Konrad Sasse (3 October 1926 – 22 July 1981) was a German
musicologist
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, f ...
and
Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti.
Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
scholar.
Life
Sasse was born in
Wernigerode
Wernigerode () is a town in the Harz (district), district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the Wernigerode (district), district of Wernigerode. Its population was 32,181 in 2020.
Wernigerode is located southwes ...
. After completing his
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 1946 at the Fürst-Otto-Gymnasium in Wernigerode in the
Harz
The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' der ...
, he studied musicology among others with
Max Schneider
Maxwell George Schneider (born June 21, 1992), also known by his mononym Max (stylized in all caps), is an American singer and actor. He is best known for his 2016 single " Lights Down Low" (featuring gnash), which peaked within the top 20 of ...
and
Walther Siegmund-Schultze
Walther Siegmund-Schultze (6 July 1916 – 6 March 1993) was a German musicologist. He was the elder brother of musicologist Hella Brock.
Biography
Siegmund-Schultze was born in Schweinitz (Elster). In July 1940 he was promoted to Dr. ph ...
at the
Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...
from 1948 to 1954, which he completed with the
Staatsexamen
The ("state examination" or "exam by state"; pl.: ''Staatsexamina'') is a German government licensing examination that future physicians, dentists, physical therapists, teachers, research librarians, archivists, pharmacists, food chemists, psyc ...
and obtained his
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
with a thesis on
Robert Franz
Robert Franz Julius Knauth (28 June 1815 – 24 October 1892) was a German composer, mainly of lieder.
Biography
Franz was born in Halle, Germany, the son of Christoph Franz Knauth. In 1847, Christoph Knauth adopted his middle name Franz as his ...
(1962). The work was revised and edited by
Edwin Werner in 1986.
From 1954 to 1956, Sasse was secretary at the
Handel Festival, Halle
The Handel Festival (in German: Händel-Festspiele) in Halle an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt, is an international music festival concentrating on the music of George Frideric Handel in the composer's birthplace. It was founded on May 25, 1922 and it ...
. From 1956 to 1981 he was director of the
Handel House in Halle. At the same time he was in charge of the .
[Sasse Konrad](_blank)
on Grove Music Online
In 1959, he became a member of the board of the . From 1963 to 1968, he was head of the instrumentology working group within the Society for Music Research. From 1967 to 1971, he was president of the GDR country group of the
. Until 1974, he was also a member of the presidium. He was also a guest lecturer for historical musicology at the . From 1971, he was also a
lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...
for
organology
Organology (; ) is the science of musical instruments and their classifications. It embraces study of instruments' history, instruments used in different cultures, technical aspects of how instruments produce sound, and musical instrument classi ...
at the
Humboldt University Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany.
The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humboldt ...
and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
He is the author of numerous relevant publications, including a Handel bibliography
Händel Bibliographie
on Google Books and studies on opera.
Sasse died in Dessau
Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...
at the age of 54.
Awards
* Handel Prize
The Handel Prize () is an annual award, instituted in 1956, which is presented by the city of Halle, in Germany, in honour of the celebrated Baroque composer George Frideric Handel. It is awarded, "for exceptional artistic, academic or politico- ...
of the Bezirk Halle
The Bezirk Halle was a district (''Bezirk'') of East Germany. The administrative seat and the main town was Halle.
History
The district was established, with the other 13, on 25 July 1952, substituting the old German states. After 3 October 19 ...
(1960)
* Johannes-R.-Becher-Medaille in Silver (1962)
Publications
* ''Das Händel-Haus in Halle. Geburtshaus Georg Friedrich Händels. Geschichte und Führer durch die Ausstellungen''. Händel-Haus, Halle an der Saale 1958.
* ''Händel-Bibliographie''. Deutscher Verlag für Musik VEB, Leipzig 1963.
* ''Beiträge zur Forschung über Leben und Werk von Robert Franz 1815–1892'' (''Schriften des Händelhauses in Halle''. Vol. 4). Händel-Haus, Halle an der Saale 1986 – edited and published by Edwin Werner.
* 'Neue Daten zu Johann Christoph Schmidt', HJb 1957, 115–25
* ed.: ‘Opera Register from 1712 to 1734 (Colman-Register)’, HJb 1959, 199–223
* Katalog zu den Sammlungen des Händel-Hauses in Halle, 1–7 (Halle, 1961–80)
* Halle an der Saale: Musik (Halle, 1968)
References
Further reading
* Gabriele Baumgartner: ''Sasse, Konrad''. In Gabriele Baumgartner, Dieter Hebig (ed.): ''Biographisches Handbuch der SBZ / DDR 1945–1990''. VOl. 2: ''Maassen – Zylla''. K. G. Saur Verlag, Munich among others 1997, , .
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sasse, Konrad
20th-century German musicologists
Directors of museums in Germany
German music historians
1926 births
1981 deaths
People from Wernigerode