Erhard Ragwitz (1 September 1933 – 16 December 2017) was a German composer and lecturer. From 1986 to 1989, he was the rector of the

Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" ' (, 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 ...

Life and career

Ragwitz is from

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

, the capital of the Province of

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

. An autodidact, he learned to play the violin,

bandoneon The bandoneon () or bandonion is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, it is held between the hands, and played ...

and piano in his childhood. He attended a school in

Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig (district), Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for Colditz Castle, the site of the Oflag IV-C prisoner-of-war camp, POW camp for officers in World War II. Geography Colditz is situa ...

, Saxony, where he founded an instrumental group and directed the choir.Ingeburg Kretzschmar: ''Kunst muß immer auch eine Kraftquelle sein. Introduced: Erhard Ragwitz, professor of composition and composer''. In ''Berliner Zeitung'', 15 March 1986, Jg. 42, edition 63, . He was discovered by

Fritz Reuter Fritz Reuter (7 November 1810 – 12 July 1874; born as ''Heinrich Ludwig Christian Friedrich Reuter'') was a novelist from Northern Germany who was a prominent contributor to Low German literature. Early life Fritz Reuter was born at Stavenhage ...

, who after the

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 ...

Günter Buch: ''Namen und Daten wichtiger Personen in der DDR''. 4th, revised and expanded edition, Dietz, Berlin among others 1987, , . enabled him to study music. He later was a student of

Ottmar Gerster Ottmar Gerster (29 June 1897 in Braunfels, Germany – 31 August 1969 in Borsdorf) was a German viola player, conductor and composer who in 1948 became rector of the Liszt Music Academy in Weimar. Life Ottmar Gerster was born some 50 km ( ...

. Reuter studied musicology,

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

and composition at the and the

University of Music and Theatre Leipzig The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig () is a public university in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatorium der Musik (Conservatory of Music), it is the oldest univ ...

as well as at the Institute for Music Education at the

Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public university, public research university in the cities of Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German State o ...

.Gabriele Baumgartner: ''Ragwitz, Erhard''. In Gabriele Baumgartner,

Dieter Hebig Dieter Hebig (born 23 February 1957) is a German archivist and historian. Life Born in Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Hebig comes from the Thuringian region of Eichsfeld. After attending school, he completed a vocational training with a high school di ...

(ed.): ''Biographisches Handbuch der SBZ/DDR. 1945-1990.'' Vol. 2: ''Maaßen-Zylla''. Supplement to Volume 1, K. G. Saur Verlag, Munich 1997, , . In 1960, he became an assistant and aspirant (with Wilhelm Weismann), in 1964 a teacher and in 1968 a lecturer at the Hochschule für Musik in Leipzig. Temporarily, he also served as

prorector Academic rank (also scientific rank) is the rank of a scientist or teacher in a college, high school, university or research establishment. The academic ranks indicate relative importance and power of individuals in academia. The academic ran ...

for teaching and professional practice. From 1973, he taught at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. From 1973 to 1976, he held the post of director of the . From 1976 to 1978 he held the office of Prorektor der Hochschule. In 1978, he took over a professorship for composition (Tonsatz). In 1981, he became head of the composition and music theory department. As successor to Olaf Koch, he was appointed rector of the Hochschule in Berlin on 19 September 1986. Following a request by the School's Honorary Commission, he was dismissed in November 1989 by the

Senate of Berlin The Senate of Berlin (; unofficially: ) is the executive body governing the city of Berlin, which at the same time is a state of Germany. According to the Constitution of Berlin the Senate consists of the Governing Mayor of Berlin and up to ten ...

for Science and Research. Ragwitz was a member of the central board of the . Since the beginning of the 1960s, he has been composing orchestral, chamber and vocal music (cantatas, choral works, songs, arrangements).Erhard Ragwitz, Astrid Maßenth: ''Um Begabungen zeitig zu erkennen. In conversation with Prof. Erhard Ragwitz''. In ''Berliner Zeitung'', 13 February 1982, Jg. 38, edition 37, . In 1981, the

Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar The (DNT), or German National Theater and Weimar State Orchestra, is the most significant arts organization in Weimar. The institution unites the (German National Theater) with the (Weimar State Orchestra). It plays on a total of six stages ...

under

Rolf Reuter Rolf Reuter (7 October 1926 – 10 September 2007) was a German conductor. Life Reuter was born as son of the composer Fritz Reuter in Leipzig. After studying music at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden he began his caree ...

premiered his 1st Symphony and in 1986 under

Oleg Caetani Oleg Caetani (born 5 October 1956) is an Italian conductor. Life and career Born in Lausanne, Caetani is the son of Igor Markevitch (1912-1983) and Donna Topazia Caetani (1921–1990), Markevitch's second wife and a descendant of a very old aris ...

his 2nd Symphony for the premiere. From 1971 to 1974, Ragwitz, who was a member of the SED, served as a candidate for the SED-Bezirksleitung Leipzig. He is married to the music educator and cultural politician Ursula Ragwitz (1928 – 2020). Ragwitz died in Berlin on 16 December 2017, at the age of 84.

Work

Among others, Ragwitz composed the following pieces: Orchestral music * Festliche Ouvertüre (1965) * Suite (1965) * Drei Sätze für Streichorchester (1967) * Divertimento für Streichorchester und Pauken (1968) * Sinfonia intrada (1975) * Divertimento für Trompete, Streichorchester und Pauke (1979) * Sinfonie (1980) Piano music * Bagatellen (1961) * 4 Kleine Klavierstücke (1961) * Intermezzo marcota (1974) * 2 Sonaten (1968, 1977) Vocal music * Song vom Klasseneinmaleins (

Helmut Preißler Helmut Preißler (16 December 1925, in Cottbus – 20 December 2010, in Bad Saarow) was a German writer and poet. Life Preißler was born in Cottbus. His father was a weaver and his mother worked in the garment industry. On leaving school he be ...

, 1958) * Lied vom Besserwissen (Helmut Preißler, 1958) * Kantate der Freundschaft für Soli, Chor und Orchester (J. Wächtler, 1962) * Zwei A-capella-Chöre (1963) * Frühling der Jugend ( Rose Nyland, 1964) * Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Poem für Alt-Solo, Chor und Kammerorchester nach Johannes R. Becher (1970) * Liederzyklus „Das lachende Herz“ mit Streichern und Klavier nach Texten von Johannes R. Becher (1979)

Recording

* ''Sinfonie Nr. 1 op. 45 / Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Poem op. 28 / Drei Sätze für Streichorchester op. 22'' (Nova, 1984) – Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin and Rolf Reuter (conductor) /

Rosemarie Lang Rosemarie Lang (21 May 1947 – 12 January 2017) was a German operatic mezzo-soprano. Life Born in Grünstädtel, Lang studied at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig with Elisabeth Breul, Eva Schubert-Hoffmann and Helga Forner. At the ...

(contralto),

Rundfunkchor Leipzig MDR Rundfunkchor is the radio choir of the German broadcaster Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), based in Leipzig, Saxony. Dating back to 1924, the choir became the radio choir of a predecessor of the MDR in 1946, then called Kammerchor des Senders ...

, Collegium musicum Leipzig and

Jochen Wehner Jochen Wehner (7 March 1936 – 9 June 2020) was a German conductor, music producer, arranger and Lektor. Life Born in Göttingen, Wehner studied conducting in Halle and at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden and obtained de ...

(conductor) / Collegium musicum Leipzig und Jochen Wehner (conductor) – 1983 recording

References

External links

* *
Erhard Ragwitz
at {{DEFAULTSORT:Ragwitz, Erhard 1933 births 2017 deaths 20th-century German classical composers Academic staff of the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig Socialist Unity Party of Germany members Musicians from Königsberg

Life and career

Work

Recording

Further reading

References

External links