Harald Genzmer 100

On 9 February, the composer Harald Genzmer would have celebrated his 100th birthday. In his lifetime, he set up a foundation dedicated to the advancement and promotion of new music. Since his death in December 2007, a new board of the Harald Genzmer Foundation has been established; among the board members are Dr. Peter Hanser-Strecker of Schott Music and Stefan Conradi of C. F. Peters Musikverlag, with the musicologist Marcus Faul as secretary general.

Genzmer, who worked as a creative artist until his death on 16 December 2007, left a comprehensive oeuvre encompassing all subjects and genres, including works for ambitious amateur music-making in particular. For decades, he and the music publisher Schott Music had been bound by a lasting, trusting and fruitful relationship. Over 400 of his compositions have been published by different publishers.

Genzmer was one of the most versatile and most prolific contemporary composers. A student of Paul Hindemith's, he was an artist who was always wary of the dogmas of the avant-garde movements, he vouched for music that wanted to directly reach performers and listeners alike: 'Music shall be vigorous, elabo-rate and artistic and comprehensible. May it be practicable to win over the performer and comprehensible to then win over the listener.'

Genzmer taught composition at the Freiburg Hochschule für Musik and from 1957 in Munich where he lived since.

He not only was a profound expert of music history but also occupied himself with literature, fine arts or even scientific subjects and was bronce medalist at the 1936 olympic summer games.

Genzmer possessed a virtually inexhaustible imagination and great vitality in discovering and probing new avenues of experimentation and creativity which lent his music a distinctive élan and colourful timbral sensitivity.

• Harald Genzmer - Profile
• Website of the Genzmer Foundation