Role

:

Composer Conductor  

Birth

:

December 3, 1926 in Plauen, Germany

Death

:

December 25, 2007

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Vocal

 

Hans Otte was a German composer and pianist who was born on December 3, 1926, in Plauen, Germany. He grew up in a musical family, with his father being a church musician and his mother a singer. Otte began playing the piano at a young age and showed great talent, which led him to study at the Leipzig Conservatory. During World War II, Otte was drafted into the German army and was captured by the British in 1945. He spent several years as a prisoner of war in England, where he continued to study music and develop his skills as a pianist and composer. After the war, Otte returned to Germany and began working as a freelance composer and pianist. He became associated with the Darmstadt School, a group of composers who were interested in exploring new forms of music and breaking away from traditional tonality. Otte's early works were influenced by the serialism of Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, but he soon began to develop his own unique style. His music was characterized by a minimalist approach, with simple, repetitive patterns and a focus on texture and timbre. One of Otte's most famous works is his "Das Buch der Klänge" (The Book of Sounds), which he began composing in 1979 and completed in 1982. The piece consists of 12 movements, each of which is based on a different sound or group of sounds. The sounds range from the natural (such as water, wind, and birdsong) to the man-made (such as a ticking clock or a car engine). Otte's use of sound in "Das Buch der Klänge" is highly innovative, with the sounds often being manipulated and transformed through electronic processing. The piece is also notable for its use of silence, with long periods of quiet punctuated by sudden bursts of sound. Another important work by Otte is his "Klavierbuch" (Piano Book), which he began composing in 1959 and continued to work on throughout his life. The piece consists of a series of short piano pieces, each of which is based on a different musical idea or concept. Otte's "Klavierbuch" is notable for its use of unconventional notation, with the music often being presented in graphic form rather than traditional musical notation. The pieces are also highly improvisational, with the performer being encouraged to interpret the music in their own way. In addition to his work as a composer, Otte was also a highly regarded pianist. He performed extensively throughout Europe and recorded several albums of his own music as well as works by other composers. Otte died on December 25, 2007, in Bremen, Germany, at the age of 81. He left behind a legacy of innovative and influential music that continues to be studied and performed today.

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