Ernst Krenek (August 23 1900 – December 22 1991) was an Austrian-born composer of Czech ancestry; throughout his life he insisted that his name be written Krenek rather than Křenek, and that it should be pronounced as a German word. He explored atonality and other modern styles and wrote a number of books, including Music Here and Now (1939), a study of Johannes Ockeghem (1953), and Horizons Circled: Reflections on my Music (1974).

Life

Krenek was born in Vienna. He studied there and in Berlin with Franz Schreker before working in a number of German opera houses as conductor. During World War I, Krenek was drafted into the Austrian Army, but he was stationed in Vienna, allowing him to go on with his musical studies. In 1922 he met Gustav Mahler's daughter, Anna, and her mother, Alma, who asked Krenek to complete her late husband's Symphony No. 10. Krenek helped edit the first and third movements but went no further. In 1924 he married Anna, only to divorce her before the first anniversary.

His music was banned in Germany by the Nazi Party and repressed in Austria. He moved to the United States of America in 1938 where he taught music at various universities, including Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota from 1942-1947. He became an American citizen in 1945. His students included George Perle and Robert Erickson. He died in Palm Springs, California.

Musical style

Krenek's music is in a variety of styles. His early work is in a late-Romantic idiom, showing the influence of his teacher Franz Schreker. He later embraced atonality, but a visit to Paris, during which he became familiar with the work of Igor Stravinsky and Les Six led him to adopt neo-classical style. His opera Jonny spielt auf (Johnny Strikes Up, 1926), which is influenced by jazz, was a great success in his lifetime, playing all over Europe. In spite of Nazi protests, it became so popular that even a brand of cigarettes, still on the market today in Austria, was named "Johnny". He then started writing in a neo-Romantic style with Franz Schubert as a model, with his Reisebuch aus den österreichischen Alpen as prime example, before using Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique; the opera Karl V (1938) is entirely written in this style, as are most of his later pieces. He also experimented with electronic and aleatoric music.

Notable works

Orchestral

Symphonies

• Symphony no. 1, op. 7
• Symphony no. 2, op. 12
• Symphony no. 3, op. 16
• Symphony for winds and percussion, op. 34
• Symphony no. 4, op. 113
• Symphony no. 5, op. 119
• Symphony "Pallas Athene", op. 137

Concertos and concertante works

• Violin concerto no. 1, op. 29
• Little concerto for harpsichord, organ and chamber orchestra, op. 88
• Violoncello concerto no. 1, op. 113
• Concerto for violin, piano and small orchestra, op. 124
• Concerto for harp and chamber orchestra, op. 126
• Violin concerto no. 2, op. 140
• Capriccio for cello and orchestra, op. 145
• Violoncello concerto no. 2, op. 236
• Four piano concertos
• Organ concertos including concerto op. 230 for organ and string orchestra, op. 235 with full orchestra

Chamber works

String quartets

• String quartet no. 1, op. 6
• String quartet no. 2, op. 8
• String quartet no. 3, op. 20
• String quartet no. 4, op. 24
• String quartet no. 5, op. 65 in E-flat
• String quartet no. 6, op. 78
• String quartet no. 7, op. 96
• String quartet no. 8, op. 233

Sonatas

• For piano
  • No. 1, op. 2 in E-flat
  • No. 2, op. 59
  • No. 3, op. 92, no. 4 *
  • No. 4, op. 114
  • No. 5, op. 121
  • No. 6, op. 128
  • No. 7, op. 240
• For violin
  • Two with piano (no. 1 op. 3 in F-sharp minor, no. 2 op. 99)
  • Two solo (opp. 33 and 115)

Other works

• Serenade for clarinet and string trio, op. 4
• Suite for cello solo, op. 84
• String trio, op. 118
• String trio Parvula Corona Musicalis: ad honorem Johannis Sebastiani Bach, op. 122
• String trio in 12 Stations, op. 237

*The rest of op. 92 contains works for other instrumental combinations, including solo viola and solo organ.

External links

• Art of the States: Ernst Krenek
• Ernst-Krenek-Institut site contains an English-language discography, worklist, and details of each work, so only some works and information have been given above.
• Krenek page at Lexikon exilierter Musiker und Musikerinnen der NS-Zeit

20th century classical composers | Austrian composers | Expressionism | 1900 births | 1991 deaths | Ernst Krenek | Ernst Krenek | Ernst Křenek | Ernst Křenek | エルンスト・クルシェネク