Knape, Walter

views updated

Knape, Walter

Knape, Walter, German musicologist, conductor, and composer; b. Bernburg, Jan. 14, 1906. He studied at the Univ. of Leipzig, receiving his Ph.D. in 1934 with the diss. Die Sinfonien von Karl Friedrich Abel He then joined its faculty. From 1948 to 1957 he was conductor of the Leipzig Sing- Akademie and the Phil. Choir; he also taught at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik (1954-57), and subsequently at the univs. of Hamburg, Hannover, and Cuxhaven. He devoted much time to the study of the life and works of Abel; ed. a complete edition of his works (16 vols., Cuxhaven, 1958-74) and a bibliographic-thematic catalog (Cuxhaven, 1971); also wrote Karl Friedrich Abel: Leben und Werk eines frühklassischen Komponisten (Bremen, 1973). He composed several symphonic and choral works, chamber music, and many piano pieces.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire