegh, Georg, The Columbia Encyclopedia (2008) who is considered part of the Young Germany movement. Biography He was born in Stuttgart on 31 May 1817, ...

, Rosa Luxemburg,

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 ...

Reinhold Schneider Reinhold Schneider (Baden-Baden, May 13, 1903 – Freiburg im Breisgau, April 6, 1958) was a German poet who also wrote novels. Initially his works were less religious, but later his poetry had a Christian and specifically Catholic influence ...

Dorothee Sölle Dorothee Steffensky-Sölle (, 1929–2003), known as Dorothee Sölle, was a German liberation theologian who coined the term " Christofascism". She was born in Cologne and died at a conference in Göppingen from cardiac arrest. Life and career ...

, Richard Wagner,

Peter Weiss Peter Ulrich Weiss (8 November 1916 – 10 May 1982) was a German writer, painter, graphic artist, and experimental filmmaker of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays ''Marat/Sade'' and ''The Investigation'' and hi ...

* ''Lamentationes de fine vicesimi saeculi'' (1992/94) for orchestra in four groups with Sufi-singer (ad libitum) * ''Quod est pax? – Vers la raison du coeur...'' (2006/07) for orchestra with five solo voices and one Arabic percussion. Text: Jacques Derrida,

Octavio Paz Octavio Paz Lozano (March 31, 1914 – April 19, 1998) was a Mexican poet and diplomat. For his body of work, he was awarded the 1977 Jerusalem Prize, the 1981 Miguel de Cervantes Prize, the 1982 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, and ...

Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish ( ar, محمود درويش, Maḥmūd Darwīsh, 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as the Palestinian national poet. He won numerous awards for his works. Darwish used Palestine ...

, Klaus Huber

Ensemble works

* ''Des Engels Anredung an die Seele '' (1957) for tenor, flute, clarinet, horn, and harp. Text: Johann Georg Albini * ''"Erinnere dich an G..."'' (1977) for double bass solo and 18 instrumentalists * ''Cantiones de Circulo gyrante'' (1985), Space music for three groups and five single players. Text:

, for soloists, speaker, choir, orchestra, two conductors * ''La terre des hommes'' In memoriam

Simone Weil Simone Adolphine Weil ( , ; 3 February 1909 – 24 August 1943) was a French philosopher, mystic, and political activist. Over 2,500 scholarly works have been published about her, including close analyses and readings of her work, since 1995. ...

(1987–89) for mezzo-soprano, countertenor/speaker, and eighteen instruments. Text: Simone Weil, Ossip Mandelstam * ''Die umgepflügte Zeit'' In memoriam

Luigi Nono Luigi Nono (; 29 January 1924 – 8 May 1990) was an Italian avant-garde composer of classical music. Biography Early years Nono, born in Venice, was a member of a wealthy artistic family; his grandfather was a notable painter. Nono beg ...

(1990) Space music for viola d'amore, mezzo-soprano, high tenor, female speaker, 2 mixed ensembles, choir voices and instruments. Text: Ossip Mandelstam * ''Intarsi'' In memoriam

Witold Lutosławski Witold Roman Lutosławski (; 25 January 1913 – 7 February 1994) was a Polish composer and conductor. Among the major composers of 20th-century classical music, he is "generally regarded as the most significant Polish composer since Szyman ...

(1993/94) Chamber concerto for piano and 17 instruments * ''Lamentationes Sacrae et Profanae ad Responsoria Iesualdi'' (1993/1996–97) for six singers and two instrumentalists. Text:

Jeremiah Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewi ...

, Klaus Huber, Ernesto Cardenal, Mahmoud Dowlatabadi * ''L'ombre de notre âge'' (1998/1999) for chamber ensemble * ''Die Seele muss vom Reittier steigen... '' (2002) for cello solo, baritone solo, countertenor (or alto) and 37 instrumentalists. Text: Mahmoud Darwish * ''Miserere hominibus...'' (2005/2006) Cantata for seven solo voices and seven instrumentalists. Text:

Psalm 51 Psalm 51, one of the penitential psalms, is the 51st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Have mercy upon me, O God". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vu ...

