Born: September 7, 1906 - Zürich, Switzerland
Died (suicide): June 13, 1928 - Nikolassee, Germany

The Swiss composer, Wolfgang Graeser, went to Berlin in 1921, where he studied violin with Karl Klingler and quickly acquired erudition in theory. He also made a serious study of various unrelated arts and sciences (mathematics, Oriental languages, and painting). During the stormy years of the Weimar Republic, he spent there the most significant part of his short and tragic life.

Wolfgang Graeser is known to Bach scholars as the re-discoverer of Die Kunst der Fuge (BWV 1080). He was among the first to recognise it as a major, unified work of art rather than merely an academic tour-de force. In 1927 this led to its first public performance in its entirety, from Graeser's realisation, 177 years after it appeared. The performance, by players from the Leipzig Gewandhaus, took place, fittingly, at Bach's own church Thomaskirche in Leipzig on June 26, 1927, under the direction of Karl Straube, the then holder of Bach's post of Thomaskantor. What is less well known is the many-sidedness of Graeser's genius and the conflicting influences brought to bear on it, which led to his suicide less than a year after that triumphant performance. He published Körpersinn (Munich, 1927).

Source: Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical Musicians (1997); Find Articles Website (from Musical Times)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (July 2007)

Bach-Graeser: Wolfgang Graeser | Works | Recordings

Links to other Sites

Wolfgang Graeser (1906-28): A forgotten genius Musical Times (Find Articles)

Wolfgang Graeser (Wikipedia) [German]

Bibliography

H. Zurlinden: Wolfgang Graeser (Munich, 1935).

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