The great symphonic works are at the centre of Bertold Hummel's oeuvre. They are clearly structured and colourfully orchestrated scores that find their expression through eruptive force, as here in the Allegro of the Episodes op. 23 or through great symphonic breath, as in the Lamentationes Jeremiae of the 3rd Symphony op. 100 .

In the 3rd movement of his 2nd Symphony op. 30, Hummel juxtaposes the Gregorian "Te deum laudamus" with a fully chromatic 12-tone theme. Here is the beginning of the Finale concertante.

The Visions after the Apocalypse of St John op. 73 were premiered by the Berlin Philharmonic and re-conducted by renowned conductors such as Marcello Viotti. Listen to the beginning of the work here.

Bertold Hummel's musical language is virtually predestined for dramatic events on the stage. Even if the number of his stage works is relatively small, we find powerful works here which - when they are performed - are always perceived as very effective by the audience.

The anti-war ballet The Last Flower op. 55a from 1975 struck a chord at the height of the Cold War: the fear of nuclear catastrophe was omnipresent. Listen to the appearance of the dictator at the beginning of the ballet and the Intermezzo mechanico in which the inventors experiment on deadly machines.

In his Faust Scenes op. 72, Hummel composes the dance poem in 6 pictures designed by Heinrich Heine. Here is the beginning of the Witches' Sabbath, which leads into a jazz version of the Gregorian chant "Dies Irae".

The work Des Kaisers neue Kleider op. 10 unfortunately remained his only opera, although Hummel spent his entire life searching for a suitable libretto. Listen to the performance of the court marshal in the 2nd picture.

With over 110 performances, Hummel's Concerto for Percussion op. 70 is the composer's best-known work and also the most successful percussion concerto of its time. Listen to the beginning of the virtuoso last movement Finale-Vivace here.

A relatively late work is the Music for Saxophone and Large Orchestra op. 96b, which also exists in alternative versions for clarinet or horn. A 7-part concert piece in one movement. Listen to the cadenza and conclusion of the work here.

In addition to these concertos with large orchestra, there are 8 further solo concertos accompanied by a string orchestra. These include 3 percussion concertos(op. 53, op. 86, op. 105). His Poem for cello and strings op. 80 from 1984, which is based on Hermann Hesse's famous poem Stufen-Gedicht, is of particular importance. Listen to the beginning of the second part here.

"In a time of increasing secularisation, the creative and probably also the post-creative artist has the task of pointing his fellow human beings towards the transcendent, the inexplicable and also the unprovable," wrote Bertold Hummel a year before his death. He created numerous compositions in this spirit.

His oratorio Der Schrein der Märtyrer op. 90, which lasts almost two hours, can be described as his opus summum in this genre. With a gigantic sound apparatus, he set ancient Irish texts on the martyrdom of the Apostles of Franconia and biblical texts such as the Sermon on the Mount or Psalm 150 to music. Listen here to the end of the oratorio and the sea storm, which leaves nothing to be desired in terms of plasticity with two organs and percussion groups.

Hummel composed countless organ and choral movements for liturgical use, which are often sung and played in Christian churches. He wrote 5 Latin masses and numerous motets, which can also be performed by amateur choirs. The Ave Maria op. 97e2, which he wrote on the death of his sister, was particularly close to his heart. Listen to the beginning of Ave Maria here.

Bertold Hummel, who, in addition to his compositional work, also performed frequently as a cellist and chamber musician, created a wealth of works for strings. In addition to his 1st Symphony for Strings op. 20 with large forces, there are a further 7 works for string orchestra(op. 19b, op. 43, op. 50, op. 62a1, op. 69a, op. 95b, op. 104).
In the 1st movement of Contrasts op. 50, we hear the chord sequence typical of Hummel at the end of the movement, which can be heard as a kind of signature in most of his works. Here is the introduction.

His Adagio in memoriam Benjamin Britten op. 62a1 can be performed as a string trio as well as an orchestral work. Listen to the beginning of the string orchestra version here.

In the 2nd String Quartet op. 46, the tonal possibilities of this instrument are explored with great difficulty. Here is the beginning of the 1st movement, labelled Mosaici.

Hummel saw the composition of a suite for solo violin op. 78 as a great challenge. Listen to the beginning of the last movement, entitled Metamorphosen, in which he skilfully interweaves the thematic material of the previous movements with new ones.

In his early Sonata in F for violoncello and piano op. 2, despite the echoes of Bartók and Hindemith, you can already hear the genuine Hummelian tonal language. Listen to the beginning of the 3rd movement here.

In addition to his 4 percussion concertos, there are around 25 works for 1, 2(op. 58), 3(op. 88d), 4(op. 38) and 5(op. 72b) percussionists. Hummel was one of the first composers to use percussion as an equally important instrument in chamber music works. (e.g. Ludi a tre op. 29 and Trio op. 82a). The Duettino op. 82b is accompanied "classically" by a piano. Listen to the beginning of the 2nd movement with the title Ostinato.

His Quattro pezzi op. 92 are a difficult test for percussionists, which is why they are often chosen as a compulsory piece in competitions. Listen to the meditative 3rd movement: A la sarabande.

The work Fresken 70 op. 38 has become a classic in the percussion quartet literature. Listen here to the 4th movement entitled Polymetrie.

Incidentally, his compositional plans, which were unfortunately not realised, also included a symphony that was to be played exclusively by percussion instruments.

