Erhard Ragwitz

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Erhard (Eberhard) Ragwitz (born 1 September 1933) is a German musicologist, composer, and lecturer. From 1986 to 1989, he was the rector of the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler".

Life[edit]

Ragwitz is from Königsberg, the capital of the Province of East Prussia.[1] An autodidact, he learned to play the violin, bandoneon and piano in his childhood.[1] He attended a school in Colditz, Saxony, where he founded an instrumental group and directed the choir.[1] He was discovered by Fritz Reuter, who after the Abitur[2] enabled him to study music.[1] He later was a student of Ottmar Gerster.[1] Reuter studied musicology, music education, music theory and composition at the Staatliche Hochschule für Theater und Musik Halle [de] and the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig as well as at the Institute for Music Education at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg.[3]

In 1960, he became an assistant and aspirant (with Wilhelm Weismann[1]), in 1964 a teacher and in 1968 a lecturer at the Hochschule für Musik in Leipzig.[3] Temporarily, he also served as prorector for teaching and professional practice.[3] From 1973, he taught at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.[3] From 1973 to 1976, he held the post of director of the Musikgymnasium Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach [de].[3] From 1976 to 1978 he held the office of Prorektor der Hochschule. In 1978, he took over a professorship for composition.[3] In 1981, he became head of the composition and composition department.[2] As successor to Olaf Koch, he was appointed rector of the conservatoire on 19 September 1986. September 1986 as Rector of the Academy of Music in Berlin.[2] Following a request by the Academy's Honorary Commission, he was dismissed in November 1989 by the Senate of Berlin for Science and Research.[4]

Ragwitz was a member of the central board of the Verband der Komponisten und Musikwissenschaftler der DDR [de].[2] Since the beginning of the 1960s, he has been composing orchestral, chamber and vocal music (cantatas, choral works, songs, arrangements).[5] In 1981, the Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar under Rolf Reuter premiered his 1st Symphony[6] and in 1986 under Oleg Caetani his 2nd Symphony[7] for the premiere.

From 1971 to 1974, Ragwitz, who was a member of the SED, served as a candidate for the SED-Bezirksleitung Leipzig.[3] He is married to the music educator and cultural politician Ursula Ragwitz (born 1928).

Work[edit]

Among others, Ragwitz composed the following pieces:[3]

Orchestral music

  • Festliche Ouvertüre (1965)
  • Suite (1965)
  • Drei Sätze für Streichorchester (1967)
  • Divertimento für Streichorchester und Pauken (1968)
  • Sinfonia intrada (1975)
  • Divertimento für Trompete, Streichorchester und Pauke (1979)
  • Sinfonie (1980)

Piano music

  • Bagatellen (1961)
  • 4 Kleine Klavierstücke (1961)
  • Intermezzo marcota (1974)
  • 2 Sonaten (1968, 1977)

Vocal music

  • Song vom Klasseneinmaleins (Helmut Preißler, 1958)
  • Lied vom Besserwissen (Helmut Preißler, 1958)
  • Kantate der Freundschaft für Soli, Chor und Orchester (J. Wächtler, 1962)
  • Zwei A-capella-Chöre (1963)
  • Frühling der Jugend (Rose Nyland, 1964)
  • Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Poem für Alt-Solo, Chor und Kammerorchester nach Johannes R. Becher (1970)
  • Liederzyklus „Das lachende Herz“ mit Streichern und Klavier nach Texten von Johannes R. Becher (1979)

Recording[edit]

  • Sinfonie Nr. 1 op. 45 / Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Poem op. 28 / Drei Sätze für Streichorchester op. 22 (Nova, 1984) – Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin and Rolf Reuter (coductor) / Rosemarie Lang (contralto), Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Collegium musicum Leipzig and Jochen Wehner (conductor) / Collegium musicum Leipzig und Jochen Wehner (conductor) – 1983 recording

Further reading[edit]

  • Gabriele Baumgartner: Ragwitz, Erhard. In Gabriele Baumgartner, Dieter Hebig (ed.): Biographisches Handbuch der SBZ/DDR. 1945–1990. Vol. 2: Maaßen–Zylla. Nachtrag zu Band 1, K. G. Saur, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-598-11177-0, p. 681.
  • Günter Buch: Namen und Daten wichtiger Personen in der DDR. 4th, revised and expanded edition, Dietz, Berlin among others 1987, ISBN 3-8012-0121-X, p. 253.
  • Peter Hollfelder: Geschichte der Klaviermusik. Historische Entwicklungen, Komponisten mit Biographien und Werkverzeichnissen, nationale Schulen. Vol. 1, Noetzel, Wilhelmshaven 1989, ISBN 3-7959-0435-8, p. 325.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Ingeburg Kretzschmar: Kunst muß immer auch eine Kraftquelle sein. Introduced: Erhard Ragwitz, professor of composition and composer. In Berliner Zeitung, 15 March 1986, Jg. 42, edition 63, p. 10.
  2. ^ a b c d Günter Buch: Namen und Daten wichtiger Personen in der DDR. 4th, revised and expanded edition, Dietz, Berlin among others 1987, ISBN 3-8012-0121-X, p. 253.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Gabriele Baumgartner: Ragwitz, Erhard. In Gabriele Baumgartner, Dieter Hebig (ed.): Biographisches Handbuch der SBZ/DDR. 1945-1990. Vol. 2: Maaßen-Zylla. Supplement to Volume 1, K. G. Saur Verlag, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-598-11177-0, p. 681.
  4. ^ Ehemaligem Rektor wurde gekündigt. In Berliner Zeitung, 28 November 1990, Jg. 46, edition 278, p. 9.
  5. ^ Erhard Ragwitz, Astrid Maßenth: Um Begabungen zeitig zu erkennen. In conversation with Prof. Erhard Ragwitz. In Berliner Zeitung, 13 February 1982, Jg. 38, edition 37, p. 7.
  6. ^ 1st Symphony by Ragwitz with success. In Neue Zeit, 22 April 1981, vol. 37, edition 95, p. 1.
  7. ^ Hans-Peter Müller: Übersichtlich und spannungsreich. 2nd Symphony by Erhard Ragwitz premiered. In Berliner Zeitung, 19 April 1986, Jg. 42, edition 92, p. 15.

External links[edit]

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