Kurt Fiebig

Kurt Fiebig (29 February 1908 – 12 October 1988) was a German composer, church musician and professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.

His parents, whose father was an oboist in the 2nd Guards Regiment on Foot, brought him into contact with music at an early age.

Fiebig gained important musical impressions as a choirboy in the Staats- und Domchor Berlin [de] under Hugo Rüdel.

From 1925 onwards, Fiebig received instruction in artistic organ playing from Fischer's friend, church music director Arnold Dreyer.

In 1925, after consulting Georg Schünemann, Fiebig took private lessons in counterpoint and harmony with Karol Rathaus, a Franz Schreker student, in order to prepare himself for composition studies at the university.

Schreker issued a handwritten certificate to his pupil in December 1932, probably at the conclusion of the studies: "Highly recommend my student Kurt Fiebig.

He is a quite excellent musician, highly gifted as a composer, a very good organist and piano player, conscientious and diligent.

He entrusted him with the preparation of the piano reduction for his opera Der Schmied von Gent, which was published by Universal Edition in Vienna.

In 1931, for example, his music for orchestra was presented at an event of the Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik (IGNM) in Bad Pyrmont.

Work for radio continued until 1938, but was hampered by the latent suspicion of musical Bolshevism after the National Socialist seizure of power.

During the time of his move from Halle to Hamburg, he composed one of his major works, the St Mark Passion for two choirs a cappella and soloists.

In Hamburg, Fiebig composed further church music: the Easter Oratorio, the Advent Oratorio (Annunciation), the choral cantata Wie nach einer Wasserquelle, the Messe Media Vita, the song cycle Jahrkreis der Liebe and the cantata Et unam sanctam, to name only the most important.

Even during his last ten years in retirement, Fiebig did what he had done almost every Sunday since his youth: he took over organ substitutions and accompanied oratorio performances on the harpsichord.