Johann Nepomuk David (30 November 1895 – 22 December 1977) was an Austrian composer.
Life and career
David was born in
Eferding. He was a choirboy in the monastery of
Sankt Florian and studied at an episcopal teacher training college in
Linz, 1912–1915, after which he became a school teacher. He studied briefly (1921–22) at both the Musikhochschule (where was a composition student of
Joseph Marx)[1] and the university of Vienna (where he studied with
Guido Adler). He returned to Linz in 1922, where he acted as musical director of the Linz "Kunststelle" until 1924. From January 1925 until the autumn of 1934 he was a teacher at a local catholic school, founded and directed a Bach choir, and was organist at a Protestant church at
Wels. He then became professor of composition and theory at the Musikhochschule in Leipzig (November 1934 – January 1945). From 1945 to 1947 he was professor of music at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, and finally, from 1948 to 1963, professor of theory and counterpoint (practically: composition) at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart. At Stuttgart, he also directed the Bruckner choir (1949–52), the academy's chamber orchestra (1950–53).
David wrote a number of orchestral works including eight
symphonies (of which the fifth has been recorded, as have some other works including a disc of organ music,) several concertos including an
organ concerto and three
violin concertos, instrumental works including many for or with organ, and many
choral works. His general style changed from the modal tendencies seen in his first two symphonies to the more acerbic though still
tonal sound of the later ones.
Symphonie preclassica super nomen H-A-S-E (op. 44, 1953),[6] sinfonia breve for small orchestra (op. 47) (1955),[7] sinfonia per archi (op. 54) (1959)[8]
Psalm 139 Herr, du erforschest mich, for mixed choir (1961)
Pollio, for bass, choir and orchestra, text after
Virgil
Writings
David, Johann Nepomuk (1968). Die Jupiter-Symphonie: eine Studie über die thematisch-melodischen Zusammenhänge (in German). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
OCLC258753615.
Decorations and awards
1941: Winner of the Upper Danube cultural Prize (
NSDAP)