Bertold Hummel also composed chamber music for every wind instrument in the orchestra. In 8 solo pieces, he gave the instrumentalists the opportunity to explore the tonal possibilities of their instrument. The Suite for oboe solo op. 26b begins with a fanfare.

Hummel wrote short sonatas accompanied by the piano for recorder op. 87b, flute op. 107a1, trumpet op. 1a, tuba op. 81a, bassoon op. 59b, trombone op. 59a and saxophone op. 95a. The Sonatina for horn and piano op. 75a is one of his best-known works. Here is the 3rd movement Finale-Presto.

He wrote several important works for saxophone. These include the Music for 4 Saxophones op. 88f. The 3rd movement is entitled Mixtur.

Eine kleine Blasmusik op. 61 is based on typical 19th century character movements. A strangely archaic sound is mixed with contemporary rhythms. Listen to the Intermezzo.

The march rhythms that predominate in the last movement of his Wind Octet op. 47 are "not entirely free of satirising elements", as Hummel himself put it. Listen to the beginning of the Allegro marciale here.

With three large-scale works, Bertold Hummel made his contribution to giving sophisticated symphonic wind music the recognition it deserves.

In the fourth movement of the Sinfonietta op. 39, a melancholy lansquenet song from the Thirty Years' War is repeatedly interrupted by menacing march music. Listen to the beginning of the Finale concertante here.

In the Oregon Symphony op. 67, written for a brass band convention in the American state of Oregon, Hummel also quotes a song from the old days with "Innsbruck ich muss dich lassen". In the symphony's finale, he collages various American folk melodies (here the middle section).

For the town anniversary of his hometown of Hüfingen, he composed an entertaining Musica urbana op. 81c for the local town band, in which he processed musical impressions of his youth. In the 2nd movement, a locally very popular march motif with the title "Ei, de David, wenn'd ä Brod witt ..." finds its partly ironic-grotesque treatment. Here is the beginning of the 2nd movement with the title Marsch.

The diverse sound possibilities of the organ fascinated Bertold Hummel throughout his life and so, at every stage of his compositional work, he wrote works that were either conceived for organ alone or in combination with other instruments.

Works such as Alleluia op. 44 and the Three Marian Frescoes op. 42, as well as the 25-minute work in memoriam Anton Bruckner op. 91a are symphonic in nature (some are even scored for large orchestra) and, like his last organ work Benedicamus domino op. 102, are based on Gregorian themes. Here is the beginning of the "Alleluja" and the"Benedicamus Domino"

Among the 5 large works for organ and instrument(op. 74 and op. 98a for percussion, op. 45 for oboe, op. 68a and op. 68b for trumpet and saxophone respectively, op. 63 for violin) is the much-played "in memoriam" op. 74, of which you can hear the beginning of the toccata here. Hummel composed the Arioso of the Dialogues op. 63 as a reminiscence of Johann Sebastian Bach's arias.

The Metamorphoses on B-A-C-H op. 40 can be described as a kind of organ concerto. The famous tone sequence is heard in 3 movements in a wide variety of sound combinations. Listen to the beginning of the Toccata here.

Hummel's music for children arose from his own teaching practice and the experiences he had with his six sons when playing music at home. The pieces are easy to play for performers who are just learning the basics of their instrument and delight players and listeners with their cantabile and rhythmic qualities. The most successful work of this kind is probably the Sonatina for violin and piano op. 35a, of which you can hear the last movement Finale-Vivace here.

The Kleine Streichmusik op. 95b is a small work that can encourage young people to play string quartets. Here is the tango from it.

Hummel's piano pieces for children are collected in three editions(10 piano pieces for children op. 56b, Tastenspiele - Kleines Klavieralbum für meine Enkelkinder op. 103d and Mimis Tastenspaß).

These are small miniatures that are sometimes cheeky, as in"Budenzauber", sometimes elegiac, as in"Klagende Nachtigall", and are a joy for young players. He composed his last piano piece of this kind in May 2002: "Gute Laune".

Bertold Hummel repeatedly composed works for unusual instrumentations. In his search for the most diverse combinations of sounds, he created pieces that are popular with musicians and listeners alike.
A special work is the Fantasia poetica for hammered dulcimer and viola op. 101b. It is dedicated to the memory of the poet Wolfgang Borchert and impresses with its expressive tonal language. Listen to the beginning of the Fantasia poetica here.

Hummel's preoccupation with electronic sounds - which he also used in film and stage music - prompted him to compose the piece Yume I-IV op. 41a. He skilfully used the technical possibilities of the time to accompany a live solo flute with distorted or alienated flute sounds. Listen here to the beginning of Yume I, which can confidently be described as historical due to the tape sounds that can hardly be produced today.

The Sinfonia piccola for 8 double basses op. 66 (here the beginning of the Burleske) is a touchstone for intonation and ensemble playing for the double bass groups of the world.

At the beginning of his career as a composer, Bertold Hummel worked as a freelancer for Südwestfunk in Freiburg. Here, one of his tasks was to arrange well-known pieces of music for the then famous small entertainment orchestra under the direction of Willi Stech and also to compose his own compositions for entertainment concerts. He later summarised these pieces under the opus number 13.

In the South African Suite op. 13a, he processed impressions of his concert tour of several months through the former German South West Africa. The composer, who was 30 years old at the time, carelessly entitled the final movement Heia Safari.

Hummel wrote short concert pieces for flute op. 13d, bassoon op. 13e, viola op. 13f and piano op. 13g for the orchestra's excellent soloists.
Listen here to the beginning of Pan 56 for flute and chamber orchestra op. 13d.