Günter Raphael was born in Berlin on 30 April 1903. He studied with Arnold Ebel, Robert Kahn, Max Trapp, Walter Fischer and Arnold Mendelssohn (on Karl Straube's recommendation). In 1913 he composed his first composition: it was a short lied for piano.
Raphael was a teacher of music theory and composition at the State Conservatory and Institute for Church Music in Leipzig (1926-34). During the Nazi regime (1934-45), he couldn't exercise his profession, and all performances of his works were prohibited.
He began again to teach composition in 1949 at the Conservatory in Duisburg. He was a lecturer and professor at the State Music Conservatory in Cologne (1956, 1957), and a teacher at the Peter Cornelius Conservatory in Mainz
(1956-58).
Günter Raphael died in Herford on 19 October 1960.
Choral music
Requiem op. 20, Vom jüngsten Gericht op. 30, Von der großen Weisheit (Laotse) op. 81, Glaubensbekenntnis op. 64.
Vocal solo with Instruments
Palmströmsonate op. 69.
Orchestral and Concertos
Fifth Symphony op. 75, Second Violin Concerto op. 87, Concertino for Alto Saxophone op. 71.
Chamber Music
Trio for Clarinet, Violoncello and Piano, op. 70, String Quartet op. 9.
The Kunst der Fuge Biographies of Composers: Raphael by Alessandro Simonetto.
Special thank to the Composer's daughter Christine Raphael.
Contribution for the translation: B.K. Drabsch.
Kunst der Fuge / On Classical, © 2003. All rights reserved.
