Dietrich Erdmann

Dietrich Erdmann (20 July 1917 – 22 April 2009) was a German composer and university lecturer.

Life Erdmann was born in Bonn. His father was the publicist and trade union official Lothar Erdmann, his mother Elisabeth Erdmann-Macke, the painter August Macke's widow. Erdmann had lived in Berlin since he was eight years old. His childhood was characterised by a family environment with a strong cultural interest.

He received his first piano lessons at the age of nine. Already during his school days at the Humanistisches Gymnasium In Berlin, he paid visits to the composers Paul Hindemith, Ernst-Lothar von Knorr and Harald Genzmer.

In 1931, he began his cello lessons with Pál Hermann. From 1934 to 1938, Erdmann studied choir conducting and musical composition with Kurt Thomas and conducting with Walter Gmeindl at the Universität der Künste Berlin. He completed his studies with the in choral conducting and the private music teacher examination in musical composition.

Erdmann was co-founder of the Arbeitskreis für Neue Musik at the Berlin University of the Arts.

From 1947, Erdmann taught at the , where he became head of the music seminar two years later. He then was appointed associate professor in 1954. Twelve years later, he became Ordinarius and in 1970 prorector of the college. He retired in 1982.

Erdmann was married to Gisela Cludius from 1940 to 1946, to Bianca Kuron from 1949 to 1958 and to Gertrud Schulz from 1959.

Erdmann died in Berlin at the age of 91.

Activities Erdmann's work encompasses a wide variety of instrumentations and almost all types of musical form: 16 concertos, 12 pieces for grand orchestras, piano music, and solo and chamber music for Strings and wind instruments, as well as lieder, cantatas and choir music. In addition, Erdmann composed numerous (music for plucked instruments) works.

Awards Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany am Bande (15 January 1987). 1988: . Schwingenstein, Munich 1987. . Wilfried Bruchhäuser: Komponisten der Gegenwart. Deutscher Komponistenverband, Berlin 1985. S. Beikler, R. Grambow: Ein Neoklassizist ist von uns gegangen. Concertino 3/2009. Musik eine verbindende Kunst. Concertino 3/2009.

Recording Werke für Zupforchester. Mühlheimer Zupforchester (Ltg. Detlef Tewes). Telos music records, 2002