Unger M.P. Historical Dictionary of Choral Music

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“King” Oliver. He studied under Howard Hanson, Paul Hindemith,

and Otto Luening. His music is neo-Classical in style, with chromatic

(but tonal) harmonies and lyrical melodies. His more than 30 choral

works include cantatas (with orchestra), pieces with organ or piano

accompaniment (many of them sacred anthems), and unaccompanied

pieces on mostly secular texts. Throughout his career, Kay received

many awards and commissions, among them, one from the American

Choral Directors Association for their first annual convention (Kan-

sas City, 1971), for which he wrote Parables, scored for mixed choir

and chamber orchestra.

KEISER, REINHARD (BAPTIZED 12 JANUARY 1674; DIED 12

SEPTEMBER 1739). German composer, renowned for his German

operas. After attending the Thomasschule in Leipzig (1685–92), he

served as court composer at Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, where he was

soon busy composing operas. In 1696 or 1697, he moved to Ham-

burg, becoming music director of the Theater am Gänsemarkt. Over

the following decades, his fortunes rose and fell with the Hamburg

Opera’s changing financial state and the related changes of admin-

istration. From 1722 he was second to Georg Philipp Telemann,

who had taken over the responsibilities of music director. At the end

of 1728, Keiser succeeded Johann Mattheson as Kantor of the

Hamburg Cathedral. With new responsibilities for church music and

with the declining financial health of the Opera (which eventually

foundered in 1738), he composed much less.

Keiser’s musical style stresses melodic expressiveness over con-

trapuntal artifice. Although he was known primarily for his operas,

his church works were also influential—the Passions, in particular

(among them, a setting of Barthold Heinrich Brockes’s famous

libretto). Johann Sebastian Bach performed a St. Mark Passion at-

tributed to Keiser at least three times, and George Frideric Handel

borrowed many of his melodic figures (while he, in turn, borrowed

from Handel and others). Most of his vocal ensemble works are evi-

dently lost. In addition to the Passions mentioned, surviving compo-

sitions include the oratorio Der siegende David (1717); the cantata

Ich liege und schlaffe ganz in Frieden, for SATB, 2 vn., 2 va., bn.,

and bc.; a Te Deum, for SATB, 3 tpt., timp., 2 ob., 2 vn., va., and

bc.; and the psalm settings Beati omnes qui timent Dominum, for

SATTB, 2 tpt., bn., 2 vn., 2 va., bn.; Lauda Jerusalem for SATB, 2

232 • KEISER, REINHARD

vn. and bn.; and Laudate pueri, for SATB, 2 vn. and bn.; among a

few other works.

KELLY, BRYAN (3 JANUARY 1934– ). English composer. After

training as a choirboy, he attended the Royal College of Music

(RCM), where he studied with Herbert Howells. A stint at the Royal

Scottish Academy was followed by an appointment to the RCM in

1963. In 1984 he moved to Italy, then later, to France. More recently,

he has worked in Egypt.

Kelly has written much Anglican choral music. His style is

characterized by somewhat pungent harmonies, with occasional

syncopation and jazz-influenced rhythms. Choral works include

three Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis settings, all for SATB and org.

(1965, 1982, 2004); Communion Service, for SATB and org. (1967);

Partita for Voices (1967); Abingdon Carols (1969); Three London

Songs (1969); Stabat mater, for S, B, SATB, and orch. (1970); At the

Round Earth’s Imagin’d Corners, for T, SATB, and str. (1972); Let

There Be Light, for S, nar., SATB, and orch. (1973); Seven Popular

Hymns, for unison vv. and pf./org. (1976); Latin Magnificat, for cho-

rus and orch. (1979); Ring Out, Ye Crystall Sphears, for SATB and

orch. (1981); Missa brevis, for SATB, org., and opt. tpts. (1991); and

Dover Beach, for SSAATTBB (1995); among many others.

KERLE, JACOBUS (1531/32–7 JANUARY 1591). Franco-Flemish

composer. By the mid-1500s he was working in Orvieto, Italy. There

he met Cardinal Otto Truchsess von Waldburg, Bishop of Augsburg,

who was living in Rome, and who would later play an important role

in the music reforms of the Council of Trent. In 1562 he began serv-

ing the cardinal, accompanying him on his travels. Between 1565 and

1567, he served as director of music at the cathedral in Ypres (his

birthplace). From 1568 until 1575 he worked in Augsburg. Thereaf-

ter he worked in Cambrai (1575–79), Cologne (1582), at the imperial

court in Augsburg (1582), the court in Vienna (1582), and the impe-

rial court in Prague (1583), where he remained until his death.

Kerle wrote in a serene, polyphonic style, whose simplicity, emo-

tional restraint, and careful text declamation met the concerns of the

Counter-Reformation. Some 15 volumes of music published during

his lifetime are extant. Works include some 10 masses for four or

five voices; many Latin motets, hymns, and psalm settings (for four

to eight voices); 2 settings each of the Te Deum and Magnificat, and

KERLE, JACOBUS • 233

Preces speciales pro salubri generalis Concilii successu, four-voice

settings of prayers composed for the Council of Trent (1562).

KERLL, JOHANN CASPAR (9 APRIL 1627–13 FEBRUARY

1693). German composer and organist of considerable renown. After

studies in Vienna, he worked in Brussels as court organist for Arch-

duke Leopold Wilhelm (1647–56), during which time his employer

sent him to Rome to study with Giacomo Carissimi. In 1656 he be-

came vice Kapellmeister at the court of the Elector Ferdinand Maria

in Munich, advancing to Kapellmeister a few months after his arrival.

Due to a dispute with the Italian opera singers there, he resigned in

1673 and moved to Vienna, probably hoping to gain employment at

the court of Emperor Leopold I, for he had composed several works

for him previously—among them, a mass for the emperor’s 1658

coronation at Frankfurt, a 1669 collection of motets for two to five

solo voices and instruments in the concertante style (entitled Delec-

tus sacrarum cantionum), and an unaccompanied requiem (1669). In

fact, he was soon on the royal payroll—ultimately as a court organist.

After a decade in Vienna, he returned to Munich, where he remained

from the mid-1680s until his death.

Among his extant vocal ensemble works are 14 complete masses

(including the requiem mentioned), six of them published in a Mu-

nich collection of 1689, three Kyrie-Gloria pairs, and a Sanctus

movement. Most of these are concertante works, usually for four,

five, or six voices. His Missa superba calls for 8 vv., 2 vn., 4 trbn.,

vle., and bn.; while the Missa a 3 chori calls for 3 four-voice choirs,

2 clarinos, 2 cornetts, 3 trbn., 2 vn., 3 va., vle., and bc. In addition

to the motets found in Delectus sacrarum cantionum, more than a

dozen other Latin sacred works for various combinations of voices

and instruments survive. Noteworthy is Kerll’s complex, chromatic

counterpoint, which can result in sharp dissonances.

KERN, JEROME (27 JANUARY 1885–11 NOVEMBER 1945).

American composer of popular songs for musical theater and film. He

remained preeminent in the field until his untimely death, writing some

1,000 songs, the most popular of which have been performed in choral

arrangements. His most successful musical was Showboat, which in-

cludes the songs “Ol’ Man River” and “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man.”

KHRISTOV, DOBRI (14 DECEMBER 1875–23 JANUARY 1941).

Bulgarian composer, choral conductor, and writer about music.

234 • KERLL, JOHANN CASPAR

Initially self-taught as a musician, he began his career as a school

teacher and choral conductor. He later studied with Antonín Dvorˇák

at the Prague Conservatory (1900–3). In 1907 he moved to Sofia,

where he served as choirmaster of the opera, director of the state

music school (1918–20), and teacher at the State Music Academy

(1922–33). From 1935 until his death, he conducted the choir at So-

fia’s Aleksandr Nevsky Memorial Church. Most of his choral works

(which include hundreds of educational songs) are based on Bulgar-

ian folk material. He also wrote a theoretical study of Bulgarian folk

music, the first of its kind.

KILLMAYER, WILHELM (21 AUGUST 1927– ). German composer.

Having lived in Munich since 1932, he studied with Carl Orff, first

privately (1951–53) and then at the music conservatory (1953–54),

while also studying musicology at the University of Munich (1949–

52). From 1961 until 1964 he served as music director of the Bavarian

State Opera. From 1969 to 1975 he worked in Frankfurt as a freelance

composer of film and theater music. In 1973 he received a faculty ap-

pointment in composition at the Munich Conservatory.

Killmayer’s musical style is wide-ranging. Early influences in-

cluded Orff, Igor Stravinsky, and Robert Schumann. It is charac-

terized alternately by lyricism, rhythmic intensity, austerity, stasis,

and even comedy. The choral works, which manifest his interest in

literature and a general historical self-consciousness, include Vier

Canzonen (1950); Vier Canzonen (1952); Canti amorosi, for S, T,

and mixed chorus (1954); Missa brevis (a 1954 prize-winning work

that persuaded him to pursue the vocation of composer); Lieder,

Oden und Szenen, on a text by Goethe (1962); Geistliche Hymnen

und Gesänge, on a text by Racine (1964); Romantische Chorlieder,

for three-part men’s chorus and hn. ad lib. (1965); Sieben rondeaux,

on a text by d’Orléans, for solo vv. and women’s chorus (1966);

Laudatu I–II, on a text by Francis of Assisi, for double chorus (1969);

Lauda, for double chorus and opt. orch. (1968); Cantetto (1971); Vier

Chorstücke (1971–90); . . . rings Lerchenlieder wehn . . . , on a text

by Eichendorff, for men’s chorus (1997); and Pindar, two odes for

mixed chorus and org. (1999). Pieces in which he himself supplied

the text include Lazzi—Fünf scherzos for women’s chorus (1977);

Speranza, for five-voice mixed chorus (1977); Sonntagsgeschichten

(1985); Neue Sprichwörter und Geschichten (1987); and . . . was dem

Herzen kaum bewusst, for men’s chorus (1995).

KILLMAYER, WILHELM • 235

KING’S COLLEGE CHOIR (CAMBRIDGE). Choir of the historic

College Chapel in Cambridge, England (completed in 1547). Its 16

boy choristers and 14 choral scholars sing daily services, and also

record and tour extensively. The choir is especially renowned for

its annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which is broadcast

worldwide each year on Christmas Eve. Recent conductors have in-

cluded David Willcocks (1957–73), Philip Ledger (1974–82), and

Stephen Cleobury (from 1982).

KING’S SINGERS. British six-member a cappella male vocal en-

semble, established in 1968. Its original members were Nigel Perrin

and Alastair Hume (countertenors), Alastair Thompson (tenor), An-

thony Holt and Simon Carrington (baritones), and Brian Kay (bass).

All except Holt (who was at Christ Church, Oxford) were choral

scholars at King’s College, Cambridge. Applying the skills of dis-

ciplined ensemble singing gained from their extensive choral training

(especially under David Willcocks), and demonstrating versatil-

ity in performance with a wide-ranging repertoire extending from

Renaissance polyphony to modern popular tunes arranged in close

harmony, the group quickly became famous. They have toured and

recorded extensively, and conducted workshops and master classes

throughout the world.

KNÜPFER, SEBASTIAN (6 SEPTEMBER 1633–10 OCTOBER

1676). German composer and scholar. He was Kantor of the Thom-

askirche in Leipzig and director of the city’s music from 1657 until

his death, when he was succeeded by Johann Schelle. Although he

never enrolled at the university, he studied philosophy and philology

with members of the faculty, and was considered one of Leipzig’s

academic leaders. He wrote almost only sacred music, usually in

the form and style of the vocal concerto. His surviving motets and

cantatas include some 10 Latin settings and over 50 German works,

many of them calling for substantial orchestral accompaniment.

Many of the German works are chorale-based. He also published

one volume of madrigals (for two to four voices) and canzonet-

tas (for one to three voices and instruments). Overall, his works are

characterized by varied vocal scoring, thematically integrated coun-

terpoint, and colorful orchestration.

KODÁLY, ZOLTÁN (16 DECEMBER 1882–6 MARCH 1967).

Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, and educator. The son of

236 • KING’S COLLEGE CHOIR

a railway station master, he grew up in the Hungarian countryside,

where he became acquainted with traditional folk melodies. As a

youth he showed an aptitude for languages, literature, and music. He

learned to play the piano and several string instruments, and he started

to compose. In 1900 he enrolled at the University of Budapest (where

he studied Hungarian and German), while simultaneously studying

composition at the Academy of Music. He graduated with a doctorate

in 1906, having completed a dissertation on Hungarian folk music.

