Bernd Alois Zimmermann: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Short description|German composer (1918–1970)}}

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'''Bernd Alois Zimmermann''' (20 March 1918 – 10 August 1970) was a German composer. He is perhaps best known for his opera ''[[Die Soldaten]]'', which is regarded as one of the most [[List of important operas|important German operas]] of the 20th century, after those of [[Alban Berg|Berg]].<ref>Andrew D. McCredie and Marion Rothärmel, "Zimmermann, Bernd Alois", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by [[Stanley Sadie]] and [[John Tyrrell (musicologist)|John Tyrrell]]. London: Macmillan Publishers.</ref> AsHis eclectic music, which employs a resultwide range of histechniques individualincluding style,[[dodecaphony]] itand is[[musical hardquotation]], toencompasses labelthe hisstyles musicof asthe [[avant-garde]], [[serialism|serial]], orand [[postmodern]].{{Citation Hisneeded music employs a wide range of methods including the [[tone row|twelve-tonedate=April row]] and [[musical quotation]].2023}}

==Life==

Zimmermann was born in Bliesheim (now part of [[Erftstadt]]), near [[Cologne]]. He grew up in a rural Catholic community in western Germany. His father worked for the German [[Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft|Reichsbahn]] (Imperial Railway) and was also a farmer. In 1929, Zimmermann began attending a private Catholic school, where he had his first real encounter with music. After the [[National Socialist German Workers Party|National SocialistsNSDAP]] (or Nazis) closed all private schools, he switched to a public Catholic school in [[Cologne]] where, in 1937, he received his ''[[Abitur]], the German equivalent of a high school diploma''.

In theThat same year, he fulfilled his duty for the [[Reichsarbeitsdienst]] and spent thelate 1937–early 1937/1938 winter semester studying pedagogy at the Hochschule für Lehrerausbildung (lit. University for Teacher Training) in [[Bonn]].

He began studying [[Musicmusic Education]]education, [[Musicology]]musicology, and [[Musical composition|Composition]] in the winter ofearly 1938 at the University for Music in Cologne. In 1940, he was drafted ininto the [[Wehrmacht]] (the German Army), but was released in 1942 due to a severe skin illness. After heHe returned to his studies, hebut didn'tdid receivenot obtain a degree until 1947 due to the ending of the war. However,By then he washad already busy asbecome a free-lance composer in 1946, predominantlymainly for radio. FromDuring 1948 to 19501948–1950, he was a participant in the [[Darmstädter Ferienkurse|Kranichsteiner/Darmstädter FerienkursenFerienkurse für Neue Musik]] (lit. Kranichstein/Darmstadt Vacation Course for New Music) where he studied under [[René Leibowitz]] and [[Wolfgang Fortner]], among others.

In 1957, he received a scholarship to spend time at the German Academy at [[Villa Massimo]] in Rome. He also assumed the position of Professor of Composition (from [[Frank Martin (composer)|Frank Martin]]) as well as Film and Broadcast Music at the Cologne Music University. In the 60s1960s, he receivedearned more attention and success as a composer, (including a second scholarship to the Villa Massimo in 1963, and a fellowship in the [[Academy of Arts, Berlin]]),; especially after his opera ''[[Die Soldaten]]'' (The Soldiers) finally premiered in 1965. The opera had previously not been performed due to the enormous number of peopleperformers required and theits musicaldifficulty. difficulty—theThe Cologne Opera had considereddeemed it "unspielbarunplayable" (not performable). The composer's depressive tendenciesdepression led to an emotional crisis, which was compounded by a quickly deteriorating eye problem.{{explanation needed |date=April 2023}} On 10 August 1970, Zimmermann committed suicide at his home in Königsdorf near [[Cologne]] – just, five days after completing the score of his last composition, ''Ich wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht das geschah unter der Sonne''.<ref name=Larousse>{{cite web|title=Bernd Aloïs Zimmermann|url=http://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/musdico/Zimmermann/170713|work=Dictionnaire de la musique|publisher=Larousse|access-date=12 May 2013|language=fr}}</ref> At the time, he washad been preparing another opera, ''Medea'', after [[Hans Henny Jahnn]].

Among Zimmermann's notable students was [[Clarence Barlow]].

==Music==

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==Works==

Source:<ref name="t077">{{cite web | title=Bernd Alois Zimmermann | website=[[Schott Music]] | url=https://www.schott-music.com/de/person/bernd-alois-zimmermann | language=de | access-date=31 August 2024}}</ref>

* ''Extemporale'' for piano (1946)

* ''Capriccio for Piano''

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* Plus various compositions for radio, theater and film

==Notes References ==

*''A portion of this article was translated from the [[:de:Bernd Alois Zimmermann|corresponding article]] in the German Wikipedia.''

<references />

==Citations==

# Much of the content of this article comes from [[:de:Bernd Alois Zimmermann|the equivalent German-language Wikipedia article]] (retrieved 28 May 2006).

# 'Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Germany (1918–1970) [http://www.ubu.com/sound/zimmermann.html UbuWeb] (Accessed 28 May 2006)

# McCredie, Andrew D. (with Marion Rothärmel): 'Zimmermann, Bernd Alois', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed [28 May 2006]), [http://www.grovemusic.com Grove Music] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516041031/http://www.grovemusic.com/ |date=16 May 2008 }}

==External links==

===General purpose===

* {{BrahmsOnline|3444}}

* [https://www.secondinversion.org/2018/03/20/bernd-alois-zimmermann-at-100/ Music for the (Un)faint of Heart: Bernd Alois Zimmermann at 100] by Michael Schell, Second Inversion

* {{Webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20130212015427/http://www.schott-musik.de/autoren/KomponistenAZ/show,3572.html |date=12 February 2013 |title=Bernd Alois Zimmermann bei ''[[Schott Music|Schott]]''}} {{in lang|de}}

* [http://bernd-alois-zimmermann-gesellschaft.org/ Homepage of the Bernd-Alois-Zimmermann-Society (BAZG)] {{in lang|de}}

* [http://www.denhoff.de/stilleumkehr.htm „Stille und Umkehr“ - Betrachtungen zum Phänomen Zeit] von [[Michael Denhoff]] {{in lang|de}}

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[[Category:1918 births]]

[[Category:1970 suicides]]

[[Category:1970 deaths]]

[[Category:People from Erftstadt]]

[[Category:German Roman Catholics]]

[[Category:20th-century classical composers]]

[[Category:German opera composers]]

[[Category:MaleGerman male opera composers]]

[[Category:PeopleMusicians from the Rhine Province]]

[[Category:Suicides in Germany]]

[[Category:Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln alumni]]

[[Category:German male classical composers]]

[[Category:20th-century German composers]]

[[Category:20th-century German male musicians]]