Composer. His opera "Palestrina" (1917) is still in the German repertoire. It concerns the integrity of the artist faced with overwhelming external pressures, as symbolized by the fact-based story of composer Giovanni da Palestrina's battles with the 16th Century Roman Catholic Church over polyphony in sacred music. Pfitzner wrote the libretto himself, after years of historical research. He also composed two symphonies, a Piano Concerto, and many vocal settings. Pfitzner was born in Moscow, the son of a German musician, and raised in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1908 he became director of the Strasbourg Conservatory and Symphony Orchestra, and of that city's Opera in 1910. He was a friend of author Thomas Mann and influenced the writing of Mann's novel "The Magic Mountain" (1927), but they later split over opposing political views. An outspoken reactionary, Pfitzner wrote articles condemning modernism in music and made politics the subject of more than one opus (Act Two of "Palestrina" satirizes democracy). In 1948 he was tried on charges that he was actively pro-Nazi, but was acquitted. The following year he died, poor and forgotten, in a home for the aged in Munich. "Palestrina" has been successfully revived since the 1950s.
Composer. His opera "Palestrina" (1917) is still in the German repertoire. It concerns the integrity of the artist faced with overwhelming external pressures, as symbolized by the fact-based story of composer Giovanni da Palestrina's battles with the 16th Century Roman Catholic Church over polyphony in sacred music. Pfitzner wrote the libretto himself, after years of historical research. He also composed two symphonies, a Piano Concerto, and many vocal settings. Pfitzner was born in Moscow, the son of a German musician, and raised in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1908 he became director of the Strasbourg Conservatory and Symphony Orchestra, and of that city's Opera in 1910. He was a friend of author Thomas Mann and influenced the writing of Mann's novel "The Magic Mountain" (1927), but they later split over opposing political views. An outspoken reactionary, Pfitzner wrote articles condemning modernism in music and made politics the subject of more than one opus (Act Two of "Palestrina" satirizes democracy). In 1948 he was tried on charges that he was actively pro-Nazi, but was acquitted. The following year he died, poor and forgotten, in a home for the aged in Munich. "Palestrina" has been successfully revived since the 1950s.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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