(''Il Cántaro Roto''), Mahmoud Darwish (Murale), Carl Améry (Global Exit), Jacques Derrida (Un très proche Orient, Paroles de paix)

Vocal music

* ''...inwendig voller Figur...'' (1971) for choir, loudspeakers, tape, and large orchestra. Text: From

Revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

and by Albrecht Dürer * ''"...Ausgespannt..." / Geistliche Musik in memoriam Kurt Wolfgang Senn'' (1972) Sacred music in memory of Kurt Wolfgang Senn, for high baritone, five instrumental groups, percussion, organ, loudspeakers, and tape * ''Kleines Requiem for Heinrich Böll'' (1991, excerpts from ''Cantiones de Circulo Gyrante'') Little Requiem for Heinrich Böll, for choir a cappella and bass-baritone (ad lib.). Text:

Hildegard von Bingen Hildegard of Bingen (german: Hildegard von Bingen; la, Hildegardis Bingensis; 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher ...

(in Latin)

Chamber music

* ''...von Zeit zu Zeit...'' (1984/85) string quartet No. 2 * ''Des Dichters Pflug'' (1989) for violin, viola, and violoncello (all in three-tone tuning, ''Dritteltonstimmung'') * ''Agnus Dei cum recordatione'' Hommage à Jehan Okeghem (1990/91) Text: Gösta Neuwirth Hommage à Jehan Okeghem * ''Ecce homines'' (1997/98) string quintet

Solo works

* ''In memoriam Willy Burkhard'' (1955) for organ * ''La Chace'' (1963) for harpsichord * ''To Ask the Flutist'' (1966) for flute * ''Ein Hauch von Unzeit'' (1972): No. I for flute and other instruments; no. II for piano; no. V for guitar; no. VI for accordion; no. VII for double bass; no. VIII for cello * ''Blätterlos'' (1975) for prepared piano * ''Transpositio ad infinitum'' (1976) for cello * ''...Plainte...'' for Luigi Nono (1990) for viola d'amore in three-tone-tuning * ''Winter Seeds'' (1993) for accordion * ''Intarsimile'' (2010) for violin

Writings

Publications with writings by Huber: * ''Umgepflügte Zeit: Gesammelte Schriften'' (1999): Huber's collected writings. * ''From Time – To Time: The Complete Œuvre'' (2010), translation of ''Von Zeit zu Zeit: Das Gesamtschaffen'' (2009): a book Huber wrote in the format of a dialogue with

Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf (born 22 October 1962) is a German composer, editor and author. Career Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf was born in Mannheim, Germany, and studied composition with Brian Ferneyhough, Klaus Huber and Emanuel Nunes and music theory ...

Awards and recognition

Awards and recognitions received by Huber include: * 1970: Beethoven Prize (Bonn) for ''Tenebrae'' * 2000: Honorary Doctorate from

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ea ...

* 2009: ** Salzburg Music Prize **

** Honorary Doctorate from

University of Music and Theatre Leipzig The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig) is a public university in Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn ...

* 2013:

German Music Authors' Prize The German Music Authors' Prize (german: Deutscher Musikautorenpreis) is a German music prize that has been awarded since 2009 by German collective rights association GEMA. It is awarded to composers and lyricists for their outstanding achievement ...

in the category Lifetime achievement

References

External links

Official site including list of works, biographical information etc.
*
Klaus Huber
Musikbibliographie
Publisher's website: Klaus Huber at Ricordi Berlin

Ricordi: Klaus Huber has passed away
* Volker Hagedorn
Siemens-Musikpreisträger: Die Seele geht auf Seidenfüßen
(in German) Die Zeit 8 February 2009
Dem Genuss der Oberfläche widerstehen: Siemens-Preisträger Klaus Huber im Gespräch
(interview, in German) Neue Musikzeitung 15 May 2009 * * *Sound recordings of works of the composer from the archives of SRG SSR o
Neo.Mx3
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huber, Klaus 1924 births 2017 deaths Swiss classical composers 21st-century classical composers 20th-century classical composers People from Bern Hochschule für Musik Freiburg faculty Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin Swiss male classical composers Ernst von Siemens Music Prize winners 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians 20th-century Swiss composers 21st-century Swiss composers