Dietrich Unkrodt

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Dietrich Unkrodt
Unkrodt as jury member 2004 (r.)
Born(1934-08-25)25 August 1934
Prudnik, Upper Silesia, Germany
Died26 June 2006(2006-06-26) (aged 71)
Cottbus, Germany
Occupations
  • Tubist
  • Composer
  • Academic teacher
Organizations

Dietrich Unkrodt (25 August 1934 – 26 June 2006) was a German tubist and double bass player, the principal tubist of the Komische Oper Berlin. He was particularly active as a jazz tubist, appearing internationally. Unkrodt was one of the pioneers of solo tuba music in Germany.

Life[edit]

Born in Neustadt, Upper Silesia (now Prudnik, Poland), he studied with Richard Iser at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin from 1952 to 1955.[1][2]: 516  He was employed at the Meiningen Theatre from 1956 to 1960,[1] and then moved to the Komische Oper Berlin.[3] He was promoted to principal tuba[3] and served until 2000.[1]

Several major works were composed by fellow musicians in his honor. The Konzert für Tuba und Orchester (Tuba Concerto) by Joachim Gruner, published in 1977 by Verlag Neue Musik [de],[4][5] which he premiered in 1978 with the orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, conducted by Joachim Willert. It was recorded with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin,[6] and the recording was released by the Nova Deutche Schallplatten label in 1982.[7] He toured with it from 1979, including in France, Hungary, the US and Japan.[1] Günter Kochan wrote Sieben Miniaturen für Vier Tuben (Seven Miniatures for Four Tubas), recorded by Verlag Neue Musik Berlin in 1978, for Unkrodt,[8]: 226  and John D. Stevens wrote Fanfare for a Friend in Unkrodt's honor in 1991.[8]: 254  Stevens stated in 2006 that from their first meeting Unkrodt made an impact on him. He further honored Unkrodt by conducting the International Tuba Euphonium Association High School & University All-Star Ensembles playing it at the ITEC Convention that year, shortly after Unkrodt's death.[9]: 100 

Together with the pianist and composer Hannes Zerbe, he devoted himself to free jazz. He was a member of the Hannes Zerbe Blechband,[10] and in 1980 formed with Zerbe the duo Zerbe-Unkrodt.[3][11] He participated in the DDR Jazznacht for free jazz.[12] He and Zerbe also played improvisational chamber music with saxophonist Manfred Schulze [de]. Their trio performed at the Leipzig Jazz Days festival in 1981.[13] The duo Zerbe-Unkrodt also appeared at the Kölner Jazz Haus Initiative (Cologne Jazz House Festival) in 1982.[14] They released an album, Unkrodt/Zerbe, which featured piano, synthesizer, and tuba in 1987 with Amiga Records.[7]

Between 1960 and 1980, Unkrodt was a member of the Dixieland Allstars Berlin,[2]: 516  and was a featured player on their 1973 album Dixieland Allstars Berlin, produced by Amiga Records.[7] Until 1991,[2]: 516  he was a member of the Berlin Brass Quintet, founded in 1982 by members of East Berlin orchestras. They played at the 1989 International Brass Quintet Festival in Baltimore, together with a quintet from West Berlin, the Brandenburg Quintet.[15] He joined the Brassquintett Komische Oper Berlin (Berlin Comic Opera Brass Quintet) in 1991.[2]: 516  He performed other solo works as a soloist at home and abroad as well as in radio productions.[1]

Unkrodt taught since 1978 as a professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler,[1] and among his students were Attila Baranyó,[2]: 460  Dirk Paulenz,[2]: 498  and Leonardas Benediktas Ulevičius.[2]: 516  He composed Reige Vortragsliteratur, Tuba 1 und Tuba 2 (Series of Lecture Literature for Tuba 1 and Tuba 2) in 1989. Verlag Neue Musik published the two-volume, eleven composition series which were primarily avant-garde and contemporary styles, featuring high ranges using extended techniques.[16] From 2003 also at the Universität der Künste Berlin. He was a juror at various national and international competitions.

He edited compositions for tuba for the publisher Verlag Neue Musik.[17] He was the inaugural international relations vice president of the Tuba Universal Brotherhood Association, serving for 2 decades.[9]: 100 [18] The organization formed in 1973 and since 2001 has been known as the International Tuba Euphonium Association.[19]

Grave site

Unkrodt died in Cottbus at age 71.[4] He is buried in the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery in Berlin-Mitte.[20] Unkrodt stood out from many East German musicians, who typically only had access to music available in East Berlin, which were written by local composers, and were very conservative. According to composer Martin Mayes, Unkrodt's vision "showed an adventurousness and determination to extend the limits of the tuba both for himself" and other musicians. He was versatile and improvised music to "exploit the unconventional sonorities of the tuba", tackling arrangements from pre-classical to contemporary genres.[21]: 44  His extended lip techniques, similar to jazz horn artists like Wynton Marsalis, allowed him to develop his versatility.[21]: 46 

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Unkrodt, Dietrich". Musiker-Handbuch. Kürschners Handbücher (in German). p. 487.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Nelson, Mark A. "Biographical Sketches of Professional Tubists". In Morris & Goldstein (1996), pp. 457–522.
  3. ^ a b c "Der Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb) und das Land Berlin verleihen den Jazzpreis Berlin 2021 an Hannes Zerbe" (in German). Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Dietrich Unkrodt". metason.net. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  5. ^ Gray, Skip. "4. Music for Tuba and Orchestra". In Morris & Goldstein (1996), pp. 131, 133 (131–138).
  6. ^ "Litera LP". liedderzeit.de (in German). 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Davis, Ronald. "12. Discography]". In Morris & Goldstein (1996), p. 369 (337–410).
  8. ^ a b McAdams, Charles A. "8. Music for Multiple Tubas". In Morris & Goldstein (1996), pp. 183–280.
  9. ^ a b Kroesche, Ken (Fall 2006). "3:00 p.m. ITEC High School & University All-Star Ensembles in Concert, Dr. Jerry Young and John Stevens, Directors". ITEA Journal. 34. Baltimore, Maryland: International Tuba Euphonium Association: 99–100. ISSN 0363-4787. Jerry took a moment to pay a brief tribute to Dietrich Unkrodt who had passed away earlier in the week and who had served as the T.U.B.A.'s (ITEA) first Vice President for International Relations
  10. ^ Kumpf, Hans (16 December 2021). "Hannes Zerbe wird am 17.12.2021 80 Jahre alt". jazzpages.de (in German). Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  11. ^ Kampmann, Wolf; Jost, Ekkehard (2003). "Zerbe, Hannes". Reclams Jazzlexikon (in German). Stuttgart: Reclam. pp. 570–571. ISBN 3-15-010528-5.
  12. ^ Bratfisch, Rainer (2005). Freie Töne: die Jazzszene in der DDR (in German). Ch. Links Verlag. p. 290. ISBN 978-3-86-153370-2.
  13. ^ Noglik, Bert (1981). "Leipzig Jazz Days". Jazz Forum. 73 (5). Warsaw, Poland: International Jazz Federation: 15. ISSN 0021-5635. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Jazz Haus Festival". Jazz Forum. 80 (1). Warsaw, Poland: International Jazz Federation: 14. 1983. ISSN 0021-5635. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  15. ^ Scarupa, Henry (16 June 1989). "East, West to meet at brass quintet festival". Baltimore Sun. p. 93. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  16. ^ Funderburk, Jeffrey L. "6. Music for Unaccompanied Tuba". In Morris & Goldstein (1996), pp. 176 (157–178).
  17. ^ "Unkrodt, Dietrich". Verlag Neue Musik. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  18. ^ Treas, Elizabeth (18 August 1991). "Arts Camp Offers Work with Play". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. p. 25. Retrieved 19 June 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Leeka, Carter I. (1977). "History of the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association". T.U.B.A. Journal. V (1): 14–16. Archived from the original on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  20. ^ "Dorotheenstädtisch-Friedrichswerderscher Friedhof" (in German). Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  21. ^ a b Mayes, Martin (October 1984). "International Competition for Horn and Tuba, Markneukirchen, German Democratic Republic 11–18 May". The Horn Call. 15 (1). Interlochen, Michigan: International Horn Society: 44-46. ISSN 0046-7928.

Sources

External links[edit]

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