- Joseph Haas
Joseph Haas (
March 19 ,1879 –March 30 ,1960 ) was a German late romanticcomposer andmusic teacher .Biography
He was born in
Maihingen , nearNördlingen to teacher Alban Haas from his second marriage, being half-brother totheologist andhistorian Alban Haas . At an early age he came into contact with music. He became teacher himself and taught from 1897 to 1904 inLauingen near theDanube .In his effort to pursue his musical inclination, he met
Max Reger , with whom he tookprivate lessons from 1904 inMunich . He later followed him toLeipzig in 1907 to study music at the Leipzig Conservatory. Among his teachers were alsoKarl Straube andAdolf Ruthardt . In 1909 Haas finished his studies. In 1911, having had his first success as a composer and having won anArthur Nikisch scholarship, he became teacher of composition at the Stuttgart Conservatory, where he was named professor in 1916. From 1921 he taught at the "Akademie für Tonkunst" in Munich (todayHochschule für Musik und Theater München ); he was professor there from 1924 to 1950.In 1921 he established together with
Paul Hindemith andHeinrich Burkard the Donaueschinger Kammermusikaufführungen zur Förderung zeitgenössischer Tonkunst.In 1930, he became a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in
Berlin .During the rule of Nazism, Haas suffered some reprisals, as he openly supported the "entartete" new music and practiced his catholic beliefs. After the second World War, he became president of the Munich "Hochschule für Musik und Theater", a position which he held until he became Emeritus Professor in 1950 and led the school's reconstruction after 1945.
He died in
Munich and was burried in theMunich Waldfriedhof .Importance
As a composer
The work of Haas was entirely based on
tonality . At first, he was strongly influenced by his mentor Reger, whosepolyphony andharmony rich language also feature in Haas' music.During his lifetime, Haas was a successful and well known composer. In 1954, for his 75th birthday, numerous celebratory festivals took place in both West and
East Germany . After his death, his work's presence in concerts has dramatically decreased.In 1949, the composer's friend
Rupert Egenberger , established the "Joseph-Haas-Gesellschaft", dedicated to Haas and his work.As a teacher
Haas was an important music teacher. Among his numerous students are composers and conductors, such as
Otto Jochum (1898–1969),Karl Gustav Fellerer (1902–1984),Eugen Jochum (1902–1987),Karl Amadeus Hartmann (1905–1963),Karl Höller (1907–1987),Philipp Mohler (1908–1982),Cesar Bresgen (1913–1988),Ernst Kutzer (born 1918), andWolfgang Sawallisch (born 1923).References
* Translated from the [http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_Haas&stableid=47459140 German Wikipedia article]
External links
* [http://www.joseph-haas.de Joseph Haas site]
* [http://www.schott-music.com/shop/persons/featured/8056/index.html Biography]
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