Willy Schneider

Willy Schneider was born on 15 October 1907 in Kirchheim unter Teck (Germany). His father was music director of the municipal orchestra, his mother was a violinst and so he was musically raised from an early age. After school Willy Schneider began to study music in Duisburg and a five-year scholarship enabled him to continue in Stuttgart, where he studied composition and conducting.
Willy Schneider settled in Stuttgart and first worked as a private music teacher and also was the director of a brass ensemble in Notzingen. In World War II he was drafted for military service but luckily came back unwounded. So Willy Schneider could immediately return to his musical activities and in 1949 founded the in-house brass band of the paper mill Scheufelen in Oberlenningen. This ensemble became a role model in Germany for continuous and well-considered work with non-professional musicians. Willy Schneider was the director of this band for 21 years, also founded a corresponding in-house music school and composed many works for the special needs of these musicians, because he was one of the first who recognized that appropriate compositions were missing.
Willy Schneider wrote several books about the educational works with wind instruments. His first book - "Chorische Bläserschule" - was published by Schott and he continued with special writings for clarinet, horn, trumpet and trombone, whose methodological approaches were unique for its time. In 1953, Schneider was appointed head of the faculty for wind instruments at the Music Academy in Trossingen and became professor in 1961. Schneider had become a key figure in German brass music.
Willy Schneider suffered a heart attack in 1973 from which he did not recover completely. He died on 24 November 1983 in Kirchheim unter Teck.

Willy Schneider composed many works, mainly for wind instruments and smaller brass ensembles. Among his compositions for brass ensemble are the "Notzinger Dorfmusik", Capriccio, Sinfonietta, "Sinfonische Skizze" or a "Suite für Bläser". Beside his compositions for wind instruments Willy Schneider's chamber music include a Sonatine for piano, "Kleine Stücke" for 2 violins or the "Hohenheimer Tänze" for strings and piano.

In my possession is a partly autograph, partly copied manuscript of the Serenade for flute and guitar by Willy Schneider. The work was composed in 1966 and premiered on 14 May 1966 by Gabriele Zimmermann (flute) and by an unknown guitarist. The work consists of five short movements and last around 9 minutes.