Grete von Zieritz

Grete von Zieritz (10 March 1899 – 26 November 2001) was an Austrian-German composer and pianist.

Life

Grete von Zieritz was born in Vienna, Austria into a noble family, and grew up in Vienna, Innsbruck and Graz. She received her first piano lessons at the age of six, and later studied with Hugo Kroemer (piano) and Roderick Mojsisovics (musical composition). She gave her first concert at age eight.[1]

In Berlin, she continued her studies with Martin Krause, a student of Franz Liszt, and Rudolf Maria Breithaupt. After the successful performance of her "Japanese Songs" in 1921, she decided to become a composer. Von Zieritz worked as a music teacher and continued to study in Berlin from 1926 to 1931 under Franz Schreker.[2] In 1939 she was the only woman at the International Music Festival in Frankfurt am Main among composers from 18 nations.[3] In 2009 in Vienna Donaustadt the Zieritzgasse was named after her. She died in Berlin in 2001.[4]

Awards

1928: Mendelssohn-State Award
1928: Schubert scholarship to Columbia Phonograph Company
1978: Merit First Class for Science and the Arts
1979: Order of Merit
1982: PRS-Medal of Honour for 50-year membership
1999: Badge of Honour of the National Music Council, Berlin
1999: German Critics' Award (Special)

Works

Grete von Zieritz wrote over 250 works for various ensembles. Selected works include:[4]

Orchestral

Kleine Abendmusik for string orchestra (1916)
Triple Fugue for string orchestra (1926)
Intermezzo diabolico (1932)
Bilder vom Jahrmarkt for flute and orchestra (1937)
Das Gifthorner Konzert for flute, harp, and strings (1940)
Triple Concerto for flute, clarinet, bassoon, and orchestra (1950)
Le violon de la mort (Danses macabres) for violin, piano, and orchestra (1956–1957)
Divertimento for 12 solo instruments and chamber orchestra (1962)
Sizilianische Rhapsodie for violin and orchestra (1965)
Concerto for 2 trumpets and orchestra (1975)
Organ Concerto (1977)
Fanfare (1979)
Zigeunerkonzert for violin and orchestra (1982)

Chamber

Japanese Songs for soprano and piano (1919)
Prelude and Fugue in C minor for piano (1924)
Sonata for viola and piano, Op. 67 (1939)
Kaleidoskop, Duo for violin and viola, Op. 127 (1969)
Suite for viola solo, Op. 141 (1976)
Prelude and Fugue for organ (1977)
Kassandra-Rufe for eight solo instruments and nonet (1985/86)

With orchestra

Passion im Urwald for soprano and orchestra with text by the composer (1930)
Vogellieder for soprano, flute, and orchestra (1933)
Hymne for baritone and orchestra on texts by Novalis (1943)
Die Zigeunerin Agriffina for soprano and orchestra (1956)
Japanische Lieder for soprano and chamber orchestra (1972)

Unaccompanied

Dem Zonnengott for women's chorus on texts by Hölderlin (1940)
Berglied for mixed chorus (1962)
4 Alt-Aztekische Gesänge for mixed chorus (1966)
5 Portugiesisch-Spanische Gesänge for mixed chorus (1966)
7 Gesänge for mixed chorus on texts of "contemporary black poetry"[4] (1966)
3 Chöre for men's chorus on texts by Fontane (1973)

References

"Grete von Zieritz". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
Thomas, Christopher. "Grete von Zieritz". Retrieved 22 September 2010.
Reiger, Eva. "Grete von Zieritz". Retrieved 22 September 2010.
Sadie, Julie Anne; Samuel, Rhian (1994). The Norton/Grove dictionary of women composers (Digitized online by GoogleBooks). ISBN 9780393034875. Retrieved 4 October 2010.