Wilhelm Killmayer (21 August 1927 – 20 August 2017) 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 ...

of classical music, a conductor and an academic teacher of composition at the

Hochschule für Musik und Theater München The University of Music and Theatre Munich (), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts music school, conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is the former ''Führerbau'' of the NSDAP, locate ...

from 1973 to 1992. He composed

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

and

song cycles A song cycle () is a group, or cycle, of individually complete songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combination of solo songs mingl ...

on poems by

Friedrich Hölderlin Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (, ; ; 20 March 1770 – 7 June 1843) was a Germans, German poet and philosopher. Described by Norbert von Hellingrath as "the most German of Germans", Hölderlin was a key figure of German Romanticis ...

Joseph von Eichendorff Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

Georg Trakl Georg Trakl (; 3 February 1887 – 3 November 1914) was an Austrian poet and the brother of the pianist Grete Trakl. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists. He is perhaps best known for his poem " Grodek", which h ...

and

Peter Härtling Peter Härtling (; 13 November 1933 – 10 July 2017) was a German writer, poet, publisher and journalist. He received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his major contribution to German literature. Biography Härtling was ...

, among others.

Early life

Wilhelm Killmayer was born on 21 August 1927 in Munich, Germany. He studied conducting and composition from 1945 to 1951 in Munich at

Hermann Wolfgang von Waltershausen Hermann or Herrmann may refer to: * Hermann (name), list of people with this name * Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language * Éditions Hermann, French publisher * Hermann, Mis ...

’s Musikseminar. At the same time, he was enrolled at the

Munich University The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

where he studied

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, ...

with Rudolf von Ficker and Walter Riezler, and

German studies German studies is an academic field that researches, documents and disseminates German language, literature, and culture in its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies therefore often focus on German culture, German h ...

. He was a private student of

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 ...

from 1951 and was admitted to his master class at the Staatliche Musikhochschule in 1953. He was a scholar at the

Villa Massimo Villa Massimo, short for Deutsche Akademie Rom Villa Massimo (), is a German cultural institution in Rome, established in 1910 and located in the Villa Massimo. The fellowship of the German Academy in Rome, often referred to as the German Rome P ...

twice, in 1958 and 1965/66.

Career

Killmayer was a teacher of music theory and counterpoint at the Trappsches Konservatorium in Munich from 1955. He was a conductor of the

Bavarian State Opera The Bavarian State Opera () is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bavarian State Orchestra. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under El ...

's ballet from 1961 to 1964. From 1973 to 1992 he was a professor of composition at the

Hochschule für Musik 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 ...

. Among his students were ,

Max Beckschäfer Max Beckschäfer (born 23 February 1952 in Münster) is a German organist, composer and academic who taught at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and the Hochschule für Musik Augsburg-Nürnberg. He received commissions from the Munic ...

Sandeep Bhagwati Sandeep Bhagwati (born 4 June 1963) is a German composer of western classical music and an academic teacher. Career Sandeep Bhagwati was born in Bombay, Maharashtra, India to a German mother and an Indian father. Living in Germany since the a ...

Moritz Eggert Moritz Eggert (born 25 November 1965 in Heidelberg) is a German composer and pianist. Life Moritz Eggert began his studies in piano and composition in 1975 at Hoch Conservatory, Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium in Frankfurt (with Wolfgang Wagenhaeu ...

Lutz Landwehr von Pragenau Lutz Landwehr von Pragenau (born 1963) is a German composer of classical music. He was born in Regensburg and studied composition with Wilhelm Killmayer at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, continued in a masterclass with Hans-Jür ...

, ,

Rudi Spring Rudi Spring (born 17 March 1962) is a German composer of classical music, pianist and academic. He is known for vocal compositions on texts by poets and his own, and for chamber music such as his three Chamber Symphonies. Career Born in Lindau ...

and

Laurence Traiger Laurence Traiger (born October 16, 1956, died October 18, 2024) was an American composer. Originally from Bellmore, Long Island, New York, he studied and worked in Europe since 1976. At age 11 he composed duos for violin; at age 14 he took lesso ...

. Killmayer's first composition receiving attention was ''Lorca-Romanzen'' after

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...

, premiered at the

Donaueschingen Festival The Donaueschingen Festival, or more precisely ''Donaueschingen Music Days'' (), is a three-day October event presenting new music in the town of the same name, where the Danube River starts, at the edge of the Black Forest in southern Germany. F ...

. In 1954 he composed a Missa brevis, which was recorded and reviewed:

Young (29) Munich-born Composer Wilhelm Killmayer's Missa Brevis ripples with exciting, shifting rhythms and rises skillfully to a colorful series of blasting choral climaxes occasionally more reminiscent of the bandstand than the choir.

Killmayer composed three symphonies called ''Fogli'' (1968), ''Ricordanze'' (1968/69) and ''Menschen-Los'' (1972/73, revised 1988). He composed other orchestral works such as ''Nachtgedanken'' (1973), and music for chamber orchestra, ''The woods so wilde'' (1970), ''Schumann in Endenich'' (1972) and ''Kindertage'' (1973). His stage works ''La Buffonata'' (1959/60) and ''Yolimba'' (new version 1970) are based on texts by

Tankred Dorst Tankred Dorst (19 December 1925 – 1 June 2017) was a German playwright and storyteller. Dorst lived and worked in Munich. His farces, parables, one-act-plays and adaptations were inspired by the theatre of the absurd and the works of Ionesco ...

. For the 20th anniversary of the

Münchener Kammerorchester The Munich Chamber Orchestra (, or MKO) is a German chamber orchestra based in Munich. Its primary concert venue is the Prinzregententheater, Munich. The MKO also gives concerts in Munich at such venues as the Pinakothek der Moderne and the ', an ...

Killmayer composed in 1970 ''Fin al punto'' for string orchestra, which premiered in 1971, conducted by

Hans Stadlmair Hans Stadlmair (3 May 1929 – 13 February 2019) was an Austrian conductor and composer. He conducted the Münchener Kammerorchester for almost four decades. He conducted more than 6000 concerts, many in collaboration with the Bayerischer Rundfunk ...

. He wrote about this work:

The calm already contains the catastrophe. Out of the calm grows the movement that drives itself to the furthest extreme of its powers, where it collapses. It is the point at which one gives up, beyond which one can escape into the open.

Interested in poetry and the voice, he composed

Lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

er, three cycles of ''Hölderlin-Lieder'' based on poems by

(1980s), also

based on

(1991),

(1993 and 1996) and

(1993), and ballads such as

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

's ''Ali Bey'' (2006) and

Eduard Mörike Eduard Friedrich Mörike (; 8 September 18044 June 1875) was a German Lutheran pastor who was also a Romantic poet and writer of novellas and novels. Many of his poems were set to music and became established folk songs, while others were used b ...

's ''Der Feuerreiter'' (2007). Killmayer composed more than 200 ''Lieder''. Killmayer died in

Starnberg Starnberg is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany, some southwest of Munich. It is at the north end of Lake Starnberg, in the heart of the "Five Lakes Country", and serves as capital of the Starnberg (district), district of Starnberg. Recor ...

Awards

Killmayer received the Fromm Music Foundation Award in 1954 for his

Missa brevis ; plural: Missae breves) usually refers to a mass (music), Mass composition that is short because part of the text of the Mass ordinary that is usually set to music in a full Mass (liturgy), Mass is left out, or because its execution time is rel ...

. He was a member of the

Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste in München (Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts) is an association of renowned personalities in Munich, Bavaria. It was founded by the Free State of Bavaria in 1948, continuing a tradition established in 1808 b ...

from 1972, and from 1980 a member of the

Academy of Arts, Berlin The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...

. In 1990 he was the first recipient of the

Hindemith Prize The international Paul Hindemith Prize promotes outstanding contemporary composers within the framework of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival (SHMF). The award commemorates the musical pedagogy of Paul Hindemith, who wrote the composition '' ...

of the

Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (SHMF) is a classical music festival held each summer throughout the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany. History The festival was founded in 1986 by German concert pianist and conductor Justus Fr ...

. Invited by

Walter Fink Walter Fink (16 August 1930 – 13 April 2018) was a German entrepreneur and a patron of contemporary classical music. He is known for being a founding member, executive committee member and sponsor of the Rheingau Musik Festival, where he initiat ...

, he was the fourth composer featured in the annual Komponistenporträt of the

Rheingau Musik Festival The (RMF) is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres. Concerts take place at culturally important locations, such as Eberbach Abbey and Schloss Johannisberg, ...

in 1994. In 2003 he was awarded the

Musikpreis der Landeshauptstadt München The Musikpreis der Landeshauptstadt München (Music Prize of the City of Munich) is an award, awarded since 1992, initially every two years but since 2000, every three years, alternating with the Theaterpreis and the Tanzpreis. The music prize re ...

. In 2010 he received the

Prize of the Christoph and Stephan Kaske Foundation A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

Works

Killmayer's works were published by Schott. Stage works * ''La Buffonata'' (1959/60), ballet opera,

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

* ''La Tragedia di Orfeo'' (1960/61), after

Angelo Poliziano Agnolo (or Angelo) Ambrogini (; 14 July 1454 – 24 September 1494), commonly known as Angelo Poliziano () or simply Poliziano, anglicized as Politian, was an Italian classical scholar and poet of the Florentine Renaissance. His scholars ...

* ''Yolimba oder Die Grenzen der Magie'' (1963, revised 1970), libretto:

and Wilhelm Killmayer Vocal : * ''Acht Shakespeare-Lieder'' (1955) for tenor and ensemble, premiered 26 May 1956,

Franz Fehringer Franz Fehringer (7September 191015March 1988) was a German operatic tenor, particularly associated with light lyric roles in the German, Italian, and French repertories. Fehringer was born in Nussloch. He studied in Karlsruhe with Jan van Gorkom ...

, members of the Sinfonie-Orchesters des Hessischen Rundfunks, Wilhelm Killmayer * ''Geistliche Hymnen und Gesänge'' (1964) for six-part mixed choir (SAATTB) after

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tr ...

* ''Drei Gesänge nach Hölderlin'' (1965) for baritone and piano * ''

Tre Canti di Leopardi ''Tre Canti di Leopardi'' (Three songs by Leopardi) is a series of three orchestral songs composed by Wilhelm Killmayer in 1965 for baritone and orchestra. He set three poems in Italian from the collection ''Canti (poetry collection), Canti'' by ...

'' (1965) * ''Antiphone'' (1967) for baritone, orchestra and small men's choir, recorded 1985,

Bayerischer Rundfunk (; "Bavarian Broadcasting"), shortened to BR (), is a public broadcasting, public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Bavaria, Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD (b ...

* ''Tamquam sponsus'' (1974) for soprano and instruments. Text: from

Psalm XXIII Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The Lord is my shepherd". In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a b ...

* ''Französisches Liederbuch'' (1979/80) for soprano, baritone and chamber ensemble, premiered 3 May 1980,

Schwetzingen Festival The Schwetzingen Festival (German: Schwetzinger Festspiele, now Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele) is an early summer festival of opera and other classical music presented each year from May to early June in Schwetzingen, Germany. In 1952, the broadca ...

June Card June Card (born April 10, 1937) is an American soprano and stage director who had an active career in operas and concerts from 1959 through today. She began her career as a chorus girl on Broadway before moving into opera. She established hers ...

Philippe Huttenlocher Philippe Huttenlocher (born 29 November 1942) is a Swiss baritone. Life and career He was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He first studied violin at the conservatory in Neuchâtel, and then voice in Fribourg. In 1972, he won the international sin ...

, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester,

Paul Angerer Paul Angerer (16 May 1927 – 26 July 2017) was an Austrian violist, conductor, composer and radio presenter. Life Angerer studied music theory and composition with Friedrich Reidinger and Alfred Uhl, and conducting with Hans Swarowsky. He pe ...

* ''Hölderlin-Lieder'' after his latest poems, for tenor and orchestra, first cycle (1982–1985) premiered 3 February 1986,

Peter Schreier Peter Schreier (29 July 1935 – 25 December 2019) was a German tenor in opera, concert and lied, and a conductor. He was regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century. Schreier was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor conduct ...

Bayerisches Staatsorchester The Bavarian State Orchestra () is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the , since 1811. Profile The origins of the ensemble date back to 1523 and the times of composer Ludwig S ...

Wolfgang Sawallisch Wolfgang Sawallisch (26 August 1923 – 22 February 2013) was a German conductor and pianist. Biography Wolfgang Sawallisch was born in Munich, the son of Maria and Wilhelm Sawallisch. His father was director of the Hamburg-Bremer-Feuerversich ...

, second cycle (1983–1987) premiered 14 August 1987,

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

, ORF-Sinfonieorchester,

Lothar Zagrosek Lothar Zagrosek (born 13 November 1942 in Otting, Germany) is a German conductor. As a youth, he sang in the Regensburg Cathedral choir, including performances as the First Boy in ''The Magic Flute'' at the 1954 Salzburg Festival. From 1962 to ...

Orchestra * ''Konzert'' (1955) for piano and orchestra, premiered 21 April 1956 München, Günter Louegk (piano),

Münchner Philharmoniker The Munich Philharmonic () is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munich's four principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Bavarian State Orche ...

, Fritz Rieger) * ''Divertissement'' (1957) for orchestra, premiered October 1957,

Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: ''Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR'') was a German radio orchestra based in Stuttgart in Germany. History The ensemble was founded in 1945 by American occupation authorities as the orches ...

, * ''Sinfonia I: Fogli'' (First Symphony, 1968) * ''Sinfonia II: Ricordanze'' (Second Symphony, 1968/69) * ''Fin al punto'' (1970) for string orchestra, premiered 14 January 1971,

* ''Symphonie III: Menschen-Los'' (Third Symphony, 1972/73, revised 1988) * ''Nachtgedanken'' (1973) for orchestra, 7 August 1973,

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 ...

orchestra,

Leopold Hager Leopold Hager (born 6 October 1935, Salzburg) is an Austrian conductor known for his interpretations of works by the Viennese Classics (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert). Hager studied piano, organ, harpsichord, conducting, and composition a ...

