Siegfried Köhler (2 March 1927 in Meißen – 14 July 1984 in East Berlin) was a German composer in the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Life

During World War II, Köhler worked with a musicians group ''(Spielschar)'' within the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

organisation. After the end of the war, the Soviet secret police

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

arrested him and charged him with being a member of the

Werwolf ''Werwolf'' (, German for "werewolf") was a Nazi plan which began development in 1944, to create a resistance force which would operate behind enemy lines as the Allies advanced through Germany, in parallel with the ''Wehrmacht'' fighting in f ...

. He was detained at the infamous prison Speziallager Nr. 4 in Bautzen. In March 1946 he was transferred into Speziallager Nr. 1 in Mühlberg and on 21 June 1946 he was handed over to the NKVD command in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

. He was released there suffering from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

.Andreas Weigelt: ''Chronik der Initiativgruppe Lager Mühlberg e.V.''. IG Lager Mühlberg, Mühlberg/Elbe, 2010 (), referenced by:

Dieter Härtwig Dieter Härtwig (born 18 July 1934 in Dresden) is a German dramaturge, musicologist and author of numerous writings on Dresden's music history and its personalities. After gaining his Abitur from Kreuzschule, Härtwig studied musicology and Germa ...

: ''Er erträumte ein „Reich des Menschen“.'' In: ''Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten'' March 2, 2002 Köhler went on to study first Composition in

and then

musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

and

Art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

in Leipzig. From 1963 to 1968 he worked as an art director at the state-owned music publisher

VEB Deutsche Schallplatten The VEB Deutsche Schallplatten was the monopolistic music publisher in the German Democratic Republic from the 1950s until the 1980s. On August 12, 1946, the German singer and actor Ernst Busch got permission by Soviet military administration ...

in East Berlin. In 1968 he returned to Dresden and became the president of

Musikhochschule Dresden 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 ins ...

. From 1982 until his death he was the president of the Association of Composers and Musicologists of the German Democratic Republic. In 1983 he was appointed as the director of the prestigious opera house

Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the T ...

. However, he did not live to see the re-opening of the

Semperoper The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the ...

in 1985. Köhler died on 14 July 1984 in East Berlin. Siegfried Köhler's best-known works are the song ''Heut ist ein wunderschöner Tag'' (1942) and the Christmas song '' Tausend Sterne sind ein Dom''. His

Symphony 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 com ...

No. 5 "Pro Pace" (premiered in 1984) is a stunning reminder of the bombing of Dresden in World War II. For the record ''

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 ...

singt Weihnachtslieder'' (1975), Köhler arranged all songs for solo tenor, boys' choir and orchestra.

Works

* ''Lied vom Leben'', Cantata, text by Siegfried Köhler op. 1 (1947) * ''Zum Neuen Jahre Glück und Heil''. Joyful music set to a text by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

for mixed choir and small orchestra, op. 2 (1954) * ''Sechs schlichte Liedweisen'', op. 3 (1950) * ''Deutschland'', also known as ''Deutsche

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 pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...

te'' after poetry by

Kurt Barthel Kurt Barthel (1884–1969) is the father of the modern United States Naturism, nudist movement. Introduction He began the American League for Physical Culture in 1929 with an ad, first in the leading German nudist magazines published in Be ...

for a youth choir of six voices, op. 4 * ''Besinnung und Aufbruch''

Cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

for soprano (or tenor), mixed choir and small orchestra after poetry by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, op. 5 (1951) * ''Hausmusik'' in 5 movements for piano, op. 6 (1952) * ''Deutschland, du, unsere Heimat'' (also known as ''Heut ist ein wunderschöner Tag''). Cantata song for choir and instruments, text by Siegfried Köhler op. 7 (1952) * Christmas cantata '' Tausend Sterne sind ein Dom'' for choir and instruments, text by Siegfried Köhler op. 8 (1951) * ''Der Richter von Hohenburg''. Scenes from the

German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...

1525, a dramatic play for musical theater, text by Siegfried Köhler, op.10 (1954/1963) * ''Fröhliche Suite'' for orchestra, text by Siegfried Köhler, op. 11 (1956) * ''Zehn lyrische Lieder'' after texts by various authors, op. 12 (1956) * ''Heiteres Vorspiel'' for orchestra op. 13 (1956) * ''Drei Galgenlieder'' after poetry by Christian Morgenstern, op. 14 (1956) * ''Lied der Jugend. Eine Kantate zur Jugendweihe und anderen festlichen Anlässen'' for solo, choir and instruments ad lib., text by Louis Fürnberg op. 15 (1956) * ''Spanische Visionen: Der Sieg von

Guernica Guernica (, ), official name (reflecting the Basque language) Gernika (), is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the mu ...

'' Cantata a capella after poetry by

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...

, op. 16 (1957) * ''Sonatine in F'' for piano, op. 17 (1958) * ''Kleine Festmusik'' for string orchestra (or string quartet with contrabass), op. 18 (1958) * ''Sonatine in C'' for piano, op. 19 * ''Prolog für Orchester'', op. 20 (1959) * ''Musik für Kathrin''. Twelve children's songs for two-handed piano, op. 21 (1961) * ''Vier Lieder nach Dichtungen von Mao Tse-tung'', text by

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

, translated by , op. 22 (1961) * ''Reich des Menschen'', poem for soprano, alto and baritone, mixed choir and orchestra, text by

Johannes R. Becher Johannes Robert Becher (, 22 May 1891 – 11 October 1958) was a German politician, novelist, and poet. He was affiliated with the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) before World War II. At one time, he was part of the literary avant-garde, writin ...

, op. 23 (1961/62) * ''Greif zu den Sternen, Kind der Zeit'' Cantate for the opening of the 4th German Festival of Gymnastics and Sports 1963 in Leipzig, text by

Max Zimmering Max Zimmering (16 November 1909 – 15 September 1973), was a German writer. Life Max Zimmering was born as a son of a clock maker in Pirna, Saxony. From 1914, he lived with an uncle in Dresden since his father would be drafted into the militar ...

, op. 24 (1963) * ''Sinfonie der Jugend'' op. 25 (1964) * ''Die Eheschule''. A musical, text by Gerhard Branstner, op. 27 (1964) * ''Kambodschanische Festmusik'' op. 28 (1964) * ''Von Liebe und Tod'' for high singing voice and piano, text by Johannes R. Becher, op. 29 (1965) * ''Erde, fruchtbar und schön''. Cantata for soprano, mixed choir and string orchestra, op. 30 * ''Der Struwwelpeter oder Lustige Geschichten und drollige Bilder'', ballads for song, dance and narration, text by

Heinrich Hoffmann Heinrich Hoffmann or Hoffman may refer to: Hoffmann * Heinrich Hoffmann (photographer) (1885–1957), German photographer *Heinrich Hoffmann (author) (1809–1894), German psychiatrist and author * Heinrich Hoffmann (sport shooter) (1869–?), Germ ...

, op. 31 (1966) * Sketches on ''Der Struwwelpeter'' Revision of the piano pieces op. 31a (1966) * ''Rotterdam 14 May 1940''. Sonata for French horn and piano, op.32 (1966) * ''

Max und Moritz ''Max and Moritz: A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks'' (original: ''Max und Moritz – Eine Bubengeschichte in sieben Streichen'') is a German language illustrated story in verse. This highly inventive, blackly humorous tale, told entirely in rhym ...

. Eine Bubengeschichte in sieben Streichen'' for speaker and chamber orchestra, text by Wilhelm Busch, op. 33 (1967) * ''Fipps, der Affe. Unterhaltsames und Ungehöriges'', text by Wilhelm Busch, op. 34 (1964) * ''Aspekte. Skizzen für Nonett'' (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, violin, viola, violoncello, contrabass) and a high singing voice or speaker ad lib., text by Siegfried Köhler, op. 36 (1968) * ''Bernauer Liedfolge: Es wächst das Werk in weitem Rund'' for the 20th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic, text by Willi Layh, op. 37 (1968) * ''Concertino für Klarinette und Streichorchester'', op. 38 (1969) * ''Land meiner Liebe'', poem for soprano and orchestra, text by Siegfried Köhler, op. 39 (1969) * ''Festliche Ouvertüre'' for large orchestra, op. 40 (1969) * ''Dass unsere Liebe eine Heimat hat'', cycle of ten pieces for choir, text by

Günther Deicke Günther Deicke (21 October 1922 – 14 June 2006) was a German poet and journalist. Life Born in Hildburghausen, in 1940 Deicke joined the Nazi Party, NSDAP. Under the Nazi regime he was Hitlerjugend#Dienstgrade, Hitler Youth Führer. From 1 ...

, op. 41 (1968) * ''Bericht über Lenin'' after a ballade by and poetry by Vladimir Mayakovsky, Louis Fürnberg,

and

for a speaker and three instrumentalists, op. 42 (1970) * ''Liebeslieder am Spinett zu singen'', songs for choir, texts by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

Paul Fleming Paul Fleming may refer to: * Paul Fleming (footballer) (born 1967), English professional footballer *Paul Fleming (poet) (1609–1640), German poet * Paul Fleming (boxer) (born 1988), Australian Olympic boxer *Paul Fleming (restaurateur), American ...

, Johannes R. Becher, op. 43 (1970) * ''Wir – unsere Zeit'' , choir symphony after poetry by Johannes R. Becher in six movements, op. 44 (1972) * ''Sinfonietta für Orchester'' in three movements (also known as ''2nd Symphony''), op. 45 (1971) * ''Konzert für Klavier und Orchester'', op. 46 (1972) * ''Vier Strukturen für Klavier'', op. 46a (1973) * ''Ode für Tenor Solo, Horn und Streichorchester'' in four movements, text by Helmut Reibig op. 47 (1971) * ''Diagramm'', 12 variations for pipe organ, op. 49a (1973) * ''Johannes-Bobrowski-Chorbuch'' Parts I and II. Five

madrigal A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the number o ...

s for mixed choir a cappella, text by

Johannes Bobrowski Johannes Bobrowski (originally ''Johannes Konrad Bernhard Bobrowski''; 9 April 1917 – 2 September 1965) was a German lyric poet, narrative writer, adaptor and essayist. Life Bobrowski was born on 9 April 1917Bobrowski, Johannes (1984). ''S ...

, op. 50 (1975) * ''Von Bäumen, Knospen und Nachtigallen''. Cycle for female or youth choir a cappella, text by

Georg Maurer Georg Maurer (11 March 1907 – 4 August 1971) was a German poet, essayist, and translator. He wrote under the pseudonyms ''Juventus, murus,'' and ''Johann Weilau''. The son of a teacher, he was born in Szászrégen, Austria-Hungary (now in Roman ...

op. 51 (1973) * ''Unser das Land und die Zeit''. Cycle for mixed choir a cappella, text by

, op. 52 (1973, premiered 1977) * ''Konzertante Musik für Orchester'' in three movements op. 53 (1975) * ''Metamorphosen für Orgel über die Ode an die künftige Zeit'', text by

Pablo Neruda Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973), better known by his pen name and, later, legal name Pablo Neruda (; ), was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Nerud ...

, op. 54 (1972) * ''Anja und Peter''. A musical fable for children (homage to

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

), op. 55 (1974) * ''Canticum catulli'' for soli and instruments, op. 56 (1974/75) * 3rd Symphony op. 57 (1975) * ''Sieben Mikroszenen'' for clarinet, violoncello and piano, op. 58 (1975) * ''Konzert für Cembalo und Kammerorchester'', op. 59 (1976) * ''Der gefesselte Orpheus'', essay for orchestra, op. 60 (1976) * ''Hommáge à

J. S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

''. Dialogue for two violins op. 61 (1977) * 4th Symphony, revised as ''Epitaph für

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...

'', op. 62 (1977/78, rev. 1979) * ''Kommentare zu drei venezianischen Madrigalen des Heinrich Schütz aus dem Jahr 1611'', op. 63 (1978) * ''Konzert für Violine und Orchester'', op. 64 (1979/80) * ''Synthesen''. 1st string quartet op. 65 (1977) * ''Sinnsprüche'', also known as ''Fest- und Gedenksprüche'' for choir in eight voices a cappella, op. 66 (1980) * ''Festliche Inventionen''. Music of the Dresden Renaissance for three choirs and symphony orchestra, op. 70 (1981) * ''Sinfonietta für Orchester'', op. 71 (1981) * ''Musik für Violoncello solo Nr. 1'', op. 72 (1980) * ''Kontraste''. 2nd string quartet, op. 73 (1981) * ''Ode an die Solidarität'' for mixed choir in eight voices a cappella, text by

, op. 74 (1981) * ''Temperamente''. Configuration for four flutes (for Jürgen Brüggebors), op. 75 (1981) * ''Epigramme für gemischten Chor a capella'' after poetry by Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Klein, Hans Assmann von Abschatz and Angelus Silesius translated by

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

, op. 76 (1982) * ''Haltungen'' for clarinet solo, op. 77 (1980) * 5th Symphony ''Pro Pace'' (also known as ''Auferstehung'') for soli, speaker, mixed choir and large orchestra, text by Ulrich Grasnick, op. 78 (1983)

Literature

* Siegfried Köhler and

Johannes Weyrauch Johannes Weyrauch (20 February 1897 − 1 May 1977) was a German composer and cantor. Life Childhood Weyrauch was born on 20 February 1897 in Leipzig. His mother, Maria Große, who had received a thorough musical education and worked in several ...

: ''Unsere schönsten Weihnachtslieder. 27 beliebte Lieder zur Weihnachtszeit'', Leipzig

970 Year 970 (Roman numerals, CMLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 970th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' designations, the 970th year of the 1st millennium, ...

* Max Gerd Schönfelder: ''Siegfried Köhler für Sie porträtiert''. Leipzig, 1984 (with a list of works, ).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kohler, Siegfried 1927 births 1984 deaths German male classical composers German classical composers Music directors (opera) Music in Dresden 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century German male musicians Hitler Youth members Prisoners and detainees of the Soviet Union 20th-century German musicians