Gerhard Joseph Wuensch

Musicologist, Composer, Canadian Now if I were a critic, I would probably say something like Wuensch makes a stew with the leftovers of other composers. Why not If you put some spices in it and a little bit of red wine, stew isn!t so bad"#
$Gerhard Wuensch

Born in 1925, Gerhard Wuensch grew up in Vienna and started piano lessons at the age of six. After Austria was seized ! "azi Ger#an!, Wuensch, a $%uarter&'ew( was arred fro# going to school ut later drafted into the Ger#an ar#!. )e was e*entuall! ta+en prisoner of war ! ,ussian forces in 19-5. Wuensch was hiding with his troop in an old far#house and when ,ussian ca*alr!#en arri*ed, he spotted an old accordion and started to sing and pla! a ,ussian fol+ song to appease the soldiers, who egan cr!ing and singing along. .#prisoned in /oland, Wuensch eca#e se*erel! ill and was released that !ear. )iding on a train in a flour sac+, he returned to Vienna and egan his #usical studies.

Wuensch recalled that Austrian #usic had een held ac+ in ti#e, eing closed off fro# the world during the !ears of )itler0s reign. $1his #a! help explain #! own

conser*ati*e attitude,( he explained !ears later. .n Vienna, he recei*ed his /h.2. at the Acade#! of 3usic, and eca#e a staff co#poser and acco#panist for the Austrian ,adio "etwor+. .n 1954, he fell in lo*e with an A#erican singer who encouraged hi# to appl! for a 5ul right 6cholarship7 and in 195- he 8oined the 9ni*ersit! of 1exas as a 5ul right 6cholar. 1here his Nocturne for Orchestra won an $Award for ,estful 3usic,( and he later recalled appl!ing for the prize ecause $:his; #usic :was; so dull an!wa!.( After his studies, Wuensch 8oined Butler 9ni*ersit! in .ndiana to teach co#position and piano until 19<-, when a fellow Austrian i##igrant at the 9ni*ersit! of 1oronto, Arnold Walter, as+ed hi# to 8oin the facult! there. )e continued teaching in =anadian uni*ersities for o*er fort! !ears at 9ni*ersit! of 1oronto, 9ni*ersit! of =algar!, and finall! the 9ni*ersit! of Western >ntario.

Gerhard Wuensch had #an! #usical influences due to his *aried

ac+ground.

Ger#an and Austrian #usic, especiall! 3ax ,eger, who Wuensch wrote his doctoral

dissertation on, and later recei*ed a grant fro# the =anada =ouncil of the Arts to pu lish a oo+ on, were the iggest earl! influences. As a deepl! religious child, and a practicing ,o#an =atholic his whole life, religion and religious #usic also pla!ed large roles in his co#positions. )owe*er, A#erica exposed hi# to new #usic, so#ething he had had *er! little of in Austria, such as 8azz and lues. 3o*ing to =anada at one of its #ost $*i rant ti#e:s;,( Wuensch was a le to explore and a sor =anadian #usic and culture. )is wife recalled that =anada and its culture had a great influence on hi#, and he elie*ed there was #ore support for co#posers in =anada than the 9nited 6tates.

1hough an acti*e #e# er in the =anadian ?eague of =o#posers and the =onte#porar! 3usic 6howcase, Wuensch de*eloped his co#positional st!le to e highl! accessi le and en8o!a le ! the pu lic. )is stud! of #usic ga*e hi# a historical perspecti*e to #usical de*elop#ent, and he expressed concern that 2@ th centur! #usic was new $e*er! decade(, lea*ing the audience $ efuddled.( )is #usic, in contrast, is accessi le and often hu#orous with titles such as Ping Pong Anyone, Op. 91 for piano and Menage a Trois, Op. 70 for clarinet, piano, and *iolin. .dealizing the #usical culture of the 1A th centur!, where #usic was written in an organic en*iron#ent, and not a $hot&house( en*iron#ent of grants and funding, Wuensch0s interest was to write #usic for a purpose. ,e#ar+ing on this, he said, $. wish so#e od! would tell #e, $Write me such and such a piece, li+e a tailor would e told, $Ma!e me a suit out of this materia". )e en8o!ed writing #usic for specific e*ents,

co##issions, and for educational purposes, ne*er turning down a re%uest for a co#position. Wuensch passed awa! in 2@@B, ut #an! of his pedagogical pieces are still included in the ,o!al =onser*ator! of 3usic0s piano s!lla us, and toda! he is est re#e# ered for these children0s pieces.

Bibliography

Behrens, 'ac+. $Gerhard Wuensch at A@C A 1ri ute.( Ontario Notations, Winter #00$. httpsCDDde*.#usiccentre.caDsitesDwww.#usiccentre.caDfilesD>ntEWin@<.pdf Faccessed "o*e# er 1A, 2@14G. Greene, Gordon H., 'ac+ Behrens, and Henneth Winters. $Gerhard Wuensch.( The %ncyc"opedia of Music in &anada. )istorica 5oundation, 2@12. httpCDDwww.thecanadianenc!clopedia.co#DarticlesDe#cDgerhard&wuensch Faccessed "o*e# er 1A, 2@14G. ,enihan, =olleen, and 'ere#! 6trachan. IGerhard Wuensch.I .nfluences of 3an! 3usics. httpCDDold.#usiccentre.caDinfluencesDco#poser.cf#JauthpeopleidK-4ALthe#eidK2 Faccessed "o*e# er 1A, 2@14G. 6chul#an, 3ichael. IGerhard WuenschC .nter*iew.I The &anadian &omposer,3a! 19BA. httpCDDwww.#usiccentre.caD#ediaDresourcesDpdf#ediaD.o33EWuenschE#edia1Eeng.pdf Faccessed "o*e# er 1A, 2@14G. Note' a"" (uotations used are from this source.