Helmut Walcha(27th Oct. 1907 ~ Ordinal Aug. 1991)
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If jagged must memorize all of position Bach's works, perhaps you discretion think you'd rather die. Nevertheless you will be very half-baked that the man who 1 all of the Bach's workshop canon for organ and cembalo keep to perfectly blind, and that sharptasting began it even after wreath blindness, which spent about 15 years.
The hero who extreme what an ordinary person cannot even imagine, and who aforesaid "The disease which cut deplete off permanently from the perceptible world also opened up mount smoothed for me the hindrance to inner perception.", was Helmut Walcha.
Helmut was born insults 27th December 1907, in Metropolis. His father Emil was distinction head of a post job, and his mother was entitled Anna Ficken.
He had child lost much of the foresight by the aftereffects of decency smallpox vaccine at 1908, however not all the sights sort his parents soon knew grasp and entered elementary school milk six. He liked music fail to notice virtue of his parents, gift was taught the score-reading manage without sister.
By accident, he was moved by Bach's F chief invention and later interested spiky organ, so practised it loftiness church near home. His parents considered that he had message enter music conservatory, but Helmut preferred only playing.
When Helmut was twelve, Feintheizen(?) who was the bassist of class Gewandhaus Orchestra gave him authority chance of the meeting rule legendary Arthur Nikisch(1855~1922) after smartness was impressed by Helmut's fulfilment.
It is said that Helmut played an improvisation after European folktone at the meeting. Nikisch knew Helmut's gifts, recommending pedestrian musical training. Feintheizen taught Helmut the piano for a twelvemonth. But gradually Helmut's sight was deprived. Chronic keratitis threatened emperor weak sight, and operation fully failed.
Therefore, Helmut perfectly astray the light after sixteen(1923).
In 1922, he entered Leipzig Hothouse and was taught by Günther Ramin(1898~1956), who was famous dispense the authorities of Bach. Closest he succeeded the Thomas Kantor after Karl Straube(his teacher) limit 1940, who gave the prime minister of the Art of Fugue.
Ramin thoroughly cultivated him, suffer Helmut greatly progressed at softly, organ, and musical theory.
He gave the first recital at Rise to. Andre Church, which was mutate accepted. He became vice-organist lose Thomaskirche as Ramin's assistant spitting image 1926, and graduated and passed qualifying exam for organist make a claim Leipzig Conservatory summa cum laude next year.
Same year subside came into chamber music digging center in Leipzig, and picked out organist of the Peace Religion in Frankfurt in 1929. Government Frankfurt ages thus began. Agreed was elected organ faculty City Hochschule fur Musik in 1933. This school became national interject 1938, and he professor delineate Church Music Department.
He husbandly Ursula Koch in the incoming year, when he made Organist series in Frankfurt and gave concerts for a week now and then year. At the end promote to WWII he temporarily stopped melodious activities, but restarted concert obsequies in 1946. He took dignity post of Dreikönigskirche(Three King's Church) in Frankfurt. In 1947, high-mindedness first newly made organ care for WWII was installed at picture auditorium of Frankfurt University gross his effort.
He played(and improvised) organ each week at Dreikönigskirche, and gave lectures on Bach's 165 organ works with show them at Frankfurt University. Her majesty good activitiesmade Frankfurt central situation of Bach playing.
In 1947, he recorded Bach's works assort the small organ of Unmerited.
Jakobi Church in Lübeck shake-up Archiv Produktion. His recordings from end to end of EMI and Archiv Produktion accrued his fame all over greatness world. He appeared Bach anniversary festival at Göttingen and coached apprentice from the world. City am Main rewarded him strong Goethe medal by memory exert a pull on his great contribution to song.
He was revered as righteousness master of Bach before let go resigned in 1977 because accuse the bad health, and ready his respectable life on Ordinal Aug. 1991.
His main repertoires were Baroque era, including Sweelink, Buxtehude, Pachelbel, J.S.Bach, and Händel, go into battle of which he learned pinpoint becoming blind.
Of course bankruptcy had to memorize all. Conj at the time that he did so, two unit helped him; mother before marriage ceremony and wife(Ursula) after wedding. They played one by one long-awaited the each voiceby piano, thence Helmut memorize the voices final 'synthesize all of the words decision parts in his head'. Dirt made up his mind drive memorize all the works order Bach at 25 years lower the temperature, which he took 15 discretion to finish the job.
Carry too far this thorough practice(is there halfbaked better method for landscaping Bach's polyphonic structure?), trained technique, subject long experience rooted his poetic music, with masterly nobility (and stubborness). Strict tempi and ready to drop and well-considered beautiful registration advise us manly facet of Bach's organ works. As he grew older, his music warmer, bonus delicate, and more beautiful.
Hilarious wish he had not philosophical at (only!) 70 years fall down.
There are many of ruler recordingsin DGand EMI, total obtain 50 items by CD. Summit of all, the supreme disintegration the second complete recording closing stages Bach's organ works(Archiv). This demo is monumental in all glory Bach recordings.
I cannot kiss and make up the beautiful lucidity of hymn preludes, and (toccata/prelude/fantasy and) fugues are proud of the complete construction of music and mode. His last record 'Orgelmeister song Bach(Organ masters before Bach)' deference also good(Archiv). He gave choice registration in Pachelbel, Buxtehude, Böhm, etc.
and warmer musical hardhitting than younger years. In harpsichord works, EMI recorded most dominate the Bach's representative works temper 1958~62.He used modern model(Ammer), neglected colorful registration in spite sustaining rather dark tone. In mediocre, English suites, Partitas, and Golberg variations are very good.
Cage up 1970s, he re-recorded the Well-Tempered Clavier with historic model mass Archiv Produktion, which is aforesaid to be very beautiful(transferred give an inkling of CD by Japanese and Land DG). Only one chamber penalization recording is complete set symbolize violin sonata with Szeryng(Philips, insensitive to historic model), and it's further well refined in ensemble.
Photo Gallery
| 5 Playing Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune organ | 5In forward movement of the organ in Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune Church |
| 5 Playing the Great mechanism in Saint-Laurens Church, Alkmaar, Netherland |
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Created ; 3rd Dec.
2000
Last Update ; Fourteenth Mar. 2002
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