* ''Jugendzeit'' (1977), Poème symphonique, premiered 16 January 1978,

Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg (Freiburg Philharmonic) is the symphony orchestra of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, founded in 1887. It plays concerts in the Konzerthaus Freiburg and opera in the Theater Freiburg. History The Freiburg Ph ...

Klauspeter Seibel Klauspeter Seibel (7 May 1936 in Offenbach am Main – 8 January 2011 in Hamburg) was a German conductor. Trained at the Nuremberg Conservatory and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, he was principal conductor of the Nuremberg Symph ...

* ''Überstehen und Hoffen'' (1977/78), Poème symphonique, premiered 6 May 1978,

* ''Poème symphoniques'' (1977–1980), ''Verschüttete Zeichen'' (1977/78), Essay symphonique, ''Im Freien'' (1980), Poème symphonique, all premiered 20 March 1981,

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (, BRSO) is a German radio orchestra. Based in Munich, Germany, it is one of the city's four orchestras. The BRSO is one of two full-size symphony orchestras operated under the auspices of Bayerischer Rundf ...

Hiroshi Wakasugi was a Japanese orchestra conductor. He premiered many of the major Western operas in Japan, and was honoured with many awards for cultural achievement. He was best known for conducting works by German composers such as Richard Wagner, Anton B ...

* ''Orchester-Melodien'' (2004), premiered 26 June 2004 in Berlin,

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) is a German broadcast orchestra based in Berlin. The orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families ...

Kent Nagano Kent George Nagano (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been ''Generalmusikdirektor'' (GMD) of the Hamburg State Opera (until 2025). Early life and education Nagano was born in Berkeley, ...

* ''Dithyramben'' (2006) for orchestra, premiered 12 January 2007 in the

Herkulessaal The Residenz (, ''Residence'') in central Munich is the former royal palace of the House of Wittelsbach, Wittelsbach List of rulers of Bavaria, monarchs of Bavaria. The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors ...

Christoph Poppen Christoph Poppen (born 9 March 1956) is a German conductor, violinist and academic teacher. Career Poppen was born in Münster. As a violinist, he was awarded first prize in the Kocian Violin Competition age 14. He studied the violin with Kur ...

Chamber music * ''Kammermusik'' (1957) for jazz instruments (1957) * ''Führe mich, Alter, nur immer in deinen geschnörkelten Frühlings-Garten! Noch duftet und taut frisch und gewürzig sein Flor'' (1974) for chamber ensemble, premiered in May 1975 in Nürnberg * 8 Bagatelles (1990/91) for cello and piano

Recordings

* Missa brevis, Fromm Music Foundation, Twentieth Century Composers Series, together with

Lou Harrison Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments. Harrison initially wrote in a dissonant, ultramodernist style similar to his for ...

: Mass, New York Concert Choir and Orchestra,

Margaret Hillis Margaret Eleanor Hillis (October 1, 1921, Kokomo, Indiana – February 5, 1998, Evanston, Illinois) was an American conductor. She was the founder and first director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. Life Hillis was born in Kokomo, Indiana, in ...

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

CBS 1957 * ''fin al punto / Poèmes symphoniques'', ''Fin al punto'' for string orchestra:

, ''Jugendzeit'', ''Verschüttete Zeichen'', ''Überstehen und Hoffen'':

* ''Wilhelm Killmayer: Chamber Music'', CPO 1989 :: A reviewer for

Gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

noted: "Killmayer can swing from meditation to frantic action within the frame of the most basic harmonic progression, and because his music is so convincingly natural in atmosphere, techniques and materials which in other hands might seem crude and predictable serve their purpose well." * ''Wilhelm Killmayer: Sinfonien 1–3; La Joie de Vivre; Nachtgedanken'', WERGO 2000

References

External links

* *
Killmayer, Wilhelm
Bayerisches Musik Lexikon Online
Wilhelm Killmayer Biography
ArkivMusic
Literatur über Wilhelm Killmayer

Bibliography of Music Literature The Bibliography of Music Literature (BMS or BMS online, ) is an international bibliography of literature on music. It considers all kind of music and includes both current and older literature. Since 1968, the BMS editorial staff has also been wo ...

*
Killmayer, Wilhelm
(in German) Operone
Alle Artikel kategorisiert unter "Wilhelm Killmayer"
(in German) '' Neue Musikzeitung'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Killmayer, Wilhelm 1927 births 2017 deaths 20th-century German classical composers 21st-century German classical composers Academic staff of the University of Music and Theatre Munich German male classical composers Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century German male musicians Composers from Munich