Gustav Gunsenheimer (born 10 March 1934) is a German director of church music and a composer of mostly sacred music and chamber music. First an elementary school teacher, he worked for decades as the church musician at St. Lukas in

Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a town#Germany, city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding Schweinfurt (district), district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultur ...

, where he held annual festivals, conducted a notable choir, was responsible in the Bavarian organization of chorale conductors, and was a lecturer at the music university of

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

Career

Born in Kunzendorf, Gunsenheimer left Silesia with his family at the end of World War II. He attended a gymnasium with a focus on old languages in

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

, completed with 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 ...

in 1954. He studied to be a music teacher at schools. He taught at elementary schools, from 1956 in

Bad Königshofen Bad Königshofen im Grabfeld (, ) is a small spa town in the German state of Bavaria, located in the Rhön-Grabfeld district in northeast Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. According to the Bavarian State Office for Statistics and Data, Bad Köni ...

, from 1968 in

. His career as a musician began when he founded and conducted a regional teachers' choir named "Fränkischer Singkreis" (Franconian singing circle). In 1963 he passed the ''Kantorenprüfung'' (church musician's exam) at the . In 1966 the state of Bavaria granted him a scholarship to study for two years at the

Mozarteum Mozarteum University Salzburg ( German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the "Mozarteum" name in Salzburg municipality; the International Mozarteu ...

in Salzburg. His studies included "Elementare Musik- und Bewegungserziehung" (Elementary music and movement pedagogy), which brought him in personal contact with

Carl Orff Carl Heinrich Maria Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, who composed the cantata ''Carmina Burana (Orff), Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Orff Schulwerk, Schulwerk were influential for ...

. He returned to Schweinfurt in 1968 and led the oratorio choir "Liederkranz Schweinfurt". From 1969 he was the church musician at St. Lukas. He initiated there in 1970 an annual festival "Musiktage am Hochfeld" (Music days at the Hochfeld, the location of the church), also another regular festival "Musik um die Osterzeit" (Music for

Eastertide Eastertide (also known as Eastertime or the Easter season) or Paschaltide (also known as Paschaltime or the Paschal season) is a festal season in the liturgical year of Christianity that focuses on celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. P ...

). For these concerts, he was able to attract musicians who would not normally play at a small church, such as the Bamberger Streichquartett (Bamberg String Quartet), the violinist Wolfgang Forchert, soloists at the beginning of their career such as soprano

Barbara Schlick Barbara Schlick (born 21 July 1943, Würzburg) is a German soprano who is particularly admired for interpretations of the concert literature of the baroque era. Career Schlick studied singing under at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg and in E ...

, contralto

Waltraud Meier Waltraud Meier (born 9 January 1956) is a German retired dramatic soprano and mezzo-soprano singer. She is particularly known for her Wagnerian roles as Kundry, Isolde, Ortrud, Venus, Fricka, and Sieglinde, but has also had success in the Fr ...

, tenor

Christoph Prégardien Christoph Prégardien (born 18 January 1956) is a German lyric tenor whose career is closely associated with the roles in Mozart operas, as well as performances of Lieder, oratorio roles, and Baroque music. He is well known for his performances a ...

, and the guitarist Michael Tröster. He grouped the music around themes, such as anniversaries of composers. In 2013, the programs were focused on music on texts by

Friedrich Rückert Johann Michael Friedrich Rückert (16 May 1788 – 31 January 1866) was a German poet, translation, translator, and professor of Oriental languages. Biography Johann Michael Friedrich Rückert was born 16 May 1788 in Schweinfurt and was the e ...

, to commemorate his 150th anniversary of death. Gunsenheimer succeeded Karl Thomas after his death in 1973 as conductor of the annual ''Chorleiterwoche im Landesverband Evangelischer Kirchenchöre'', a week of meetings and music for Bavarian Protestant chorale conductors). He had a position as lecturer at the Fachhochschule Würzburg, later also at the

Musikhochschule Würzburg A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

in music therapy. He was responsible for the church music at St. Lukas until the first Sunday in

Advent Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Chri ...

of 2015. In 1983 he was honoured with the title

Kirchenmusikdirektor Kirchenmusikdirektor (KMD, director of church music) is a German title for professional church musicians (' who have responsibility for not only a parish but a larger region, in both Protestant and Catholic church music. The title is also sometimes ...

(director of church music with regional responsibility). In 1987 he was awarded the ''Stadtmedaille Schweinfurt'', and on 12 December 1989 the Cross of the Order of Merit.

Selected compositions

Gunsenheimer composed

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the preeminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to the Eng ...

s, music for brass ensemble, organ and orchestra. His compositions relate to traditional models, and can be performed by amateurs. * ''Auf meinen lieben Gott'',

chorale prelude In music, a chorale prelude or chorale setting is a short liturgical composition for pipe organ, organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque music, Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works ...

s for organ or

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

, on " Auf meinen lieben Gott" * ''Lobe den Herren'',

suite Suite may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Suite (music), a set of musical pieces considered as one composition ** Suite (Bach), a list of suites composed by J. S. Bach ** Suite (Cassadó), a mid-1920s composition by Gaspar Cassadó ** ''Suite' ...

for

soprano recorder The soprano recorder in C, also known as the descant, is the third-smallest instrument of the modern recorder family and is usually played as the highest voice in four-part ensembles (SATB = soprano, alto, tenor, bass). Since its finger spac ...

and organ * ''Drei Intraden'' (Three

Intrada A prelude ( or '; ; ; ) is a short piece of music, the form of which may vary from piece to piece. While, during the Baroque era, for example, it may have served as an introduction to succeeding movements of a work that were usually longer and ...

s) for brass * ''Benedicamus Domino'', six European

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

s in the original language and translation for mixed choir

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

* ''Vater unser'', (

Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also known by its incipit Our Father (, ), is a central Christian prayer attributed to Jesus. It contains petitions to God focused on God’s holiness, will, and kingdom, as well as human needs, with variations across manusc ...

) for four-part men's choir a cappella * '' Die Versuchung Jesu'', Evangelienmotette (1968), published by

Carus-Verlag Carus-Verlag is a German music publisher founded in 1972 and based in Stuttgart. Carus was founded by choral conductor Günter Graulich and his wife Waltraud with an emphasis on choral repertoire. the catalogue includes more than 26,000 works ...

in 1968 * ''Christ ist erstanden'' for trumpet and organ, published by , Wolfenbüttel, in 1983 * ''Lob, Ehr' und Preis'',

partita Partita (also ''partie'', ''partia'', ''parthia'', or ''parthie'') closely resemble the dance suites of the Baroque music, Baroque Period (and are often used synonymously with Suite (music), suites) with the addition of a prelude movement at the ...

for winds (organ ad lib.) in four movements to " Nun danket alle Gott" * Sonata No. 1 for alto recorder (or flute) and harpsichord (or guitar), also Concertino for alto recorder (or flute) and (orchestra of

plucked string instrument Plucked string instruments are a subcategory of string instruments that are played by plucking the string (music), strings. Plucking is a way of pulling and releasing the string in such a way as to give it an impulse that causes the string to ...

s), published by Vogt & Fritz, Schweinfurt * Sonata No. 2 for solo and continuo, published by Vogt & Fritz, Schweinfurt * Sonatina for organ * ''Der Sonnengesang des Franz von Assisi''

References

External links

Gustav Gunsenheimer / Kirchenmusikdirektor (em.)
(in German)
Gunsenheimer, Gustav
in German) komponistenarchiv.de
Gunsenheimer, Gustav

Gustav Gunsenheimer / 1934

* Siegfried Bergler
Verabschiedung von KMD Gustav Gunsenheimer
(in German) Evangelisch-Lutherisches Dekanat Schweinfurt 29 November 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gunsenheimer, Gustav 20th-century German classical composers Sacred music composers German choral conductors German male conductors (music) Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 1934 births Living people 20th-century German conductors (music) 21st-century German conductors (music) 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century German male musicians Kirchenmusikdirektor People from Kłodzko County