Johannes Driessler

Johannes Driessler (26 January 1921 – 3 May 1998) was a German composer, organist, and lecturer. He composed operas, chamber music, and especially sacred music both vocal and for organ. Life and work Driessler was born in Friedrichsthal on 26 January 1921. He also composed for harpsichord, including Akrostichon (Op. 56; 1967), which repeats the motives in an “‘acrostic-like’ technique”. His work is described by Hanspeter Krellmann in his Grove Music Online entry as traditional, tonal and contrapuntal. A contemporary reviewer for Music & Letters describes his music as containing “slightly acid dissonance”, akin to Hindemith. His work was published by Bärenreiter and Breitkopf & Härtel. He was in 1959 the first recipient of the , and was awarded the in 1962. Driessler died in Detmold on 3 May 1998, at age 77. Works Sources: * Sinfonia Sacra * Dein Reich komme, oratorio, Op. 11 (1950) * Claudia amata, lyric opera, Op. 17 (premiered 1952 Münster) * Prinzessin Hochmut, fairy-tale opera, Op. 21 (premiered 1952 Kassel) * Der Umfried, opera (premiered 1957) * Doktor Luzifer Trux, opera (premiered 1958) * Three Small Pieces for cello and piano, Op. 8 * Vier kleine Stücke für Flöte und Klavi