Hans Friedrich Micheelsen

Hans Friedrich Micheelsen (9 June 1902 – 23 November 1973) was a German composer and church musician. Micheelsen’s composition instructors included Paul Kickstat and Paul Hindemith. Micheelsen wrote vocal and instrumental music, especially for organ. He primarily composed sacred music, though he did write some secular chamber music. His sacred music is similar to the neo-Baroque music of other contemporary German organist-composers, such as Helmut Walcha and Hugo Distler. His style combined contrapuntal textures, melodies and harmonies drawn from the medieval church modes, and the angular rhythms and meters of the 20th century. Many of his works, including five of his seven Orgelkonzerte (organ concertos), are based on Lutheran chorales. When that school merged with the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik (the public music college in Hamburg), Micheelsen became head of its church music department. He taught there until his retirement in 1962. References