Oskar Gottlieb Blarr (Composer, Arranger, Organ, Choral Conductor)

Born: May 6, 1934 - Sandlack, near Bartenstein, East Prussia

The German composer, organist and church musician Oskar Gottlieb Blarr, studied composition with Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Milko Kelemen and others.

From 1961 to 1999 he was a church musician at the Neanderkirche in Düsseldorf. He also worked as a music lecturer at the Catechetical Seminar in Düsseldorf and an honorary professor of orchestration at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf.

As a composer Oskar Gottlieb Blarr wtote oratorios, orchestral works, chamber and organ music. He also composed numerous Neue Geistliche Lieder. Many of his Lieder he published under the pseudonym Choral Brother Ogo. CD recordings of his organ works were recorded by Wolfgang Abendroth and Martin Schmeding. He was a member of the Oekumenischen Textautoren- und Komponistengruppe der Werkgemeinschaft Musik e.V. and the AG Musik in der Ev. Jugend e.V., heute Textautoren- und Komponistengruppe TAKT.

In 1983 he devoted to the Israeli composer Josef Tal his organ work Salva Venia. Blarr premiered it the following year in Düsseldorf. His awards include: 1985 Culture Award of the Country Team for Eastern Prussia music; 2006 Composition Prize of the City of Neuss for the work Tangos und Choräle für Dietrich Bonhoeffer, premiered on June 15, 2006 at the Christuskirche Neuss.

Works (selection)

Oratorios:
Jesus-Passion (1985)
Jesus-Geburt. Weihnachtsoratorium (1988/1991)
Oster-Oratorium (1996)
Tangos und Choräle für Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2006)

Chamber:
Psalm 47, for soprano, tenor, chorus (ad lib.), trumpet, trombone, percussion (steel drums), violin, harp and bass] (1998)

Orchestral:
Symphony No. 1 Janusz Korczak en karem concerto (1985)
Symphony No. 2 Jerusalem (1994)

Organ:
Sonata Schaallu schlom Jeruschalajim (1. Psalmodie; 2. Rundgang; 3. Tropierter Choral)
Lischuatcha kiwiti Adonai
Kenne Sie die Geschichte... ?
Schlaflied für Mirjam
Dream talk (1. Toccata 1; 2. Canon rythmique; 3. Toccata II per l'elevatione; 4. Canon à 6; 5. Toccata III, Final)
Missa brevis (1. Kyrie „O milder Gott“; 2. Straßburger Gloria)
Hommage (1. Initium und Organum triplum; 2. Organum aliquotum; 3. Organum accordum and Finalis)
Handkuß für St. Margaretha
Al har habajit - auf dem Tempelberg (or large and small organ) (1. Zipporim we Schofar; 2. Epitaph für S.B.C.; 3. Near eastern counterpoint; 4. Magrepha)
„... qui tollis“ - Seufzer für BAZI
Roncalli-Nashorn Else
Frühligsstimmen
Zum ewigen Frieden

Neue geistliche Lieder
Weil du Ja zu mir sagst (Text: Christine Heuser; 1^st prize at the 2^nd Competition of the Evangelischen Akademie Tutzing 1963)
Shalom, wo die Liebe wohnt (Text: Diethard Zils)
Wer bringt dem Menschen, der blind ist, das Licht (Text: Hans-Jürgen Netz)

Adaptations of foreign works:
Pictures at an Exhibition (after Mussorgsky) for organ (1976)
Stravinsky on the organ (1978)

Source: German Wikipedia Website (January 2011), English translation by Aryeh Oron (August 2011)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (August 2011)

Oskar Gottlieb Blarr: Short Biography | Recordings of Vocal Works | Arrangements/Transcriptions: Works | Recordings

Links to other Sites

Bibliography

Jutta Scholl (editor): Der Komponist Oskar Gottlieb Blarr. Eine Dokumentation (Musikbibliothek Düsseldorf, 1994)
Thomas Schmidt: "Die Jesus-Passion (1985) von Oskar Gottlieb Blarr. EineSynthese aus westeuropäischen und israelitischen Traditionen." Wissenschaftliche Hausarbeit im Rahmen der Ersten Staatsprüfung für das Lehramt an Haupt- und Realschulen im Fach Musik (Gießen, 1987)