Lothar, Mark

Lothar, Mark, German composer; b. Berlin, May 23, 1902; d. Munich, April 6, 1985. He studied with Schreker (composition), Juon (harmony), and Krasselt (conducting) at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik (1919–20), and later with Meiszner (piano) and Wolf-Ferrari (composition). He was active as piano accompanist to the Dutch singer Cora Nerry, whom he married in 1934. Lothar served as director of music at Berlin’s Deutsche Theater (1933–34) and Prussian State Theater (1934–44), and at the Bavarian State Theater in Munich (1945–55). In addition to his various dramatic scores, he wrote a number of lieder.

Works

dramatic: Opera: Tyll (Weimar, Oct. 14, 1928); Lord Spleen (Dresden, Nov. 11, 1930); Münchhausen(Dresden, June 6, 1933); Das kalte Herz, radio opera (Berlin Radio, March 24, 1935); Schneider Wibbel (Berlin, May 12, 1938); Rap-pelkopf (Munich, Aug. 20, 1958); Der Glücksfischer (Nuremberg, March 16, 1962); Liebe im Eckhaus, Singspiel (n.d.); Der widerspenstige Heilige (Munich, Feb. 8, 1968); Momo und die Zeitdiebe (Coburg, Nov. 19, 1978); La bocca della verità: Hommage à Baldassare Galuppi (1982). other: Incidental music to many plays and radio dramas; film scores. orch.:Verwandlung eines Barockthemas (1958); Concertino for 4 Clarinets, Strings, Harp, and Percussion (1962); Concertino for 2 Pianos, Strings, and Percussion (1972). other: Chamber music; piano pieces; choral works; numerous songs.

Bibliography

A. Ott, ed., M. L: Ein Musikerporträt (Munich, 1968); F. Messmer et al., M. L. (Tutzing, 1986).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire