Hermann Schroeder (26 March 1904 – 7 October 1984) was a German

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church musician.

Life

Schroeder was born in

Bernkastel Bernkastel-Kues () is a town on the Middle Mosel in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is well-known for its winegrowing. The town is a state-recognized health resort (''Erholungsort''), seat of the ''Verban ...

and spent the greatest part of his life’s work in the

Rheinland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy Roman Empire ...

. His mother's family had common ancestry with

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

. He studied from 1926 to 1930 at the

Hochschule für Musik Köln ' (, 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 t ...

, where his most important teachers were Heinrich Lemacher and

Walter Braunfels Walter Braunfels (; 19 December 1882 – 19 March 1954) was a German composer, pianist, and music educator. Life Walter Braunfels was born in Frankfurt. His first music teacher was his mother, the great-niece of the composer Louis Spohr. He co ...

(composition),

Hermann Abendroth Hermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth (19 January 1883 – 29 May 1956) was a German conductor. Early life Abendroth was born on 19 January 1883, at Frankfurt, the son of a bookseller. Several other members of the family were artists in diverse dis ...

(conducting), and Hans Bachem (organ). His main sphere of activity as

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

were supplemental to his work as a professor of

choral A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

, and

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

. Upon graduation from the conservatory, he obtained a post teaching music theory at the Rheinische Musikschule in Cologne. Eight years later he became organist at the cathedral in

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

. He remained in this post until the end of the war, adding the position of director of the Trier School of Music in 1940. After the war he taught music theory at the Cologne Musikhochschule beginning in 1946, becoming a professor there in 1948 and deputy director in 1958. He was also a reader at Bonn University from 1946 until 1973, and a lecturer at the University of Cologne from 1956 until 1961. He also conducted various semiprofessional ensembles such as the Bach-Verein Köln and the Rheinischer Kammerchor. His notable students include

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 and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

. Schroeder died on 7 October 1984 in

Bad Orb Bad Orb (; "Thermae on the Orb (Kinzig), Orb River") is a spa town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis district of Hesse, Germany. It is situated east of Hanau between the forested hills of the Spessart. Bad Orb has a population of over 10,000. Its econom ...

aged 80.

Compositions

Schroeder's main accomplishments as a composer were in of Catholic church music, where he attempted to break free of the lingering monopoly held by Romantic music. His works are characterized by the employment of medieval elements such as

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

, modal scales, and

fauxbourdon Fauxbourdon (also fauxbordon, and also commonly two words: faux bourdon or faulx bourdon, and in Italian falso bordone) – Music of France, French for ''false drone'' – is a technique of musical harmony, harmonisation used in the late Medieval ...

which he combined with quintal and quartal harmonies and 20th-century polyphonic linear, sometimes atonal writing similar to that of

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advo ...

. His catalog includes much

organ music The organ repertoire is considered to be the largest and oldest repertory of all musical instruments. Because of the organ's (or pipe organ's) prominence in worship in Western Europe from the Middle Ages on, a significant portion of organ reper ...

as well as folk-song settings, German settings of the

Ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (album) (2011), by Every Little Thing * "Ordinary" (Alex Warren song) (2025) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016 ...

and

Proper Proper may refer to: Mathematics * Proper map, in topology, a property of continuous function between topological spaces, if inverse images of compact subsets are compact * Proper morphism, in algebraic geometry, an analogue of a proper map for ...

of the

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

, and chamber music (especially with the organ).

Honours and awards

* Robert Schumann Prize of the City of Düsseldorf, 1952 * Arts Prize of the State of

Rheinland-Pfalz Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

, 1956.

Selected works

Stage

*''Hero und Leander'', opera in six scenes after ''Des Meeres und der Liebe Wellen'' by

Franz Grillparzer Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer (15 January 1791 – 21 January 1872) was an Austrian writer who was considered to be the leading Austrian dramatist of the 19th century. His plays were and are frequently performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna. He ...

(1944–50)

Choral

*''Missa dorica'', op. 15, for choir a capella (1932) *''Missa Gregoriana'', for mixed choir, schola, congregation, and organ (1957)

Orchestral

*Concerto for string orchestra, Op. 25 (1936–37) *Symphony in D minor, Op. 27 (1940–41) *''Festliche Musik'', for string orchestra and piano (1955) * Concerto for cello and orchestra, Op. 24 (1937) * Concerto for organ and orchestra, Op. 25 (1938) * Concerto for oboe and orchestra, Op. 34 (1955) * Concerto for piano and orchestra, Op. 35 (1955–56) * Concerto for violin and orchestra (1956) * Concerto for flute and orchestra, Op. 37 (1958) * ''Veni creator Spiritus'', hymn for large orchestra, Op. 39 (1961–62) * Concerto for 2 violins and orchestra, Op. 41 (1965) * Concertino for piano and winds, Op. 42 (1966) * Concerto for viola and orchestra, Op. 45 (1970) * ''Capriccio a due tempi'', for orchestra (1972) * Concerto for clarinet and orchestra, Op. 47 (1973) * Concerto for trumpet and orchestra, Op. 53 (1973) * Concertino for clarinet and string orchestra, Op. 54 (1978)

Organ solo

*Toccata, Op. 5a (1930) *Fantasie, Op. 5b (1930) *Prelude and Fugue on ''Christ lag in Todesbanden'' (1930) *''Kleine Präludien und Intermezzi'', Op. 9 (1931) *''Sechs Orgelchoräle über altdeutsche geistliche Volkslieder'', Op. 11 (1933) *''Die Marianischen Antiphonen'' (1953) *''Präambeln und Interludien'' (1953) *Choral Fantasy on ''O heiligste Dreifaltigkeit'' (1955) *Sonata No. 1 (1956) *Partita on ''Veni creator Spiritus'' (1958) *''Kleine Intraden'' (1959) *''Pezzi piccoli'' (1959) *''Orgel-Ordinarium "Cunctipotens genitor Deus"'' (1962) *''Orgel-Choräle im Kirchenjahr'' (1963) *Sonata No. 2 (1963–64) *''Gregorianische Miniaturen'' (1965) *Sonata No. 3 (1967) *''Orgel-Mosaiken'' (1969) *''Zwölf Orgelchoräle für die Weihnachtszeit'' (1970) *''Motiv-Varianten'' (1972) *''Septenarium'' (1973) *''Te Deum Trevirense'' (1973) *''Proprium pro organo'' (1974) *''Ordinarium pro organo'' (1976) *''Concerto piccolo per organo solo'' (1977) *''Trilogien zu Chorälen'' (1977) *''Fünf Skizzen'' (1978) *''Zyklus aus Inventionen'' (1978) *Sonatina (1979) *Choral Toccata ''Omnium sanctorum'' (1980) *''Variationen zu einem eigenen Psalmton'' (1980) *''Beethoven-Variationen, Meditationen Variationen zu einem eigenen zum Dankgesang in der lydischen Tonart aus L. van Beethovens Streichquartett Op. 132'' (1980–81) *Variations on ''Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht'' (1982) *''Mixtura à cinque'' (1983) *''Musik für Orgel'' (1983) *''Suite concertante'' (1983) *''Zehn Introduktionen zu Festtags-Introiten'' (1983) *''Concerto da chiesa'' (1984) *''Pezzi speciali'' (1984)

Chamber music

*String Trio no. 1, for violin, viola, and cello, in E minor, Op. 14, no. 1 (1933) *Quartet no. 1, for string quartet, in C minor, Op. 26 (1939) *String Trio no. 2, for 2 violins and viola, Op. 14, no. 2 (1942) *Duo for violin and piano, op. 28 (1942) *Quartet no. 2, for string quartet, Op. 32 (1952) *Piano Trio no. 1, for violin, cello, and piano, op. 33 (1954) *Sextet for piano and winds, Op. 36 (1957) *Quartet no. 3, for oboe, violin, viola, and cello, Op. 38 (1959) *Sonata for solo violin (1960) *Sonata for oboe and piano (1962) *Piano Trio no. 2, for violin, horn, and piano, op. 40 (1964) *Piano Trio no. 3, for clarinet, cello, and piano, op. 43 (1967) *Quartet no. 4, for string quartet, Op. 44 (1968) *Sonata for solo flute (1971) *Sonata for solo oboe (1970) *Sonata for solo clarinet (1970) *Sonata for solo bassoon (1970) *Sonata for solo trumpet (1970) *Sonata for solo horn (1971) *Sonata for violin and piano (1971) *Sonata for solo trombone (1972) *Sextet for 2 clarinets, 2 horns, and 2 bassoons, Op. 49 (1973) *Quintet for clarinet and strings, Op. 48 (1974) *Wind Quintet, Op. 50 (1974) *Sonata for solo cello (1974) *Sonata for solo viola (1974) *Sonata for cello and piano (1974) *Sonata for solo contrabass (1975) *String Trio no. 3, for violin, viola, and cello, Op. 52 (1976) *Duo for violin and viola (1979) *Quartet no. 5, for string quartet, Op. 55 (1978) *Sonata for clarinet and piano (1979)

Chamber music with organ

*Prelude, Canzona, and Rondo, for violin and organ (1938) *''Fünf Stücke'', for violin and organ (1953) *Concertino for violin, oboe, and organ (1966) *Sonata, for cello and organ (1966) *''Duplum'', for harpsichord and organ (1967) *''Duo da chiesa'', for violin and organ (1970) *''Drei Dialoge'', for oboe and organ, (1972) *Sonata for trumpet and organ (1974) *Sonata, for oboe and organ (1977) *Sonata, for flute and organ (1977) *''Cum organo et tubis'', concertino for organ, two trumpets, and three trombones (1975) *''Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme'', versets for trumpet and organ on the hymn by Philipp Nicolai (1980) *''Impromptu'', for trumpet and organ (1982) *''Intrada a due'', for 2 trumpets and organ (1982)

References

External links

* http://www.trierer-orgelpunkt.de/hschroeder.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Schroeder, Hermann 1904 births 1984 deaths People from Bernkastel-Wittlich German Roman Catholics 20th-century German classical composers German opera composers German male opera composers German classical organists Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln alumni Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln Musicians from the Rhine Province 20th-century German organists 20th-century German male musicians German male classical organists