Herbert Gadsch

Edmund Herbert Gadsch was born on 7 April 1913 in Mittweida (Germany). His father could play different string instruments and clarinet on a good level and so the young Herbert Gadsch came in contact with music from an early age. He learned to play the piano and began to study music at the Kirchenmusikalischen Institut in Leipzig in 1930. His teachers included Friedrich Högner (organ), Carl Adolf Martienssen (piano), Kurt Thomas (choral conducting) and Johann Nepomuk David (music theory). He graduated in 1935 as an organist and cantor.

Herbert Gadsch then moved to Großenhain, where he first worked as an organist, later also as the cantor of the Marienkirche. In 1942 Herbert Gadsch was drafted for military service and held in Russian war captivity since 1945 until his release in 1950. He returned to Großenhain and again fulfilled the position of organist and cantor until his retirement in 1986. He also gave lectures in music theory, organ and church music history at the Landeskirchenmusikschule in Dresden and worked as chorus master in Großenhain for 20 years.

Herbert Gadsch died on 3 February 2011 in Großenhain (Germany).

Herbert Gadsch composed over 1200 works during his lifetime with a strong emphasis on sacred music in different instrumentations: for voices, chorus, organ, trombone choir or chamber ensembles. There are only a handful compositions for orchestra in his work catalogue, beside the Violin concerto he composed also an organ and a cembalo concerto.

The "Concerto for violin and chamber orchestra" was composed in 1976 and first performed on 16 June 1977 with Rudolf Schneider (violin), the Staatliches Sinfonieorchester Riesa under Jürgen Wirrmann (conductor). The work is dedicated to Rudolf Schneider, the soloist of the world premiere.