Carl Ueter

Carl Ueter was born on 18 January 1900 in Münster (Germany). From 1915 to 1918 he studied Catholic church music at the Bischöfliche Kirchenmusikschule in Münster. During these years he served as organist first at St. Lamberti and later at St. Petri. After completing his training in 1919, he joined the staff of the Bischöfliche Kirchenmusikschule, where he taught Gregorian chant, music theory and violin, and also became organist at the Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche. At the same time, he continued his composition studies with Fritz Volbach at the University of Münster.

In 1921 Ueter was admitted to Franz Schreker's composition master class at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Among the other students in Schreker's circle during these years were Alois Hába, Berthold Goldschmidt, Max Brand and Jerzy Fitelberg. Ueter also studied instrumentation with Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek and attended courses with Max Seiffert and Curt Sachs.

After completing his studies in 1923, Ueter briefly worked as a lecturer at the Musikhochschule Mannheim before becoming répétiteur at the Stadttheater Münster. Later that year, when Ewald Lindemann left Münster to take up a position at the Stadttheater Freiburg im Breisgau, Ueter followed him to Freiburg. He subsequently became First Kapellmeister at the Städtische Bühnen Freiburg and remained in this position until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. From 1940 to 1944 he served in the German military. He was subsequently taken prisoner by American forces and was interned at the prisoner-of-war camp in Bad Aibling until 1945.

In 1946 Ueter became one of the founding members of the newly established Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and joined its teaching staff. He was appointed professor in 1950 and taught conducting, counterpoint and score reading. The Hochschule records his emeritation in 1965, although its personnel database lists his teaching activity through 1969. Among his students were Hans Zender, Werner Jacob, Gerbert Mutter, Isaac Karabtchevsky, Günther Wich, Wolfgang Gayler and David Machado. Ueter also directed the Opera School and the Hochschulorchester. In 1954 he conducted the student production of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte in which the young Fritz Wunderlich made his operatic role debut as Tamino.

Alongside his activities as a conductor and teacher, Ueter composed in a wide range of genres, including songs, chamber and piano music, operas and orchestral works. His output included two symphonies and the opera Die Erzgräber, which received its world premiere in Freiburg on 21 October 1937 under Franz Konwitschny.

Carl Ueter died on 30 September 1985 in Bad Krozingen (Germany).

In my possession are autograph manuscripts of Ueter's String Trio, the Chamber Cantata op. 36, and the Romanische Gesänge for low voice and piano. In a telephone conversation with Carl Ueter's widow, I was told that a considerable part of his compositional output had apparently been lost because Ueter frequently gave or sent his original manuscripts to interested musicians without retaining copies. The surviving material is therefore widely dispersed and the present whereabouts of many works remain unknown.



String trio

Among the chamber compositions of Carl Ueter are several string trios, one dates from 1927. The manuscript in my possession is dated at the end "20.4.1946" and consists of the four movements: I. Introduktion: Allegro assai; II. Adagio; III. Scherzo: Vivacissimo ponibile; IV. Rondo: Vivace

Chamber cantata op.36

The Chamber cantata op.36 by Carl Ueter was composed in 1934 and consists of two parts:

• Chamber cantata No.1 "Der kleine Tod", for baritone, cello and piano
  The work was finished on 15.8.1934 and sets the poems "Der kleine Tod", "Stimme eines jungen Bruders" and "Wenn es nur einmal so ganz still wäre" by Rainer Maria Rilke into music.

• Chamber cantata No.2 "Liebe zu Gott", for alto, violin and piano
  The work sets the poems "Ich liebe dich, du sanftestes Gesetz", "Lösch mir die Augen aus", "Ich will ihn preisen" and "Du bist so groß" by Rainer Maria Rilke into music.

Romanische Gesänge

The "Romanische Gesänge, for low voice and piano" was composed in 1947. The composition consists of four little songs on words by different poets from specific Romanic regions. The movements are:

I. Unmut (words by Peire Cardenal) - Provencal;

II. Einsamkeit (words by Lope de Vega) - Spanish;

III. Geistige Minne (words by Ausias March) - Catalan;

IV. Allegorie (words by Dante Alighieri) - Italian.

The work was finished in December 1947 and is dedicated to the wife of Carl Ueter.