Schiske, Karl (Hubert Rudolf)

Schiske, Karl (Hubert Rudolf), distinguished Austrian composer and pedagogue; b. Raab, Feb. 12, 1916; d. Vienna, June 16, 1969. He studied at the New Vienna Cons. (1932–38) and received training in piano with Roderich Bass and Julius Varga, and in harmony and counterpoint with Ernst Kanitz. After taking diplomas in composition (1939) and piano (1940) at the Vienna Academy of Music, he pursued his academic training at the Univ. of Vienna (Ph.D., 1942, with the diss. Zur Dissonanzanwendung in den Symphonien Anton Bruckners). In 1952 he became a teacher of composition at the Vienna Academy of Music, and was granted the title of prof. in 1954. In 1966–67 he also was a visiting prof. at the Univ. of Calif, at Riverside. Among his honors were the music prize of the City of Vienna (1950), the Austrian State Prize (1952), and the Great Austrian State Prize (1967). Schiske was highly influential as a teacher. His compositional technique was curiously synthetic, and yet invariably logical, containing elements of early polyphony and contemporary serialism.

Works

ORCH .: Vorspiel (1937–38); Piano Concerto (1938–39); 2 concertos for Strings (1940–41; 1945); Trumpet Concerto (1939–40); 5 syms. (1941–42; 1947–48; 1950–51; 1955; 1965); Tanzrondo (1942); Kammerkonzert (1949); Violin Concerto (1952); Synthese (1958); Divertimento for Chamber Orch. (1963; also for 10 Instruments). CHAMBER : 2 string quartets (1936–37; 1945); Sextet for Clarinet, String Quartet, and Piano (1937); 3 suites for 2 Recorders (1941, 1945, 1949); Violin Sonata (1943–44); Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, and Bassoon (1945); Musik for Clarinet, Trumpet, and Viola (1947–48); Drei Stücke für Gloria for Violin (1951); Sonatine for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1951–52); Trio Sonata for 3 Melody Instruments or Organ (1954); Dialog for Cello and Piano (1967). keyboard : Piano: Kleine Suite (1935); Thema, 8 Variationen und Doppelfuge (1935–36); Sonata (1936); Rhapsodie (1945); Tanzsuite (1945); Sonata for Piano, 4-Hands (1949); Drei Stücke nach Volksweisen (1951); ttudensuite (1951); Sonatine (1953). Organ: Variatimen über ein eigenes Thema (1938); Toccata (1951–52); Choral-Partita (1957). VOCAL : Reitjagd, cantata for Baritone, Chorus, and Orch. (1938); Vom Tode, oratorio for Soprano, Aito, Tenor, Bass, Chorus, Orch., and Organ (1946); Candada for Soprano, Chorus, and Orch. (1956); Missa: Cunctipotens genitor Deus for Chorus and Organ ad libitum (1954); choruses; songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire