Franz Richter HerfFranz Richter Herf

Biography

Franz Richter Herf, composer, conductor, and college professor. Born on in Vienna, Austria, died on in Salzburg, Austria. As from 1941, after finishing grammar school in Zagreb, Croatia, he studied at the Viennese Academy of Music, and after World War II at the Mozarteum Salzburg with Johann Nepomuk David, Egon Kornauth and Bernhard Paumgartner. Additionally, he took private lessons in conducting with Clemens Krauss. 1948, he became musical director in Salzburg, and 1949, he was appointed lecturer at the Mozarteum. Beside it, he worked as freelancer at the Austrian broadcasting company.

As from 1970, he devoted himself to research and systematization of microtones, together with Rolf Maedel. This led to the development of the Ekmelic Music. In 1974, he was co-founder of the Institute for Basic Musical Research and constructed the Ekmelic Organ after his own conception. In the same year, he was appointed full college professor. 1979 thru 1983, he was principal of the Mozarteum Academy Salzburg. In 1985, he established the Mikrotöne in Salzburg and was in charge of them in 1985 and 1987.

Between 1950 and 1970, he wrote about 50 compositions in the traditional tone system — some of them published under the pseudonym Franz Herf; among others, two operas, one ballets, one symphony, five concerts for solo instruments and orchestra, music for string orchestra and wind band, as well as choral and piano music. They are written in a neo-classical free-tonal style, clear and transparent in their formal structure and their harmonics, where an extension of the tonality already adumbrated itself. The musical themes are impressive, the rhythm sticks out strongly.

The works written after 1970 are in the ekmelic tone system — among others, the opera “Odysseus”, the 2nd symphony, four ‘Ekmelie’s (these are short pieces of music in one movement for orchestra), choral and chamber music.

Awards

  • 1985The Austrian Honour Cross for Science and Art of 1st class
  • 1986The Golden Badge of Honour of the Land Salzburg, Austria
  • 1986Letters-patent of Citizen (Bürgerbrief) of the municipality Salzburg, Austria
  • 1972The Michael Haydn-Medal in Silver
  • 1976Honorary choirmaster of the Salzburger Liedertafel
  • In November 1989, the Institute for Basic Musical Research at the Mozarteum Academy Salzburg is renamed into “Richter Herf-Institute for Basic Musical Research”.

Discography

Publications

Texts for Download

  • Franz Herf: Das chromatische Tonsystem. In: Musikerziehung. .
  • Franz Richter Herf: Zur Entdeckung neuer Tonsysteme. In: Musikerziehung. .
  • Rolf Maedel, Franz Herf: Ekmelische Musik. Möglichkeiten der Erweiterung unseres Tonsystems. Special edition of the Institute for Basic Musical Research at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst “Mozarteum” in Salzburg. Salzburg .
  • Franz Richter Herf: Die Ekmelische Orgel. Special edition of the Institute for Basic Musical Research at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst “Mozarteum” in Salzburg. Salzburg .
  • Rolf Maedel, Franz Richter Herf: Ekmelische Musik. In: Schriften der Hochschule Mozarteum. No. 4, Katzbichler, München/Salzburg , ISBN 3-87397-473-8.
  • Franz Richter Herf: Ekmelische Musik. Aufführungspraxis und Intonationsübungen. Edition Helbling, Innsbruck/Neu-Rum (Pub.No. 3801).
  • --: Die Gegenwart altgriechischer Musik im heutigen Musikschaffen. In: Uni-aktuell. Periodical of the Österreichische Hochschülerschaft of the University of Salzburg. No. 3, , pp. 13.
  • --: Was gefällt an der neuen Musik nicht? In: Uni-aktuell. Periodical of the Österreichische Hochschülerschaft of the University of Salzburg. .
  • Rolf Maedel, Franz Richter Herf: Ekmelische Musik. Edition Helbling, Innsbruck/Neu-Rum (Pub.No. 3801).
  • Franz Richter Herf: Wege der Musikförderung. In: Kmfb. No. 4, .
  • --: Vom Wesen der Klänge. In: Musikerziehung. .
  • --: Komposition und Aufführungspraxis Ekmelischer Musik. In: Franz Richter Herf (ed.): Mikrotöne I. Report about the 1st international Symposium, Microtone Research, Music with Microtones, Ekmelic Music, – in Salzburg, Austria. Edition Helbling, Innsbruck/Neu-Rum , ISBN 3-900590-01-X, pp. 227–231.
  • --: Die Intonation Ekmelischer Klangstrukturen. In: Franz Richter Herf (ed.): Mikrotöne II. Report about the 2nd international Symposium, Microtone Research, Music with Microtones, Ekmelic Music, – in Salzburg, Austria. Edition Helbling, Innsbruck/Neu-Rum .

Publications about Franz Richter Herf

  • Karl Wagner: Ekmelik – ein Weg in die Zukunft? In: Österreichische Musikzeitschrift. Vol. 26, No. 8, , pp. 457.
  • --: Neues über Ekmelische Musik. In: Österreichische Musikzeitschrift. .
  • Gert Wessels: Das 72-Tonsystem. In: Mikrointervalle in Tonsystemen unseres Jahrhunderts. Dargestellt anhand von vier Beispielen. (Written term paper).
  • Maria Richter, Elisabeth Richter: Franz Richter Herf – “Odysseus”, Oper in Ekmelischer Musik. Nach Veröffentlichungen und Vorträgen von Franz Richter Herf zusammengestellt und ergänzt. In: Report about the symposium “Antike Mythen im Musiktheater des 20. Jahrhunderts”. U. Müller-Speiser, .
  • Horst-Peter Hesse: Breaking into a New World of Sound: Reflections on the Ekmelic Music of the Austrian Composer Franz Richter Herf (1920-1989). In: Perspectives of New Music. Vol. 29, No. 1, , pp. 212–235.
  • Elisabeth Richter: Franz Richter Herf – Ekmelische Musik. Die Entwicklung der theoretischen Grundlagen und deren Anwendung dargestellt an ausgewählten Kompositionen. Diploma thesis. Wien .
  • Matthias Buch: Franz Richter Herf and Rolf Maedel. (Radio-broadcast).