Wilhelm Georg Berger

Wilhelm Georg Berger ( born December 4, 1929 in Reps, Romania, † March 8, 1993 in Bucharest, Romania ) was a Transylvanian Saxon composer, violinist and musicologist.

Life and work

William G. Berger was born in the Transylvanian Reps, which was also called Musical Reps because of the colorful musical life. He studied violin and viola with Cecilia Niţulescu - Lupu, Anton Adrian Sarvas and Alexandru Rădulescu, was several years later violinist at the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra and a member of the string quartet of the Romanian Composers' Union.

Berger left behind an extensive composition work with, among others, 21 symphonies, 18 string quartets, oratorios, concertos, sonatas, organ works, exhibitions. He dedicated his Transylvanian home a Messa da Requiem. His String Quartet No. 6 in 1965 won the 1st prize in Liège, a violin sonata to Prince Rainier III Prize for Composition de Monaco in 1964, a violin concerto 1st prize in Brussels in 1966. Several of his works have been published in the Romanian label Electrecord, the 10th Symphony for Organ and Orchestra with Hans Eckart Schlandt at the organ. Parts of Bergers Berlin Jazz Composers Ensemble were used in a jazz suite.

Among other things, his musicological work includes a series of books about the aesthetics of the sonata, one on string quartets, a gig guide and books on classical composition theory.

1968 Berger was elected secretary of the Romanian Composers' Union.