Edmund Kötscher
"Connie" Edmund Kötscher (17 April 1909 – 15 January 1990) was a German light music composer and bandleader.
Life and career
[edit]Born in Berlin, Kötscher studied music at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar with Max Strub and Gustav Kulenkampff. He then worked as a conductor with various orchestras before leading his own dance orchestra. From 1933/34, he was concertmaster at the Admiralspalast in Berlin. After the Erhard Bauschke Orchestra was frequently on tour or otherwise contractually bound, Kötscher was commissioned to build up an orchestra for a German shortwave broadcaster.[1] From 1939, he and his dance orchestra (a studio band of musicians from the Admiralspalast, to which the pianist Helmuth Wernicke also belonged) played a series of records for Imperial und Electrola such as Großstadtmelodie (Imperial 17269, with the Schuricke-Terzett), Fidele Geisterstunde[2] and Cabaret der Noten (1939),[3] Schön ist die Zeit der jungen Liebe, Sing mit mir (1942),[4] (both with Herta Mayen) and Ich sag’ dir guten Morgen (ca. 1942/43, with Liselotte Malkowsky, Electrola 7310). Kötscher wrote about 2000 songs, mostly light music and hits like Abends in der kleinen Bar, Liechensteiner Polka,[5] Amsterdamer Polka, Wenn die Lichter wieder scheinen (recorded by Arne Hülphers[6][7][8]), but also Swing influenced pieces like Step Boys.[9] He also composed works for accordion, big band and orchestra; in addition, he wrote an arrangement of Mozart's Violin concerto in G major.[10]
Kötscher died in Berlin at the age of 80.
Further reading
[edit]- Armin Suppan, Wolfgang Suppan: Das Blasmusik-Lexikon. Komponisten – Autoren – Werke – Literatur.[11] Published in connection with the Styrian brass band association, 5th edition, HeBu-Musikverlag, Kraichtal 2010, ISBN 978-3-9806925-9-5.
- Paul E. Bierley, William H. Rehrig: The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music – Composers and Their Music, Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press, 1991, ISBN 0-918048-08-7.
- Edmund Kötscher, in Die Blasmusik – Official organ of the Bund Deutscher Blasmusikverbände e.V., Freiburg im Breisgau, June 1990, p. 175, ISSN 0344-8231
- Andreas Masel: Das Große Ober- und Niederbayerische Blasmusikbuch; mit Beiträgen von Stephan Ametsbichler, Stefan Hirsch und Heinz Wohlmuth; Ehrentafel der Ober- und Niederbayerischen Blasmusikkapellen, published by the Musikbund von Ober- und Niederbayern, Vienna: Verlag Christian Brandstätter, 1989, 543 p.
References
[edit]- ^ Jazz in Deutschland, edited by Wolfram Knauer, Jazz-Institut Darmstadt. Wolke Verlagsges. Mbh, 1996, p. 30
- ^ Berlin März 1939 - KC 27 563 - Imperial 17 251
- ^ Imperial 17 245 / KC 27539
- ^ Electrola, EG 7291 / ORA 5851
- ^ "Fiesta" is a version of Liechtensteiner Polka adapted by Shane MacGowan and Jem Finer, issued on the 1988 The Pogues album If I Should Fall from Grace with God.
- ^ Music: Edmund Kötscher; lyrics: Charles Alson; from the film Menschen ohne Schwerkraft
- ^ Menschen ohne Schwerkraft on Film Portal de
- ^ Arne Hülphers with Orchester and Otto Gerd Fischer (singer); recording: Grammophon 47563/Polydor
- ^ Tom Lord: The Jazz Discography (online, retrieved 19 October 2020)
- ^ Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Violin concerto in G major. Hier: Cadenzen zum I. und II. Satz von Edmund Kötscher. Originalhandschrift. Der Braune Musikverlag. Ohne Ort, 1940
- ^ Das Blasmusik-Lexikon : Komponisten - Autoren - Werke - Literatur on WorldCat
External links
[edit]- Literature by and about Edmund Kötscher in the German National Library catalogue
- Edmund Kötscher discography at Discogs
- Edmund Kötscher on Allmusic
