Laudation for Peter Jona Korn's 65th birthday, held by Bertold Hummel on 23 March 1987 at the Hochschule für Musik in Würzburg

Ladies and Gentlemen!

In any attempt to portray Peter Jona Korn, it is inevitable to report on his versatility. There is his extensive oeuvre - from simple incidental music for amateur musicians to sophisticated chamber music of various genres and large orchestral works - from simple choral works and a rich oeuvre of songs to large cantatas and operas.

There is a permanent, constantly intensified conducting activity that accompanies his compositional work.

There is his successful work as a composition teacher and his many years as director of the Richard Strauss Conservatory.

There is his time-consuming commitment to the interests of his colleagues in professional bodies such as the Composers' Association and Gema.

And then there is his literary work, which has made him widely known alongside his compositional output.

The amount of work behind the above can only be guessed at and can only evoke admiration.

I will try to portray it further:

Recognised and encouraged as a talent by Otto Klemperer in Berlin at the age of seven, 11-year-old Peter Jona was caught up in the unfortunate maelstrom of political upheaval in 1933. A long journey begins, always in search of a new home. He becomes a traveller between "worlds". England and Palestine are his first stops, where he loses his father, who dies as a result of his imprisonment in Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

In 1941, he travelled on to the USA. During the turbulent war and post-war period, Korn met the main emigrants from the old Europe in Los Angeles. Attempted adaptation, marriage and family finally gave him a sense of security.

Cautious contact with his old homeland was made in the 1950s.

In the 1960s, he made the decision to return to Germany.

It would have been easy for Peter Jona Korn, whose teachers included Stefan Wolpe, Edmund Rubbra, Ernst Toch, Arnold Schoenberg and Hans Eisler, to jump on the serial avant-garde bandwagon that was travelling express at the time and make a career for himself. Instead, he opted for the arduous and thorny path of the lone fighter. Remaining true to his convictions and trusting in his cause, not belonging to any so-called "direction", he was and is concerned with the humanisation of music.

I like to think back to Peter Jona Korn's first appearance in Würzburg in 1966, when he gave his lecture "Music between understanding and feeling", which is still relevant today. Of course, humble self-pity was never his thing.

Both pen and tongue were sharpened in emergencies and emergencies. Indeed, he was and is an uncomfortable contemporary for many. This resulted in a series of pointed writings, essays and speeches that are - to put it mildly - not entirely free of polemics.

The most famous omission is probably the title: "Musical pollution". In addition to enthusiastic approval, there is still bitter hostility from those affected, probably also because many of Korn's predictions have since come true.

But there is also the charming, tangy Korn, who hits the nail on the head with genuine Berlin humour. Many a commentary in leading West German newspapers originates from his "pseudonymous" pen.
It should not be forgotten, however, that a compositional work has matured that combines years of experience and knowledge in an impressive way and that conveys Peter Jona Korn's personality better than words can.

Korn says of his composing: "Every sophisticated compositional technique has its purpose and function. I use all the musical means I need, from the strictest tonality, which for me is still the compelling starting and end point of all musical events, to free tonality or atonality and dodecaphony. I am thus openly committed to eclecticism and believe that I am in the very best of company. After all, as the painter Max Liebermann once said: "Where the bejabung ends, the style begins!"

We are delighted to have Peter Jona Korn among us today and to celebrate his 65th birthday with his music. We wish him, who will soon be retiring as a civil servant, a long and successful career as an "unretireable" creative and critical spirit.
Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to add a personal word:

Dear Peter, thank you for many years of reliable, generous and always intellectually stimulating friendship. Stay as you were, as you are, for many years to come.

Bertold Hummel: Tombeau for PJK

 

Biography

Peter Jona Korn born on 30. March 1922 in Berlin1932 Composition lessons at the Berlin Academy of Music (special class for gifted pupils)1933 Emigration to England1934 Studied with Edmund Rubbra (London)1936 Studied with Stefan Wolpe (Jerusalem)1939 Studied with Hermann Scherchen (Tel Aviv)1941 - 1942 Studied with Arnold Schönberg (Los Angeles)1944 US citizenship1946 - 1947 Studied with Ernst Toch, Hanns Eisler, Miklos Rosza1948 Founding of the New Orchestra of Los Angeles1953 First return to Germany1957 First concert tours and performances in Europe1960/61 Composition teacher at the Trapp Conservatory in Munich;Huntington Hartford Foundation (several scholarships)1964/65 Visiting professor at the University of California (Los Angeles)1967 - 1978 Director of the Richard Strauss Conservatory MunichDied 12 January 1998 January 1998

Works

Opera "Heidi in Frankfurt"

Cantata "The Psalm of Courage"

4 symphonies

Various overtures and suites

Works for small orchestra and string orchestra

Symphony for large pale orchestra

Concertos for violoncello, oboe, horn, alto saxophone, violin, trumpet, harpsichord, accordion with orchestra

Solo songs with orchestra

Solo works for piano, organ, violin, violoncello, flute, harp

Duos with piano or organ for violoncello, violin, viola, oboe, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion

Chamber ensembles in various instrumentations

Songs, choirs

www.peterjonakorn.com