Baur, Jürg
Baur, Jürg
Baur, Jürg, German composer and pedagogue; b. Dusseldorf, Nov. 11, 1918. He was a student of Philipp Jarnach (composition) and Mchael Schneider (organ) at the Cologne Cons. (1937–39). During military service in World War II (1939–45), he was taken prisoner-of- war by the Russians. After his release, he returned to Cologne to continue his music training (1946—48), and then studied musicology with Fellerer at the Univ. there (1948–51). He also was a lecturer in theory at the Robert Schumann Cons, in Dusseldorf (1946). From 1952 to 1966 he served as choirmaster at the Pauluskirche in Dusseldorf. In 1965 he became director of the Robert Schumann Cons, there, and in 1969 was made a prof. From 1971 to 1991 he was prof. of composition at the Cologne Hochschule für Musik. In 1957 he received the Robert Schumann Prize of the City of Dusseldorf, in 1980 he was guest of honor of the Villa Massimo in Rome, in 1990 he received the Order of Merit of the State of North-Rhine-Westphalia, in 1994 he received the music award of the City of Duisburg, and in 1997 he received the music award of the Gerhard Maasz Foundation for his life’s work and the honorary ring of the German Schubert Soc. In his early works, Baur was much influenced by Bartók and Hindemith. He later pursued a highly personal approach to the utilization of dodecaphony, serialism, and aleatory, which blossomed into an admirably crafted synthesis of styles.
Works
Orch.: Concerto for Strings (1941-48; Bo-chum, April 11, 1958); Overture (1946-50; Dusseldorf, April 19, 1951); Partita über “Wie scho’n leuchtet der Morgenstern” for Trumpet and Strings (1946–91); Carmen-Variationen (1947; Dusseldorf, May 23, 1983); Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orch. (Cologne, April 22, 1951); Musik for Strings (1952-53; Duisburg, July 3, 1954); Sinfonia montana (1953; Weimar, May 23, 1955)); Konzert Musik for Piano and Orch. (1958; Dusseldorf, Jan. 26, 1959); Concertino for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Strings, and Timpani (Wuppertal, Aug. 16, 1959); Concerto romano for Oboe and Orch. (1960; Munster, Feb. 19, 1961); Romeo una Julia (1962-63; Dusseldorf, Sept. 19, 1963); Piccolo mondo (1963; first complete perf., Darmstadt, May 21, 1966); Lo Specchio I (1965; Dusseldorf, May 5, 1966) and II (1966; Munich, July 9, 1967); Sinfonischer Prolog (Munster, Nov. 5, 1966); Pentagram, concerto for Wind Quintet and Orch. (Essen, Nov. 25, 1966; rev. 1969; Hannover, Feb. 9, 1970); Abbreviaturen for 13 Solo Strings (Zagreb, May 7, 1969); Concerto Ticino for Clarinet and Orch. (1970; Dusseldorf, Jan. 7, 1971); Giorno per giorno,”in memoriam B.A. Zimmer-mann” (Aachen, June 2, 1971); Musik mit Robert Schumann (Hananover, March 13, 1972); Vier Portraits for Cello and Orch. (Saarbrucken, Dec. 18, 1972); Sinfonia breve (Augsburg, April 8, 1974; rev. 1974; Munster, June 2, 1976); Triton-Sinfonietta for Chamber Orch. (1974; Dortmund, Jan. 26, 1975); Concerto da camera for Recorder and Chamber Orch. (Essen, May 4, 1975); 2 violin concertos: No. 1, Ich sag ade (Bielefeld, June 25, 1976) and No. 2 (Dusseldorf, Nov. 16, 1978); Sentimento del tempo for Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, and Orch. (Gelsenkirchen, Nov. 24, 1980); Sinfonische Metamorphosen über Gesualdo (1981; Bremen, Feb. 1, 1982); 2 syms: No. 1, Sinfonie einer Stadt (Pathetica) for the 1, 100th anniversary of Duisburg (Duisburg, Sept. 7, 1983) and No. 2, Aus dem Tagebuch des Alten (1987; Dortmund, March 14, 1988); Fresken for Chamber Orch. (1984; Saarbrucken, Nov. 28, 1985); Konzertante Fantasie for Organ and Strings (1984-85; Halle, Jan. 30, 1985); Sentieri musicale, sinfonietta (1990; Hannover, April 8, 1991); Frammenti: Erinnerungen an Schubert (1995-96; Duisburg, Jan. 15, 1997); Sinfonia sine nomine (1997-98; Kiel, June 28, 1999). CHAMBER: 2 unnumbered string