Werner Karthaus

Werner Karthaus was born on 11 February 1901 in Düsseldorf (Germany). He studied composition with Paul Juon and musicology with Fritz Volbach. In 1925 he completed his doctorate with a dissertation on music theory, which was subsequently published under the title Grundlagen einer Musiktheorie, abgeleitet aus psychischen Gesetzmäßigkeiten. After his studies Karthaus worked as a private music teacher and increasingly established himself as a musicologist, writer and composer. He later also taught at the Brahms Conservatory in Düsseldorf.
During the 1920s and 1930s Karthaus became an active figure in the musical life of Düsseldorf. Alongside his work as a composer, he wrote on musical subjects, worked as a music critic and was involved in the organisation of concerts and other musical activities. His orchestral compositions attracted performances and press attention not only in Düsseldorf but also in other German cities.
After the National Socialists came to power, Karthaus joined the NSDAP in May 1933. During the following years he remained closely involved in Düsseldorf's institutional musical life. He worked as an assistant to the city's General Music Director, conducted male choirs and participated in the organisation of musical events, including the Reichsmusiktage held in Düsseldorf in 1938 and 1939. He also contributed programme notes and introductory texts on contemporary music and composers. His own compositions continued to be performed during this period.
Karthaus maintained an extensive compositional output. His works include six symphonies, a Concerto for violoncello and orchestra, a Concerto for string orchestra (or quartet) in C minor No. 1, a Second Concerto for string orchestra in A major, a Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Chaconnes, the Goethe Cantata, the Brahms Fantasy, numerous songs and choral works as well as arrangements. Among his stage works is the school opera Dr. Eisenbart. His later compositions also show an interest in unusual theoretical and tonal concepts; his Sixth Symphony of 1960, for example, bears the title Orchesterspiel in 27 Tönen (Hepta kai eikositonische Sinfonie).
After the Second World War Karthaus underwent denazification proceedings and subsequently resumed his musical and educational activities. In the post-war decades his work increasingly focused on music education and music theory. He maintained contacts with German broadcasting organisations and contributed to educational and children's programmes. His publications include Aus der Werkstatt der Musik (1955), Liederbaukasten. 30 Kinderlieder (1957), Das System der Musik (1962) and Das Ereignis Beethoven (1968). He also continued to publish articles on subjects ranging from Bach and Gregorian melody to Bartók, twelve-tone technique and Mozart. Thus, although his compositions had received particular public attention during the 1930s and 1940s, Karthaus remained active as a music theorist, educator and writer until the final years of his life.
Werner Karthaus died in 1971 in Düsseldorf.

In my possession is an autograph manuscreipt of a String quartet in C minor. The work was begun 20 June 1920 and finished 15 February 1921. Werner Karthaus composed a second string quartet in C minor in 1933, but the two works are different.