Paul (Edmund) Schenk (11 February 1899 – 30 August 1977) was a German

music theorist 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 " rudiments", that ...

Life

Born in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, Schenk studied theory, composition and conducting at 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 ...

, where he also received a teaching position for music theory from 1925. His studies with

Sigfrid Karg-Elert Sigfrid Karg-Elert (November 21, 1877April 9, 1933) was a German composer in the early twentieth century, best known for his compositions for pipe organ and reed organ. Biography Karg-Elert was born Siegfried Theodor Karg in Oberndorf am Neckar, ...

, whose music theory Schenk accepted and propagated, were formative. Immediately after their first electoral successes, Schenk joined the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

and in his textbooks covered all the essential aspects of a " völkischen"

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 ...

. In 1949 he was appointed professor for

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 ...

and

ear training In music, ear training is the study and practice in which musicians learn various aural skills to detect and identify pitch (music), pitches, interval (music), intervals, melody (music), melody, chord (music), chords, rhythms, solfeges, and other ...

and headed the department of composition (music theory) at the Leipzig Academy of Music until his retirement in 1964. Schenk had a decisive influence on a whole generation of music theorists of the

GDR East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

. Schenk died in his native town at the age of 78.

Writings

* ''Sigfrid Karg-Elert: eine monographische Skizze mit vollständigem Werkverzeichnis''. Leipzig 1927 * ''Lehrbuch der polaren Harmonik'', Leipzig 1927 * ''Gehörbildungslehre''. 8 issues, Trossingen 1951 * ''Schule des Blattsingens''. Leipzig 1953 * ''Funktioneller Tonsatz. Arbeiten am Klavier''. 2 vols., Leipzig 1953 * ''Allgemeine Musiklehre. Ergänzungs- und Fortbildungsband zu Hofmeisters Schulwerken für Musikinstrumente.'' Leipzig 1956 * ''Kleine praktische Harmonielehre''.''Kleine praktische Harmonielehre''
on WorldCat Leipzig 1976

Literature

* Ludwig Holtmeier: ''Paul Schenk''. In Ludwig Finscher (ed.): ''

Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'' (''MGG''; "Music in the Past and Present") is a German music encyclopedia. It is among the world's most comprehensive encyclopedias of music history and musicology, on account of its scope, content, wealth ...

''. Volume 14, Kassel 2005

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schenk, Paul 1899 births 1977 deaths German music theorists Nazi Party members Academic staff of the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig Writers from Leipzig 20th-century German musicologists