Johner, Dominicus (actually, Franz-Xaver Karl)

Johner, Dominicus (actually, Franz-Xaver Karl), distinguished German music scholar; b. Wald-see, Dec. 1, 1874; d. Beuron, Jan. 4, 1955. He studied theology and music at the Benedictine abbeys in Prague, Seckau, and Beuron, his teachers at the latter being the cantor Ambrosius Kienle and the organist Raphael Molitor. After taking his vows in 1894, he studied theology at the Cucujäes Monastery in Portugal (1896-1900), being ordained in 1898. In 1900 he returned to Beuron, where he was cantor of the abbey (1905-49). He was also prior there (1913-33), and taught at the church music school of Gregoriushaus, near Beuron (1906-14). He was a lecturer at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne (from 1925). He was a leading authority on ecclesiastical music. He composed a cycle, Neue Marienlieder for Chorus and Organ (two books, 1916, 1918), and Neue Kommunionslieder (1916).

Writings

Neue Schule des gregorianischen Choralgesanges (Regensburg, 1906; 7^th ed., 1937, as Grosse Choralschule; 8^th ed., (1956, as Choralschule) Der gregorianische Choral: Sein Wesen, Werden, Wert und Vortrag (Stuttgart, 1924); Die Sonn- und Festtagslieder des vatikanischen Graduale, nach Text und Melodie erklärt (Regensburg, 1928; 2^nd ed., 1933); Erklärung des Kyriae nach Text und Melodie (Regensburg, 1933); Wort und Ton im Choral: Ein Beitrag zur Aesthetik des gregorianischen Gesanges (Leipzig, 1940; 2^nd ed., 1953).

Bibliography

F. Tack, ed., Der kultische Gesang der abendländischen Kirche: In gregorianisches Werkheftaus Anlass des 75. Geburtstages von D. J. (Cologne, 1950).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire