Herbert Collum

Herbert Collum (18 July 1914 − 29 April 1982) was a German organist, harpsichordist, composer and conductor.

Life Herbert Collum was born in Leipzig, Germany on 18 July 1914. He received high school education between 1921 and 1929. He continued from 1930 to 1934 at the Church Music Institute in Leipzig, where he studied organ with Karl Straube and Günther Ramin, piano with Carl Adolf Martienssen, choral conducting with Kurt Thomas, and musical composition with Johann Nepomuk David and Fritz Reuter. Already by 1927 he had become deputy organist at the St. Matthäikirche Leipzig. From 1932 to 1935 he served as assistant to Ramin, Thomaskantor at the Thomaskirche. His appointment in 1935 as principal organist at the Kreuzkirche, Dresden, signalled the beginning of his creative period; he remained in that post until his death in April 1982 at the age of 67. His successor as organist was Michael-Christfried Winkler.

At the end of World War II, Collum founded his own choir in 1946, with a dedicated set of concerts. To mark the 200th anniversary of J S Bach's death, he organised 24 concerts between September 1949 and August 1950, featuring the Collum Choir and members of the Staatskapelle Dresden. The performances took place at the Martin Luther Church in the Neustadt and the Reformed Church, because the Kreuzkirche had been damaged by fire after bombing in 1945.

As organist at the Kreuzkirche, Collum also took on various teaching roles. From 1942 to 1945 and again between 1954 and 1956, he was a lecturer at the Dresden Conservatory, teaching organ there from 1956 to 1958. He also taught organ at the Spandauer Kirchenmusikschule from 1949 to 1961, with a professorship in 1960. He began reaching harpsichord at the Musikhochschule Dresden in 1964, the same year as his appointment to the jury of the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition.

In 1942 he married the singer and teacher Herta Maria Böhme-Collum. After one year was born: following in the footsteps of his parents, he became an organist and church musician.

Collum died in Dresden on 29 April 1982 at the age of 67. The archives of Herbert Collum are kept in the Saxon State and University Library Dresden.

Compositions Orchestral music Symphony No. 1, 1939 Symphony No. 2, 1940 Concerto for flute and chamber orchestra, 1944 Concerto in C major for orchestra, first performance on July 1, 1953 by the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Franz Jung Concerto in E for String Orchestra, premiere on 28 May 1955 by the Staatskapelle Dresden, conducted by Franz Konwitschny Concertante music no. 1, 1961 Concertante music no. 2, 1964 Moritzburg Concerto No. 1, 1965 Moritzburg Concerto No. 2, 1968 5 concertos for harpsichord and chamber orchestra Sinfonietta for chamber orchestra, 1974

Organ works Totentanz – Variations on an old folk song: "", 1944 Organ book of the Dresden Kreuzkirche, 1950 Suite, 1952 Organ Suite, 1962 Toccata, 1964 Leksand Suite, 1966 Fantasia, 1969 Siljan Suite, 1970 Metamorphosis, 1970 Fantasy about Bells of the Cross Church (EGAHD), 1973 Concerto for Organ and Orchestra, 1975 – premiere April 10–12, 1975 by the Dresden Philharmonic, conductor: Hartmut Haenchen Fantasy – Triptych, 1975 2 concertos for organ and vibraphone, 1978 "Media in vita" for vibraphone and organ – premiere on 11 June 1979 at the Kreuzkirche, Dresden

Chamber music Suite for piano, 1945 Sonata for flute and piano, 1954 New piano pieces (223 movements), 1960–1962

Vocal music 3 Christmas carols, 1943 St. John Passion, 1953 Wie liegt die Stadt so wüst, 1956 Denn wir haben hier keine bleibende Stadt, 1959 Te Deum, 1959 Great Psalter, 1961 German Magnificat, 1962 Fantasy on B–A–C–H, 1964 Spiritual motets and chants

Theatre music The Prince of Homburg (Heinrich von Kleist), incidental music conducted by Fritz Wendel, Staatsschauspiel Dresden, 1955

Recordings Metamorphose für Orgel (1970) Kleine Messe für Positiv Totentanz: Variationen über ein altes Volkslied für Orgel "Es ist ein Schnitter, heißt der Tod" (1979) Christum wir sollen loben, Christmas Motet; small choral partita for mixed choir a cappella Bach: Französische Suiten (1–6) Bach: Das Orgelwerk auf Silbermann-Orgeln List of 71 compositions by Collum in the German National Library.