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Hermann Reutter

Hermann Reutter

Country of origin: Germany
Birthday: June 17, 1900
Date of death: January 1, 1985

About Hermann Reutter

Hermann Reutter was born in Stuttgart on 17 June 1900. In 1920 he moved to Munich. After three years of singing lessons with Emma Rückbeil-Hiller (Stuttgart) and Karl Erler (München) he studied at the Munich Academy of Musical Arts composition with Walter Courvoisier and piano with Franz Dorfmüller, and organ with Ludwig Mayer.

Since 1923 he participated in the music festival of Donaueschingen and intensified his contact with the Donaueschingen circle, in particular with Paul Hindemith. Starting with 1926 he was a frequent composer in association with the annual music festival of the Allgemeine Deutsche Musikverein where many of his works were world premiered. He began intensive concert activities as pianist and accompanist in lieder in 1929, working together with major conductors and soloists of his period.

In 1932 he succeeded Ewald Straesser as principal teacher of composition at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart. He was appointed director of the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt on the Main four years later. In 1945 was the end of this work. He returned to Stuttgart and resumed concert activities in 1950. Two years later he was appointed professor of composition and lied interpretation at the Stuttgart Hochschule fuer Musik. In 1955 he became full member of the Berlin Akademie der Kuenste and of the Bayerische Akademie der Schoenen Kuenste, Munich. Since 1956 he was juror, later chairman, of the jury in the category Singing at the ARD competition.

He succeeded Hermann Erpf as director of the Stuttgart Hochschule fuer Musik. Since 1960 he often stayed in the USA for interpretation courses at various universities. From 1966-1974 he led the master class of lied interpretation at the Munich Musikhochschule. In 1968 he founded the Hugo Wolf Society Stuttgart, being its president until his death.

For his achievement as a composer and a teacher he was awarded (among others) the Ludwig-Spohr-Award of the City of Brunswig (1953), the Grand Cross for Distinguished Service of the Federal Republic of Germany (1959 and with Star in 1975), a Honorary doctorate of the Music and Arts Institute San Francisco and the Hugo Wolf Medal of the International Hugo Wolf Society, Vienna (both in 1976).

Hermann Reutter died in Heidenheim on 1 January 1985.

Worklist

Chronology

1900
Born in Stuttgart on 17 June as son of the manufacturer Hermann Reutter and his wife Clara Mergenthaler
1907
Private music lessons with his godfather Eugen Uhlig, principal double-bass at the Stuttgart Opera
1909
Pupil at the Stuttgart grammar school 'Humanistischens Eberhard-Ludwig-Gymnasium'
1920
Moved to Munich
1920
Studied with Walter Courvoisier (composition) and Franz Dorfmüller (piano) at the Munich Academy of Music and with Ludwig Mayer (organ)
until 1923
Singing lessons with Emma Rückbeil-Hiller, Stuttgart, and Karl Erler, Munich
1923
Participated in the music festival of Donaueschingen and Baden-Baden; close contact with the Donaueschingen circle, in particular with Paul Hindemith
1925
December: first contract with the Schott music publishing house (Sonate für Violine und Klavier, Op. 20)
1926
Concluded an exclusive contract with the Schott publishing house; As from that year, participated in the music festivals of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Musikverein with premières almost every year
1929
Met the singer Sigrid Onégin and her husband Fritz Penzoldt, brother of the poet Ernst Penzoldt
1929
Began intensive concert activities throughout the world; As a concert pianist, he worked together with conductors such as Ferenc Fricsay, Eugen Jochum, Franz Konwitschny, Ferdinand Leitner and Karl Münchinger in the years that followed; as an accompanist in lieder, he was the partner of Sigrid Onégin, Alma Moodie, Karl Erb, Lore Fischer, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Hans Hotter among others
1930-35
Ten American tours with 450 concerts altogether as accompanist of Sigrid Onégin; during that time met Arturo Toscanini among others
1932
Succeeded Ewald Strässer as principal teacher of composition at the Stuttgart Württembergische Musikhochschule
1936
Was appointed director of the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt/Main (from 1938 Staatliche Hochschule für Musik)
1940
17 February: Married Lieselotte Lauk, a pupil of his lieder class
1941
Birth of his son Wolfgang who died in an accident at the age of scarcely three years
1942
Swabian Composer´s Award
1943
Birth of his daughter Gabriele
1945
End of his work as director of the Frankfurt Musikhochschule the buildings of which had been destroyed during a bombing raid in 1943 already; Moved to Dürrenzimmern near Brackenheim (district of Heilbronn)
1946
Birth of his second daughter, Monica
1950
Returned to Stuttgart; Resumed concert activities
1952
Was appointed professor of composition and lied interpretation at the Stuttgart Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst
1953
Ludwig Spohr Prize of the city of Braunschweig
1955
Full member of the Berlin Akademie der Künste; Full member of the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, Munich
1956
Began his many years' work as a juror or chairman of the jury in the category 'Singing' at the annual ARD competition in Munich; Juror at the singing contest in s'Hertogenbosch, Barcelona and Vienna (Mozart Competition)
1956
Succeeded Professor Hermann Erpf as director of the Stuttgart Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst
1959
Was awarded the Grand Cross for Distinguished Service of the Federal Republic of Germany
since 1960
Regular one- or two-month stays in the USA for concerts and interpretation courses at various universities; Visiting professor at the Tokyo Musashino Academy of Music; Master classes at German academies (Hamburg, Saarbrücken); Several guest lectures at the Kranichsteiner Musikkurse
1966-74
Led the master class of lied interpretation at the Munich Staatliche Musikhochschule
1968
Founded the Hugo Wolf Society Stuttgart, following a suggestion of the International Hugo Wolf Society New York and with the support of the major of Stuttgart, Arnulf Klett; was president of the Hugo Wolf Society Stuttgart until his death
1975
Grand Cross for Distinguished Service with Star
1976
Honorary doctorate of the Music and Arts Institute San Francisco; Hugo Wolf Medal of the International Hugo Wolf Society, Vienna
1979
Death of his wife Lilo
1985

Hermann Reutter died in Heidenheim on 1 January

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