Eberhard Kummer (2 August 1940 – 12 July 2019) was an Austrian concert singer, lawyer and an expert of

medieval music Medieval music encompasses the sacred music, sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries. It is the Dates of classical music eras, first and longest major era of Western class ...

from

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Kummer was born in

Krems an der Donau Krems an der Donau (, ) is a city in Lower Austria, Austria. With a population of 24,821, it is the 20th-largest city of Austria and fifth-largest of Lower Austria. It is approximately west of Vienna. Krems is a city with its own statute (or '' ...

. He played the

hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-turned crank, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin (or nyckelharpa) bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar ...

, the

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

and the

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, and made important contribution to the restoration of medieval and the Austrian

folksong Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has bee ...

. He received training as a classical

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

. After an initial career as classical singer, he gradually specialized in restoring traditional Austrian folksongs and original medieval music from Europe, such as the German epic

Nibelungenlied The (, or ; or ), translated as ''The Song of the Nibelungs'', is an epic poetry, epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The is based on an oral tradition of Germanic hero ...

or medieval Minnelieder.

Discography

Solo Recordings

1978, 1981: Alt-Wiener Volkslieder.

Preiser Records Preiser Records is an independent Austrian record label. It was founded in 1952 by Otto G. Preiser (1920–1996). The label is particularly important for recordings from the Viennese cabaret scene, especially from the 1950s and 1960s (Helmut Qua ...

, EMI-Electrola, Cologne (LPs und CDs) 1978: Der Mönch von Salzburg / Cesar Bresgen, Help Austria Records HAS 174. 1984: Das Nibelungenlied. Pan-Verlag, Wien (LP) 1984: Der Mord auf der Mölkerbastei. Pan-Verlag, Wien (LP) 1986: "Lieder und Reigen des Mittelalters - Neidhart von Reuental" . Pan-Verlag, Wien.(LP Nr. 117 001) 1987: Ballade von Wolf Dietrich und andere Balladen. Lyraphon, Salzburg (MC Nr. unbekannt) 1990: Max und Moritz von Wilhelm Busch. Extempore Records, Linz (MC LC 8075) 1993: Sentimentale Volkslieder vom Tod, von Räubern und Mördern gem. with Elisabeth Orth.

, Vienna (CD) 1995: Das Buch von den Wienern – aufgeschrieben von Michel Beheim. Preiser Records, Wien (CD 90206) 1997: Alt-Wiener Volkslieder I + II. ORF und Preiser Records, Wien (CD 90038, 90131) 1998: Das Nibelungenlied, Walther von der Vogelweide, Kürenberger. Extraplatte, Wien (nicht identisch mit der LP von 1984, sondern Neuaufnahme: CD, Stereo 93415) 1998: Es fuegt sich. Lieder des Oswald von Wolkenstein. Preiser Records, Wien (CD, Stereo 91051) 2004: Laurin – Epos und Schwank im mittelalterlichen Tirol. ORF, Wien (u.a. Ausschnitte aus dem Laurin-Epos, den Dietrich-Epen von der Virginal sowie dem Riesen Ecke, dem Willehalm Wolframs von Eschenbach, dem Iwein Hartmanns von Aue sowie zwei Schwankmären: Edition Alte Musik CD 363) 2004: Lieder zur Leier & Wissenswertes von Weihnachten. Gem. mit Helga Maria Wolf. Extraplatte, Wien (CD LC 8202) 2006: Nibelungenlied, Complete Recording. The Chaucer Studio, Provo, Utah/ États-Unis (zwei MP3-CDs ) 2007: Die Lieder des Hugo von Montfort. ORF, Wien (Edition Alte Musik Zwei CDs + DVD, CD 3011)

Productions where he participated

1980: Lieder und Duette der Romantik. Interpret/innen: Guy-Kummer, Elisabeth (Alt). Kummer, Eberhard (Bass). Ortner, Roman (Klavier). LP, Wien : Preiser 1983: In adventu Domini : vorweihnachtl. Musik von 1200 bis 1600. Wien : Mirror Music 1986: Scholi singt. Lieder & Balladen des ausgejagten Studenten LP Lyraphon 580441, Seekirchen/Salzburg: Tonstudio "Die Mühle". 1990: Mozart, Tänze und Menuette. Wiener Akademie Martin Haselböck auf Originalinstrumenten. Novalis, Schweiz ??? (CD 150 059-1) 1993: Es ist ein schön Ding umb ein Rosen. Live-Mitschnitt der Uraufführung im Rahmen des Carinthischen Sommers in Villach.

Carinthischer Sommer The Carinthian Summer is a music and cultural festival in the Austrian province of Carinthia. It was founded in 1969 in Ossiach

(CD 1111) 1994: Hans Sachs und seine Zeit. Clemencic Consort. Stradivarius dischi, Milano (Neuauflage 2010) 1997: Meilensteine der Volksmusik. Volkskultur Niederösterreich, Atzenbrugg. CD-Serie. Advent und Weihnachten in den Bergen. Verlag ??? München 1998: Der Staat ist in Gefahr! Lieder zur Wiener Revolution 1848. Wiener Volksliedwerk und Extraplatte, Wien (CD LC 8202) 1999: Das Narrenschiff - Mitschnitt der Aufführung des gleichnamigen Theaterstückes bei den Sommerspielen im Stift Altenburg. CD, Wien: Preiser: 1999 2000: Zu ebener Erde und erster Stock. Wiener Lieder und Tänze 1760-1860. "Die Eipeldauer". Extraplatte, Wien (CD EX 443-2) 2002: Mittelalterliche Lieder und Tänze. Paul Hofhaimer Consort Salzburg.Verlag der Bibliothek der Provinz, Weitra / Weinberg Records, Kefermarkt (CD SW 010173) 2004: Die geistliche Nachtigall. Weihnachts- und Hirtenmusik aus dem Alten Österreich. Clemencic-Consort Arte Nova Classics, München. (CDLC 3480) 2005: Hadamar von Laber - Jagd nach Liebe. CD, München: Oehms Classics, München. Clemencic-Consort (CD OC 519) 2009: Wir zogen gegen Napoleon. Musik der napoleonischen Epoche. (CD LC 16167)

External links

(German) Eberhard Kummer's entry on the Austria Forum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kummer, Eberhard 1940 births 2019 deaths Austrian guitarists Austrian harpists Austrian jurists 20th-century Austrian male singers Bass-baritones 21st-century Austrian male singers People from Krems an der Donau