Stefan Heucke - a German Composer

Stefan Heucke is a german composer. He was born May 24^th 1959 in Gaildorf/Baden-Wuerttemberg.

He studied piano, arrangement and composition in Dortmund. Later he becomes academic at the University of Musik in Detmold. He was composer in residence of the University of Witten-Herdecke and he is the current composer in residence of the orchestra “Niederrheinische Sinfonie” in Krefeld/Mönchengladbach. In 2007 he got the Hans-Werner-Henze-Award.

In his compositions he especially is interested in the alliance between music an language. His opus includes songs for voice and different instrumentation, orchestral works (symphonies, compositions for voice and orchestra), chamber music, sacred music and compositions for music theatre. In his opera “Das Frauenorchester von Auschwitz” the point of discussion is the real women orchestra of the German concentration- and elimination-camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Second World War. All the members of this orchestra were prisoners who had for example to play concerts for the German SS-officers. His newest composition is the oratorio “Nikolaus Gross”, a member of resistance in the German National Socialism.

homepage Stefan Heucke (German)

documentation "Das Frauenorchester von Auschwitz" 1 (German)

documentation "Das Frauenorchester von Auschwitz" 2 (German)

documentation "Das Frauenorchester von Auschwitz" 3 (German)
video "Nikolaus Gross"


Christian Witte (teacher)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)

J. S. Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the baroque period.

Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. He is now generally regarded as one of the main composers of the Baroque style, and as one of the greatest composers of all time.

Bach's son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach is sure that his father learned composing as an autodidact. There is no conveyed composing lessons he took. Since his youth he learned by listening, reading, transcribe, editingand copying of music and musical forms.

Musically he was influenced on the music from north and south Germany, Austria, France and Italy.

Bach's musical works were catalogued by Wolfgang Schmieder's so called „Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis“ (BWV).

In many areas Bach did some innovation and advancements of musicals forms.

Information on all compositions of Bach you get at the Catalouge of the German National Library.

One of the most popular works of Bach is the „Toccata and Fugue in d minor“ written for church organ.


matthiasreuss (teacher)

Magnus Lindberg

Magnus Lindberg (born 27 June 1958, Helsinki) is a Finnish composer and pianist.

He studied composition at the Sibelius-Academy in Helsinki.

1992, he received the Music Award of the Royal Philarmonic Society in London. 2000 he won the first europeen Composition Prize. 2003, Lindberg got the highly doped, finnish Wihuri-Sibelius Prize. Since september 2009 he is Composer in Residence by the New York Philharmonic.









Some of his compositions are Quintetto dell'Estate (1979, the oldest one), Ur (1986) and EXPO (2009, the newest one).

Marcel Schuetz

Jenkka

Jenkka is a fast Finnish partner dance originated in Finnish folk dance. It is danced to the music in 2/4 or 4/4 time signature of about 140 beats per minute. Men and women do similar steps. The initial dance position is the man is to the left of the woman both facing in the direction of the line of dance, with their inner arms on each other's waists. The dancers go forward in a run similar to Polka: "left-right-left-hop(on the left foot)", "right-left-right-hop". After than they join the free arms assume the face-to-face closed dance position and proceed with the chain of pivot turns stepping "left-right-left-right" or "left-hop-right-hop". The runs of similar steps are normally started at the beginnings of musical phrases. dance sample
Lisa Kraus

Karjalanpiirakat

For approximately 20 pies

Dough:

2 dl water
4 dl rye flour
1 dl white flour
1 tsp salt

Rice filling:

4 dl short-grain rice
2 liters milk
5 dl water
1 tsp salt
2 tbs butter

Glazing:

Butter
(water or milk)

Egg-Butter Spread:

8 hard-boiled eggs
150 gr butter
½ tsp salt

Rice filling:
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan with a thick bottom. Add the rice and cook until the water is absorbed. Add milk and bring to a boil whilst frequently stirring. Simmer at a low heat for approximately 30 - 40 minutes, until cooked. Season the rice porridge with salt and butter and set aside to cool.

Egg-Butter Spread:
Boil the eggs in water for at least 8 minutes. Rinse the boiled eggs under cold water and remove their shells. Use a fork to mash the eggs finely together with the soft butter, in a mixing bowl. Add some salt. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into the fridge to cool.

Crusts:
Stir the flours and salt into water and knead into a solid dough. Form the dough into a bar on a well-floured baking board, and cut the bar into 20 pieces. Form little balls from the pieces and then flatten them. Sprinkle some rye flour onto the baking board, and with a rolling pin, roll a piece of the dough into as thin a round crust as possible. Place the ready-made crusts into two piles (sprinkle rye flour between them!). Cover the crusts with a kitchen towel to prevent them from becoming dry before all the crusts have been rolled.

When all the crusts are ready, fill the center of each crust with a thin layer of rice porridge. Fold the edges of the crusts and pinch tightly with your fingers forming oval shaped pies. (Turn the tips of the pies inwards to prevent them from burning during baking).

Place the pies onto a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper, and bake at 275 – 300 degrees Celsius for 10 - 15 minutes, until golden brown.

When the pies are removed from the oven, brush them with melted butter or a butter and water / milk mixture. Place the pies onto a greaseproof paper and cover with a kitchen towel to soften. (If you prefer a crispy crust, do not cover the pies!)

Serve the Karelian Pies warm together with the Egg-Butter Spread.

Tina Krause

Pappilan hätävara

Ingredients (4 portions):

-200 gr cookie crumbs or dry cake crumbs
-1 dl light juice (apple)
-2 dl strawberry, raspberry or apple jam
-2 dl whipped cream
-1 tsp sugar

Preparation:

1. Whip the cream together with the sugar until light. Moisten the cookie or cake crumbs with juice.

2. Place the ingredients in layers (crumbs, jam and whipped cream) into dessert dishes or a bowl.

3. Cover the dessert dishes or bowl with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for preferably 2 – 3 hours before serving.

Lisa Kraus

Wilfried Hiller - a german composer

Wilfried Hiller is a German composer. He was born March 15th 1941 in Weissenhorn.

He is especially known for his stage entertainments for family, kids and young persons.

The meeting with the German children's book writer Michael Ende was the beginning of an artistic partnership and a close friendship which continued until the death of Ende in 1995 and which caused to some triumphant stage entertainments like Tranquilla Trampeltreu, Der Goggolori or das Traumfresserchen.

Wilfried Hiller is the current president of the German Sibelius association.

portrait of the composer (german)

homepage of Wilfried Hiller

video "Traumfresserchen"

video "Chagall-Zyklus"

Christian Witte (teacher)