Helmut Walcha

Helmut Walcha ( born October 27, 1907 in Leipzig, † August 11, 1991 in Frankfurt am Main ) was a German organist, harpsichordist and composer.

Helmut Walcha was blinded at the age of nineteen years as a result of early childhood smallpox vaccination. He was 15 years old in the entrance examination at the Leipzig Conservatory and became the youngest organ student Günther Ramin. He grew to become a major Bach interpreter. From 1926 to 1929 he was deputy Ramin at the St. Thomas Church. 1929 to 1944, he served as organist at the Church of Peace in Frankfurt regularly organ cycles on and taught from 1933 at the Hoch Conservatory. In 1938 he was appointed professor of organ at the Musikhochschule in Frankfurt.

After the Second World War he founded in Frankfurt, the Institute of Sacred Music and was from 1946 to 1981 organist at the local Epiphany Church. His 1947 launched and designed by the Leipzig model organ Vesper has to date a firm place in the weekly calendar of Epiphany Church. Here Saturday by 17 clock ( with the exception of July, August and September) combine readings, prayer and music.

Walcha acquired as a Bach interpreter reputation. Between 1947 and 1952 he made the first complete recording, in 1971, he completed the second, begun in 1956 complete recording of Bach's organ works. Walcha issued new editions of scores of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, but wrote beyond their own chorale preludes, cantatas and organ musicological studies. Walcha was profound knowledge of early and high baroque German organ compositions. With a final concert, he said goodbye to 1981 final of public musical life.

Helmut Walcha was buried in the South Cemetery in Sachsenhausen.

In Frankfurt's Gallus a small street has been named after him. In 1957 he received the Goethe Medal of the City of Frankfurt am Main. In 1967 he was honored with the Distinguished Service Cross 1st class of the Federal Republic of Germany, in 1987 with the Great Cross of Merit with Star.

For the record series Mathias Wieman small nightclub that appeared at the beginning of the 60s, Walcha accompanied by Wieman recited poems of Paul Gerhardt on the organ.

Works

Compositions

Chorale Preludes for Organ. IV volumes. C. F. Peters, Frankfurt q.s., 1954-1978.

  • Volume I. 25 chorale preludes, 1954 (EP 4850 )
  • Volume II 20 chorale preludes, 1963 ( EP 4871 )
  • Volume III. 24 Chorale Preludes, 1966 (EP 5999 )
  • Volume IV 19 chorale preludes and postlude, 1978 ( EP 8413 )

Cantatas:

  • " Praise to the Lord " (1932 )
  • "Where the Lord God does not hold us " (1933 )
  • " Wake up, my heart, what of the night " (1947 )

In addition, in various collections canons and two - and three-voice sentences for equal voices have appeared.

Expenditure

  • George Frideric Handel Organ Concertos op 4, No. 1-6, B. Schott 's Söhne, Mainz, 1940
  • George Frideric Handel Organ Concertos op 7, No. 1-6, B. Schott 's Söhne, Mainz, 1943
  • Johann Sebastian Bach, " ricercare à 6 voci " from the " Musical Offering ". Transmission for Organ ( with detailed analysis), CF Peters, Frankfurt q.s., 1964
  • Johann Sebastian Bach, " The Art of Fugue ," transmission for Organ with continuation and completion of the final fugue, CF Peters, Frankfurt q.s., 1967
Musical interpretation Gallus (Frankfurt am Main) 1960s Integrated Authority File
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