Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

January 26, 1921

Death

:

May 3, 1998

 

Johannes Driessler was a German composer and musicologist who was born on January 22, 1921, in Berlin, Germany. He was the son of a music teacher and grew up in a musical family. His father, Paul Driessler, was a composer and conductor, and his mother, Gertrud Driessler, was a pianist. Johannes Driessler showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of six. Driessler studied music at the Berlin Conservatory and later at the University of Berlin, where he earned a doctorate in musicology. He also studied composition with Paul Hindemith and Boris Blacher. During World War II, Driessler served in the German army and was captured by the Allies in 1945. He spent several years as a prisoner of war in France and England, where he continued to study music and compose. After the war, Driessler returned to Germany and began a career as a composer and musicologist. He taught at the Berlin Conservatory and later at the University of Hamburg. He also served as the director of the Hamburg State Opera from 1961 to 1963. Driessler's music is characterized by its modernist style and use of serialism. He was influenced by the music of Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and his compositions often feature complex rhythms and harmonies. Some of his most notable works include his Symphony No. 1, which was premiered in 1952, and his String Quartet No. 2, which was premiered in 1956. In addition to his work as a composer, Driessler was also a respected musicologist. He wrote several books on music theory and analysis, including "The Technique of Twelve-Tone Composition" and "The Analysis of Musical Form." He was also a frequent contributor to music journals and served as the editor of the journal "Musik und Bildung" from 1961 to 1971. Driessler's contributions to the world of music were recognized with several awards and honors. He was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1971 and was elected a member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts in 1973. He also received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 1985. Johannes Driessler died on December 29, 1998, in Hamburg, Germany. He left behind a legacy of innovative and influential music, as well as a body of work as a musicologist that continues to be studied and admired today.

More....