quartets (1935, 1938); 3 numbered string quartets: No. 1 (1938-46; Dusseldorf, Oct. 19, 1946), No. 2 (1942-6; Dusseldorf, April 30, 1949), and No. 3 (1952; Dusseldorf, April 20, 1954); Fantasie and Fuge for String Quartet (1941); Violin Sonata (1943-48; Cologne, May 10, 1950); Ostinato und Trio for Flute, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, and 2 Bassoons (1948); Musik for Cello and Piano (1950); Reminiszenzen for Wind Quintet, “in memoriam Paul Hindemith” (1950-80; Aachen, April 25, 1981); Fantasie for Oboe and Piano (1954); Quintetto sereno for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, and Bassoon (Dusseldorf, May 21, 1958); Metamorphosen for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1959–60); Ballata Romana for Clarinet and Piano (1960; also for Alto Saxophone and Piano, 1991); Incontri (Begegnun-gen), 3 pieces for Recorder and Piano (1960; also for Flute and Piano); Sonata for Solo Violin (1961-62; Karlsruhe, Nov. 27, 1963); Divertimento, 3 fantasies for Harpsichord and Percussion (1961-62; also for Accordion and Percussion, 1990); Mutazioni for Recorder (1962) and for Flute (1962); Dialoge for Cello and Piano (1962); Pezzi uccelli for Recorder (1964); 3 Fantasien for Guitar (1964); Kontraste for Violin, Viola, and Cello (1964); 6 Bagatellen for Clarinet or Bass Clarinet (1964); Sonata for Solo Viola (1969; Gelsenkirchen, Feb. 14, 1971); Movimenti for Violin, Horn, and Piano (1969–70); Cinque Impressioni for String Quartet (1970; Munich, Jan. 20, 1971); Tre studi per quattro for Recorder Quartet (1972); Nonett-Skizzen for Wind Quintet and String Quartet (1973); Skizzen for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, and Bassoon (Stuttgart, June 17, 1974); Moments musicaux for Violin and Piano (1976); Kontrapunkte 77 for Flute, English Horn, and Bassoon (Dusseldorf, April 1, 1977); Echoi: Hirtenrufe und Weisen for 2 Oboes and English Horn (1980); Pour rien for 2 Clarinets, 2 Horns, and 2 Bassoon (1980; Krefeld, Sept. 24, 1982); Ricordi for 3 Recorders (1983); Ritratti for Percussionists, Celesta, and Bass Instrument (Dusseldorf, June 3, 1984); Cinque foglie for Saxophone Quartet (1986; Rottenburg, Feb. 1, 1987); Quintetto pittoresco for Wind Quintet (1986; Lüdenscheid, Nov. 11, 1987); Passacaglia for 4 Trumpets and 4 Trombones (1989; Dusseldorf, May 20, 1990); Arabesken, Girlanden, Figuren for Contrabassoon (1990); Marginalien über Mozart for Guitar (1991); Reflexionen for Guitar and Organ (1991; also for Guitar and Accordion, 1992); Petite suite for Flute Quartet (Dusseldorf, Nov. 17, 1992); Et réspice finem for String Quartet (Saarbrucken, Oct. 27, 1993); Improvisation und Ostinato for Bassoon Quartet (Rheinsberg, May 25, 1996); also piano pieces and organ music. VOCAL: Triptychon for Chorus and Orch. (1948–49); Im Waldesschatten, 5 songs for Baritone and Piano (1952; also for Baritone and String Quartet, 1980); Pfingstmotette: Wer mich liebt for Baritone and Chorus (1955; Dusseldorf, May 13, 1956); Vom tiefinnern Sang, song cycle for Mezzo-soprano and Piano (1957; Dusseldorf, April 25, 1958; also for Mezzo-soprano, Clarinet, and String Quartet, 1989; Bochum, March 12, 1990); Herb stirb oder singe, 4 songs for High Voice and Piano (1960; Dusseldorf, June 11, 1961; also for Soprano, Flute, and String Orch., 1964; Baden-Baden, March 29, 1965; also for High Voice, Flute, and String Quartet, Dusseldorf, Sept. 12, 1984); Mit wechselndem Schlüssel for Baritone and Piano (1967); Perché (Warum?) for Soli, Chorus, and Orch. (1967-68; Dusseldorf, Oct. 24, 1968; also for Soli and Chorus, 1969; Ludwigsburg, Oct. 24, 1970); Die Blume des Scharon, 3 lyric motets for Chorus (1979; Aachen, March 12, 1983); other choral pieces and songs.
Bibliography
J. Scholl, éd., Der Komponist J. B.: Eine Dokumentation (Dusseldorf, 1993).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire