Helmut Braunlich facts for kids

Helmut Braunlich was a talented German-American musician. He was born on May 19, 1929, and passed away on May 24, 2013. He was a great violinist, a composer (someone who writes music), and a musicologist (someone who studies music history).

Learning Music

Helmut Braunlich loved music from a young age. He went to a special music school called the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. There, he learned to play the violin from Christa Richter-Steiner. He also studied how to write music (composition) with Egon Kornauth. Plus, he learned about music history from Eberhard Preußner.

In 1951, Helmut moved to the United States. He played the violin in many professional orchestras. He even joined the U.S. Air Force Symphony Orchestra. He continued his studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.. One of his teachers there was a famous organ player named Conrad Bernier. Helmut earned a master's degree in composition. He then went on to get a Ph.D. in Musicology, which means he became an expert in music history.

His Music Career

Helmut Braunlich became a professor at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music. This school is part of the Catholic University of America. He taught many classes, including how to compose music and how to perform it. In 1988, he became a full Professor.

In 1989, he received a special award. The government of Bavaria in Germany gave him the "Sudetendeutscher Kulturpreis" for his compositions. He was also in charge of the Composition Department at the university. He retired in 1999 and became a Professor Emeritus. This meant he could still teach a few students but mostly focused on writing and performing his own music.

Helmut's Compositions

Throughout his career, many groups asked Helmut Braunlich to write music for them. These groups included the Contemporary Music Forum and the Montgomery County Youth Symphony Orchestra. He also wrote for the Catholic University Wind Ensemble and the Friday Morning Music Club Foundation.

As a member of the Society of Composers, Professor Braunlich worked hard to help new music be written, performed, and understood. He wrote many different kinds of music. This included pieces for a full orchestra, chamber music (music for small groups of instruments), and songs. Some of his chamber music pieces were published by McGinnis & Marx and Tap Music Sales. You can find his recordings on Educo Records, Opus One Records, and Centaur Compact Disc.