Rolf Schill

Rolf Schill was born on 5 July 1933 in Tarutyne (Kingdom of Romania, today named Bessarabske and part to the Ukraine). The family moved in 1939 to Ulm in Germany, shortly before the annexation of Bessarabia by the Soviet Union. Rolf Schill finished school with the Abitur and then moved to Stuttgart. He studied at the music university conducting, piano and composition under Johann Nepomuk David and Hermann Reutter. Rolf Schill completed his studies at the music university for sacred music in Esslingen.
After his studies Rolf Schill first returned to Ulm and worked as a kapellmeister trainee at the Städtische Bühnen from 1958 to 1959. Then he moved to Cottbus where became assistant kapellmeister at the local theatre. There Rolf Schill met the director Rolf Winkelgrund and both moved 1970 to the Hans-Otto-Theatre in Potsdam. Rolf Schill was appointed the principal kapellmeister of the orchestra. This position became the most successful point in the career of Rolf Schill. Together with Rolf Winkelgrund many remarkable plays came on stage like "Die Überquerung des Niagarafalls" or "Der weiße Anzug". Rolf Schill was not only the director of the orchestra, but also worked as a composer and contributed own compositions and arrangements to the plays.
Rolf Schill died on 17 January 1992 in Zorge (Germany). He became only 58 years old.

In my possession are a few autograph manuscripts of Rolf Schill which I received through a generous gift from the family of Rolf Schill. Most of the compositions by Rolf Schill remain unpublished so far and therefore cannot be studied. For that reason I have typeset all the manuscripts in my possession and present the scores here for interested musicians. Feel free to dive deep into the music of Rolf Schill:

1) Praeludium rhythmicum, for organ

The work was composed in 1977 and is dedicated to the daughter of Rolf Schill, who has a degree in sacred music.

2) Volksliederquartett

The Volksliederquartett (Folk song quartet) is scored for horn, trumpet, trombone and horn, thus a brass quartet. It was composed in 1978.

3) Fliegende Blätter für Markus

The "Fliegende Blätter für Markus" is a set of two tiny pieces for piano. The parts are titled "Dance rhythmique" and "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen".

4) 3 Lieder nach Texten von Georg Kreisler

The 3 songs on words by Georg Kreisler are scored for voice and piano. The songs use the poems "Der Mann im Pferd", "Das Kabarett ist tot" and "Ich kann tanzen" by Austro-American cabarettist Georg Kreisler. The manuscript is not dated, but two of the poems were written in 1972 by Georg Kreisler and therefore the songs by Rolf Schill must date from a later year.

5) Barcelona

The work "Barcelona" is scored for piano and subtitled "Spanish suite". It consists of the movements 1. Die Sardanatänze, 2. Das catalanische Mädchen, 3. Costa brava, 4. Gerona, 5. Costa del sol and 6. Die Pyrrenäen. The work was composed in 1978.

6) 5 Lieder

Rolf Schill composed many songs. In this manuscript he compiled 5 songs for voice and piano and added the note "Auswahl" (selection) to the title. Therefore I assume these songs can stand alone and the collection and order is just random. This selection includes 1. Lied der Pleisnerin, 2. Die Geschichte vom armen kleinen Pillenschlucker, 3. Das Lied von Rocker Superstar, 4. Klagelied eines Witzes, and 5. Ich möcht bei dir, mein Baby... . Rolf Schill wrote both music and text for all these songs.

7) Die gelehrten Frauen

In 1976 the Hans-Otto-Theatre performed the play "Les femmes savantes" by Moliere. Rolf Schill composed an ouverture and interludes for this occasion which are scored for alto flue, oboe d'amore and horn.

work catalogue

The work catalogue of Rolf Schill has an emphasis on stage music like musicals, operettas, or plays. In addition he also composed chamber music and songs. Due to the fact that there is no other source with information about the composer Rolf Schill I would like to present his complete work catalogue here:

chamber music:

• Klavierspielbuch für junge Leute, for piano (1972)
• Volksliederquartett, for trumpet, horn, trombone and tuba (1974)
• Präludium Rhythmikum, for organ (1977)
• Barcelona - spanisches Suite, for piano (1978)
• Kinderlieder-Quartett, for trumpet, horn, trombone and tuba (1978)
• B-A-C-H Ostinato, for organ (1990)
• B-A-C-H Ostinato, for two guitars (1990)
• Rondino concertante, for 2 guitars (1990)
• Swinging con fugato, for 2 guitars (1991)
• Sardana, for 2 guitars, tambourine and castagnets
• Fünf Lieder, for voice and piano
• Wilhelm komm in Busch, 6 songs for voice and piano
• Drei Lieder nach Texten von Georg Kreisler, for voice and piano
• Sieben Lieder von Karl Hermann Röhricht, for voice and piano
• Ich lag am Walde Saume, for voice and piano
• Album Blatt für Elise, for 2 guitars
• Album Blatt für Susanne, for 2 guitars
• Fliegende Blätter No.1 + 2, for piano
• Zwei Ragtime Sonaten, for piano

stage music:

• Music for the play "Ein Sommernachtstraum" by William Shakespeare (1963)
• Music for the play "Tanz des Schneemannes und der Schneeflocken" (1965)
• Music for the fairy tale "Der Spielzeugsoldat" (1967)
• Music for the play "Herr von Lourdes" by Moliere (1971)
• Music for the play "Das Wunschkind" (1974)
• Music for the play "Das sündige Dorf" by Max Neal (1975)
• Music for the play "Die gelehrten Frauen" by Moliere (1976)
• Music for the play "Deutsch" by Enrique Beck (1977)
• Music for the play "Die Überquerung des Niagarafalls" by Alonso Alegria (1977)
• Music for the play "Die Abenteuer des Tom Sawyer" by Hanus Burger and Stefan Heym (1977)
• Music for the play "Der Komet" by August Wilhelm Iffland (1978)
• Music for the play "Bluthochzeit" by Federico Garcia Lorca (1978)
• Music for the play "Yerma" by Federico Garcia Lorca (1980)
• Music for the fairy tale "Tischlein deck dich"
• Music for the play "Der Spielzeugsoldat" by Sasa Lichy
• Music for the play "Der Diener zweier Herren" by Carlo Goldoni
• Music for the play "Flüchtlingsgespräche" by Bertolt Brecht
• Music for the play "Otello" by William Shakespeare
• Music for the play "Julius und Romea oder Der Papierkrieg"
• Music for the play "Des Teufels goldene Haare" by Gernot Schulze
• Music for the fairy tale "Das Rübchen"
• Music for the play "Der Tartuffe" by Moliere
• Music for the play "Die kleine Hexe die nicht böse sein konnte" by Clara Maria Machado
• Music for the play "Das blaue Pferdchen" by Maria Clara Machado
• Music for the play "Viel Lärm in Chiozza" by Carlo Goldoni
• Music for the play "Liliom" by Ferenc Molnar
• Music for the play "Liola" by Luigi Pirandello
• Music for the play "Die Aula" by Hermann Kant
• Music for the play "Glück mit Glas"
• Music for the play "Der gestiefelte Kater" by Elisabeth Walter
• Music for the fairy tale "Rumpelstilzchen"
• Music for the play "Fisch zu viert"
• Music for the play "Die Schatzinsel" by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Music for the play "Der Flug und die Sterne" by Sean O'Casey
• Music for the play "Kikeriki" by Sean O'Casey
• Music for the play "Leonce und Lena" by Georg Büchner
• Music for the play "Die Weibervolksversammlung" by Joachim Knauth
• Music for the play "Der tolle Tag"
• Music for the play "Ein Pfund abheben" by Sean O'Casey
• Music for the play "Heinrich IV"
• Music for the play "Der Kirschgarten" by Anton Chekhov
• Music for the play "Suppengrün" by Radicius Rettich
• Music for the play "Die Neuberin"
• Music for the play "Das blaue Pferdchen"
• Music for the play "Omelett für zwei Mörder"
• Music for the play "Hase und Igel" by Peter Ensikat
• Music for the play "Die verzauberten Brüder"
• Music for the play "Die göttliche Komödie" by Dante Alighieri
• Music for the play "Clara und der Gänserich" by Armin Stolper
• Music for the play "Der weiße Anzug"
• Music for the play "Schauspieler müsste man sein"

© Oloff