Ruth Zechlin facts for kids

Ruth Zechlin at a composers' meeting in 1987.

Ruth Zechlin (born June 22, 1926 – died August 4, 2007) was an important German composer. She also played many instruments and taught music.

Ruth Zechlin's Early Life and Music Journey

Ruth Oschatz was born in a town called Grosshartmannsdorf. She started playing the piano when she was just five years old. By age seven, she had already written her first piece of music!

From 1943 to 1949, Ruth studied music at the Music Academy in Leipzig. She learned about music theory, church music, and how to play the organ and piano. Her teachers were famous musicians like Karl Straube and Günther Ramin.

After finishing her studies, she worked at the academy for a year. She also played the organ at the Nikolai Church in Leipzig.

Teaching and Career Highlights

In 1951, Ruth married a pianist named Dieter Zechlin. They later divorced in 1972.

Ruth became a music theory teacher in Berlin in 1969. She taught students how to play the harpsichord. She also taught about harmony, how music is put together, and how to write music for orchestras.

After 1970, she became a professor of composition. This meant she taught advanced students how to compose their own music. Even after she retired in 1986, Ruth continued to teach as a guest professor.

Ruth was also a member of the DDR Academy of Arts, Berlin. She even served as the vice president of this important group. Later, she became an honorary member of the German Music Council.

What Ruth Zechlin Composed

Ruth Zechlin wrote many different kinds of music. She composed pieces for instruments and for singers. She also created music for plays, radio shows, and TV movies.

Besides composing, she was also a conductor, harpsichord player, and organist. She won many awards for her amazing work. Some of her students, like Gerd Domhardt, became famous composers too.

Ruth Zechlin's Legacy

Ruth Zechlin passed away in Munich in 2007 when she was 81 years old. All of her musical works and papers are now kept at the State Library in Berlin.

Awards and Recognitions

Ruth Zechlin received many awards for her contributions to music:

• 1955: Silver Medal at a festival in Moscow for her flute and piano music.
• 1962: Goethe Prize from the City of Berlin.
• 1965: Prize of the GDR (East Germany).
• 1968: Hanns Eisler Prize for her piano and chamber music piece.
• 1968: Critics Award of the City of Berlin for her opera Reineke Fuchs.
• 1975: National Prize of East Germany for her organ music.
• 1982: National Prize of East Germany for her orchestral works.
• 1996: Artist Award from the City of Heidelberg.
• 1997: Merit, 1st Class of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
• 2001: Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art.

Notable Works by Ruth Zechlin

Here are some of Ruth Zechlin's important musical creations:

• Reineke Fuchs, an opera (1968)
• La Vita, a ballet (1985)
• Die Reise, a chamber opera (1992)
• In Memorian Witold Lutosławski for solo viola (1995)
• Requiem for G. Domhardt for orchestra (1998)
• Three Songs on Texts of Hildegard of Bingen (chamber music) (1998)