Walter Gerwig (26 November 1899 – 9 July 1966) was an influential German
lutenist, choral conductor and composer. He was one of the pioneers in the revival of
early music revival and historical performance practice. He was also a choral conductor. Through his concerts and recordings Gerwig made a significant contribution to the revival of the lute and its repertoire in Europe and America.
Together with
Fritz Jöde, he was one of the co-founders of the first folk music school in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, the Berliner Volksmusikschule. From 1928 he was the lute teacher at the Berlin's Akademie für Kirchen- und Schulmusik. During the Nazi era he did not join the
NSDAP and avoided appearing at Nazi-sponsored events. From 1952 he headed the lute course at the State Academy of Music in
Köln
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
.
Gerwig made numerous LP recordings of
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
and
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
lute repertoire. He received the
prize of the Deutschen Schallplattenkritik in 1965, for the recording of J.S. Bach's
Suite in G minor (BWV 995) a year before his death. In addition, Gerwig also composed several works for lute, guitar and other stringed instruments.
Recordings
* ''Bach: Lute Music'' (
Nonesuch H-71137)
* ''The Baroque Lute'' (Nonesuch H-71229)
* ''Baroque Lute Music'' (Three Centuries of Musick 3C 302)
* ''The Art Of The Lute: Renaissance And Baroque Masterpieces From France, England And Germany'' (
RCA VICS-1362)
* ''The Art of the Lute, Vol. 2: Renaissance Masterpieces From Italy'' (RCA VICS-1408)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerwig, Walter
1899 births
1966 deaths
German lutenists
20th-century German composers
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing