Hessenberg, Kurt

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Hessenberg, Kurt

Hessenberg, Kurt, German composer; b. Frankfurt am Main, Aug. 17, 1908; d. there, June 17, 1994. He studied in Leipzig with Raphael (composition) and Teichmüller (piano). In 1933 he was appointed to the faculty of the Hoch Cons, in Frankfurt am Main. Possessing great facility in composition, Hessenberg evolved an effective idiom, fundamentally Classical, but containing Wagnerian elements in dramatic passages, with occasional infusion of prudential modernistic devices. His most successful work was Struwwelpeter (1933), a suite for Small Orch. based on a well-known German children’s tale. He further wrote 3 syms. (1936, 1943, 1954), Piano Concerto (1940), Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orch. (1950), Concerto for Orchestra (1958), 2 flute sonatas (1932), 5 string quartets (1934–67), Cello Sonata (1941), Violin Sonata (1942), String Trio (1949), Piano Trio (1950), numerous piano pieces, a number of cantatas, and a multitude of lieder.

K. Laux, K. H. (Essen, 1949).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire