Edmund Kötscher

"Connie" Edmund Kötscher (17 April 1909 – 15 January 1990) was a German light music composer and bandleader.

Life and career

Born in Berlin, Kötscher studied music at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar with Max Strub and Gustav Kulenkampff. He then worked as a conductor with various orchestras before leading his own dance orchestra. From 1933/34, he was concertmaster at the Admiralspalast in Berlin. After the Erhard Bauschke Orchestra was frequently on tour or otherwise contractually bound, Kötscher was commissioned to build up an orchestra for a German shortwave broadcaster.[1] From 1939, he and his dance orchestra (a studio band of musicians from the Admiralspalast, to which the pianist Helmuth Wernicke also belonged) played a series of records for Imperial und Electrola such as Großstadtmelodie (Imperial 17269, with the Schuricke-Terzett), Fidele Geisterstunde[2] and Cabaret der Noten (1939),[3] Schön ist die Zeit der jungen Liebe, Sing mit mir (1942),[4] (both with Herta Mayen) and Ich sag’ dir guten Morgen (ca. 1942/43, with Liselotte Malkowsky, Electrola 7310). Kötscher wrote about 2000 songs, mostly light music and hits like Abends in der kleinen Bar, Liechensteiner Polka,[5] Amsterdamer Polka, Wenn die Lichter wieder scheinen (recorded by Arne Hülphers[6][7][8]), but also Swing influenced pieces like Step Boys.[9] He also composed works for accordion, big band and orchestra; in addition, he wrote an arrangement of Mozart's Violin concerto in G major.[10]

Kötscher died in Berlin at the age of 80.

Further reading
  • Armin Suppan, Wolfgang Suppan: Das Blasmusik-Lexikon. Komponisten – Autoren – Werke – Literatur.[11] Published in connection with the Styrian brass band association, 5th edition, HeBu-Musikverlag, Kraichtal 2010, ISBN 978-3-9806925-9-5.
  • Paul E. Bierley, William H. Rehrig: The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music – Composers and Their Music, Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press, 1991, ISBN 0-918048-08-7.
  • Edmund Kötscher, in Die Blasmusik – Official organ of the Bund Deutscher Blasmusikverbände e.V., Freiburg im Breisgau, June 1990, p. 175, ISSN 0344-8231
  • Andreas Masel: Das Große Ober- und Niederbayerische Blasmusikbuch; mit Beiträgen von Stephan Ametsbichler, Stefan Hirsch und Heinz Wohlmuth; Ehrentafel der Ober- und Niederbayerischen Blasmusikkapellen, published by the Musikbund von Ober- und Niederbayern, Vienna: Verlag Christian Brandstätter, 1989, 543 p.

References
  1. Jazz in Deutschland, edited by Wolfram Knauer, Jazz-Institut Darmstadt. Wolke Verlagsges. Mbh, 1996, p. 30
  2. Berlin März 1939 - KC 27 563 - Imperial 17 251
  3. Imperial 17 245 / KC 27539
  4. Electrola, EG 7291 / ORA 5851
  5. "Fiesta" is a version of Liechtensteiner Polka adapted by Shane MacGowan and Jem Finer, issued on the 1988 The Pogues album If I Should Fall from Grace with God.
  6. Music: Edmund Kötscher; lyrics: Charles Alson; from the film Menschen ohne Schwerkraft
  7. Menschen ohne Schwerkraft on Film Portal de
  8. Arne Hülphers with Orchester and Otto Gerd Fischer (singer); recording: Grammophon 47563/Polydor
  9. Tom Lord: The Jazz Discography (online, retrieved 19 October 2020)
  10. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Violin concerto in G major. Hier: Cadenzen zum I. und II. Satz von Edmund Kötscher. Originalhandschrift. Der Braune Musikverlag. Ohne Ort, 1940
  11. Das Blasmusik-Lexikon : Komponisten - Autoren - Werke - Literatur on WorldCat
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