Dieter Lehnhoff Temme (born 27 May 1955) is a German-Guatemalan composer, conductor and

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 ...

Life

Dieter Lehnhoff Temme was born in Guatemala City to German settlers in 1955. He has been a pupil of Klaus Ager, Gerhard Wimberger, Josef Maria Horváth, and Dr. Friedrich C. Heller in Salzburg. His musique concréte work Requiem was premiered in 1975 at the Austrian Broadcasting (ORF). He earned his master's (M.A.) and doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees with distinction at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he was a graduate student of Conrad Bernier and Helmut Braunlich (composition), Donald Thulean (conducting), Cyrilla Barr, Ruth Steiner, and Robert M. Stevenson (musicology).

Recent works

His original compositions have been performed in

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as well as

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and

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. His ''Misa de San Isidro'' (2001) for a cappella chorus was premiered in Tenerife, the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, in 2002, and has been performed by different professional choirs at festivals in

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. His Piano Concerto No. 1 (2005), dedicated to the

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

pianist and teacher, Alexandr Sklioutovski, was premiered in June, 2006 at the National Theatre in

Guatemala City Guatemala City (, also known colloquially by the nickname Guate), is the Capital city, national capital and largest city of the Guatemala, Republic of Guatemala. It is also the Municipalities of Guatemala, municipal capital of the Guatemala Depa ...

by José Pablo Quesada as a soloist and the Millennium Orchestra, the composer conducting. In 2007, it was performed to critical acclaim at the National Theatre in San José, Costa Rica, again with pianist Quesada and the composer conducting the National University

Symphony Orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

. Quesada also performed it at the 15th Latin American Music Festival in

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

in May, 2008, with the National

Philharmonic Orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, a ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. Lehnhoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 (2007) premiered in August, 2008 in Guatemala City by concert pianist

Sergio Sandí Sergio may refer to: * Sergio (name), for people with the given name Sergio * Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found * Sergio, the mascot for the Old Orchard Beach Surge baseball team * ''Sergio'', a 2009 documentary film about ...

, with the combined Millennium Orchestra and Bachensemble

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, the composer conducting. The concertos are written in a personal, highly original

post-modern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experi ...

style in which contemporary art-music idioms and techniques, but also

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

influences can be traced. His aphoristical

twelve-tone The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition. The technique is a means of ensuring that all 12 notes of the chromatic scale ...

''Hai-kai'' for piano has attracted the attention of scholars such as the distinguished

Dr.

Tamara Sklioutovskaia Tamara may refer to: People * Tamara (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Tamara Macarena Valcárcel Serrano, Spanish singer, also known mononymously as Tamara * Tamara, another stage name of Spanish ...

, and has been performed by international pianists. His piano and chamber music have been performed at numerous festivals in

, North- and

. His diptych, called ''Escenas primigenias,'' was published on CD and served as cinematic development. His stage work in progress ''Satuyé'', on his own multilingual libretto, is about the Afro-Caribbean

Garinagu The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and Amerindian ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and traditionally speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language. The Garifuna a ...

(or

Garifuna The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and Amerindian ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and traditionally speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language. The Garifuna ...

) people and their arrival at

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

n shores.

Revival of historical music

His research of the

music of Guatemala The music of Guatemala is diverse. Music is played all over the country. Towns also have wind and percussion bands that play during the lent and Easter-week processions as well as on other occasions. The marimba is an important instrument in Gua ...

has revealed a previously unknown musical wealth, including the

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

, classical, romantic, 20th century, and current trends. From the early 1980s on, Dieter Lehnhoff had become interested in searching for music composed in

and specifically

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

during the Spanish rule (1524–1821). His research initiatives brought to light a number of compositions by

masters Hernando Franco,

Pedro Bermúdez Pedro Bermúdez (1558–1605) was a Spanish composer and chapel master, who has been recognised as one of the most outstanding polyphonists in the New World, and who was active in Granada, Antequera, Cusco, Santiago de Guatemala (present-day Anti ...

, and Gaspar Fernández, as well as Guatemalan

composers

Manuel José de Quirós Manuel José de Quirós (died 1765) was an 18th-century Guatemalan composer. Life Born in Santiago de Guatemala, present day Antigua Guatemala, towards the end of the 17th century, Quirós had a religious education while pursuing his musical app ...

Rafael Antonio Castellanos Rafael Antonio Castellanos (c. 1725–1791) was a Guatemalan classical composer. His style is that of the late Spanish baroque, pre-classical, and classical periods, with frequent reference to Guatemalan folk music idioms. Life From an early age, ...

, Pedro Antonio Rojas, and

José Eulalio Samayoa José Eulalio Samayoa (c. 1781 – c. 1866) was a Guatemalan classical composer. Biography José Eulalio Samayoa was educated within the system of guilds, progressing from apprentice to journeyman before becoming a master. He founded the Philharmo ...

. A first anthology was published in

Antigua Guatemala Antigua Guatemala (), commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the Guatemalan Highlands, central highlands of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1543 through 1773, with much of its Baroque- ...

in 1984. The music was revived in a number of concerts conducted by Lehnhoff, thus surprising the musical world with a new repertoire of high quality. The first series of digital recordings (1992–99), which spanned from the late

times to the end of the 20th century, was released as part of the monumental ''Historia General de Guatemala'', an encyclopedic publication in six volumes written by over 150 specialists in every historical area. The series of seven CDs included premiere recordings of music from every historical period. The revival of the historic

Music of Guatemala The music of Guatemala is diverse. Music is played all over the country. Towns also have wind and percussion bands that play during the lent and Easter-week processions as well as on other occasions. The marimba is an important instrument in Gua ...

through Lehnhoff's concerts, writings, and recordings had a significant effect on the strengthening of the cultural identity of Guatemalans in times of civil confrontation and turmoil. The dissemination of his musical and historical findings at more than 40 international festivals, concerts, congresses, and meetings also helped restore the country's cultural image and prestige. As a conductor, he has founded and directed various instrumental groups,

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

s, and choral groups. He has been invited to perform as a conductor, composer, lecturer, or leader of his Millennium Ensemble at over forty international festivals and concerts in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and

. He has produced a series of compact discs with premiere recordings of works by Guatemalan composers of all times.

Academic programmes

In the academic field, he also pioneered by establishing and directing several institutions and programs devoted to the strengthening of musical culture in Guatemala. Thus, he proposed and carried out the design and establishment of the Music Department at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, which offered, for the first time in the country, a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

and a teaching license in Music. He also established the Institute of

Musicology 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, ...

at the Universidad Rafael Landíva

which is under his direction and is primarily devoted to musicological research. He has taught numerous courses in

musicology 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, ...

, music theory, applied music, and composition. He has also been an invited professor at the doctoral program of the National University of

. For his extensive writings, he was made a corresponding member of the

Royal Spanish Academy The Royal Spanish Academy (, ; ) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with national language academies in 22 other Hispanophon ...

, being also invited to join the Academies of History of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, and

. He is the founder and president of the Guatemalan Music Council, affiliated with the

International Music Council The International Music Council (IMC) was created in 1949 as UNESCO's advisory body on matters of music. The original request of the foundation of the IMC was under the Director of the UNESCO. It is based at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, France, ...

Selected compositions

Orchestral: *''Symphony No. 1 (Sinfonía poética)'' (1975) *''Symphony No. 2 (Sinfonía festiva)'' (1990) *''Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1'' (2005) *''Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2'' (2007) *''Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3'' (2020) *''Tardes de feria'' (2008) *''Caribe Suite No. 1'' (2009) Stage: *''Streichquartett'',

music theatre Music theatre is a performance genre that emerged over the course of the 20th century, in opposition to more conventional genres like opera and musical theatre. The term came to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s to describe an avant-garde approach ...

(1974) *''Milarepa Superstar'',

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

(1977, score lost) *''Caribe'',

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

(2007–11) *''Pimalina'',

(2022) Vocal-choral: *''Cinco canciones criollas'', own lyrics (1976) *''Cantos latinos de natividad'', Latin texts (1988) *''Misa de San Isidro'', Latin text of the Mass ordinary (2001) *''Chaaj: el juego de pelota Maya'', own poem (2003) *''Salve, cara Parens'', mezzo-soprano or baritone, strings, and piano, Latin poem by Rafael Landívar (2011) *''Seht das Schiff heimwärts ziehen'', soprano, guitar, flute, vibraphone, percussion; German Lyrics by Anna Baar (2022) Chamber: *''Canto IV'', clarinet quartet (1985) *''In memoriam'', violin, clarinet, and cello (1989) *''Santelmo'', solo violin (1990) *''Cantares del Llano'', string or wind quintet (1994) *''Incidente en Izabal'', clarinet and marimba (1997); also clarinet, cello, and piano (2022) *''Kyrieleis'', string quartet (2002) *''Llegó Pacheco'', wind quintet (2004) *''Tardes de feria'', wind quintet (2005) *''Sonata urbana'', clarinet and piano, also a version for viola or cello and piano (2010) *''Música lúdica'', flute, clarinet, and piano (2012) *''Sonata porteña'', flute and piano (2013) *''Caribe Suite No. 2'', clarinet and string quartet (2013) *''Concerto a 6'', marimba and wind quintet (2020) Piano: *''Album para la juventud'' (1988) *''Hai-kai'' (2001) *''Doppler'' (2012) Electro-acoustic: *''Requiem'' (1975) *''Memorias de un día remoto'' (1999) *''Rituales nocturnos'' (1999)

Books

* ''Creación musical en Guatemala''. Guatemala City: Editorial Galería Guatemalea, 2005

* ''Huellas de la guerra en el arte musical'' Guatemala City: International Red Cross Committee, 1999. * Música y músicos de Guatemala. Guatemala City: Universidad Rafael Landívar, Cultura de Guatemala, 1995. * ''Rafael Antonio Castellanos: vida y obra de un músico guatemalteco''. Guatemala City: Universidad Rafael Landívar, Instituto de Musicología, 1994. * ''Espada y pentagrama: la música polifónica en la Guatemala del siglo XVI''. Guatemala City: Universidad Rafael Landívar, 1984.

References

* Lemmon, Alfred E. "Lehnhoff, Dieter." ''Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericana'' (10 vols.), ed. Emilio Casares Rodicio. Madrid: Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, 2000, 6/851-52. * Sklioutovskaia, Tamara. "D. Lehnhoff, Hai-kai: aproximación al análisis musical". ''Abrapalabra'' 39 (2006):49-64. * The Living Composers Projec

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lehnhoff, Dieter Guatemalan conductors (music) Guatemalan opera composers German opera composers Male opera composers 1955 births Living people Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art alumni Musicians from Guatemala City German musicologists Guatemalan people of German descent 20th-century Guatemalan people 21st-century Guatemalan musicians 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers German male classical composers 20th-century German composers 21st-century German composers 20th-century conductors (music) 21st-century conductors (music) 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century German male musicians