After a brief stint in Paris (where he was strongly impressed by the

music of Claude Debussy), he received an appointment in 1907 at the

Budapest Academy, where he and Béla Bartók pursued the scientific

collection and classification of Hungarian folk music, with the aim of

developing a national style. Political turmoil followed in the wake of

World War I. His fortunes rose briefly when communist forces gained

control. However, when the regime collapsed in 1919, his work came

under attack, and he was forced into relative isolation.

International recognition came with the success of Psalmus hungari-

cus, a setting of Psalm 55, paraphrased by the 16th-century Hungarian

poet, Mihaly Veg. The work was premiered in 1923 for the 50th anni-

versary of Budapest as a unified city, and performed in Zurich in 1926.

In subsequent years, Kodály balanced trips abroad with his pursuits at

home. He actively promoted musical literacy through sight-singing,

creating many exercises and short choral pieces for young people.

During the war years, he continued to work in Budapest. Afterward, he

became increasingly active internationally as a conductor and lecturer.

He continued to compose right up to his death.

In his music he absorbed influences ranging from Gregorian

chant to Claude Debussy, then amalgamated these within the context

of a vocally oriented style rooted in Hungarian folk idioms. Choral

music forms the bulk of his output. Among the many works for unac-

companied choir are about 40 pieces for mixed choir (including the

large-scale dramatic motet Jézus és a kufárok [Jesus and the Trad-

ers] (1934), about 20 works for male choir, more than 50 for treble

choir, and a few for children’s voices. Works with organ or other

individual instruments include Missa brevis, for S, Mez., A, T, B,

SATB, and org. (1944). Of the seven works with orchestra, the most

famous are Psalmus hungaricus, op. 13, an oratorio for T, chorus,

opt. children’s chorus, orch., and org. (1923); Budavári Te Deum, an

oratorio for S, opt. A, T, opt. B, chorus, orch., and opt. org. (1936);

and an orchestrated version of his Missa brevis (1948), which had

KODÁLY, ZOLTÁN • 237

begun as an organ mass, then been reworked for chorus and organ

(1942).

KOECHLIN, CHARLES (27 NOVEMBER 1867–31 DECEMBER

1950). French composer, teacher, and writer on music. As a student

at the Paris Conservatoire, he studied with Jules Massenet and

with Gabriel Fauré, who influenced him especially and whom he

later honored with a biography. For much of his life, he worked as

a freelance composer, teacher, lecturer, and writer. He was a pas-

sionate supporter of new music, cofounding the Société Musicale

Indépendante with Maurice Ravel and Florent Schmitt, and provid-

ing leadership for the International Society for Contemporary Music.

Though he never gained a permanent teaching appointment, he was

influential as a private instructor. Francis Poulenc was among his

students, and Darius Milhaud, a friend and admirer. A highly origi-

nal individual, with libertarian values, a strong social conscience,

and pantheistic mystical leanings, he developed an eclectic musical

style. He viewed the compositional process in Romantic terms—as a

personalized exercise energized by inspiration regarding the subject.

His musical interests were wide-ranging. On the one hand he greatly

admired the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, on the other, he en-

thusiastically supported progressive musical trends, including, for

example, the exploration of polytonality. Although he was a prolific

composer, his works music gained little recognition until the end of

his life.

Koechlin’s wide-ranging style is evident in his many choral works.

Diverse examples include La vérandah, op. 3, for S, SSAA, and

pf./orch. (1893/1899); Choral, op. 69, for double chorus, org., and

orch. (1918, orchestrated 1919), which he had written in memory of

his mother who had died in 1917, and in which he fitted a text of his

own to previously composed music; Quelques choeurs [10] réligieux

a cappella, de style modal, op. 150 (1935); Requiem des pauvres

bougres, op. 161, for chorus, pf., org., ondes martenot, and orch.

(1937); and Quinze motets de style archaïque, op. 225, for chorus

and ww. qt. (1949).

KOERPPEN, ALFRED (16 DECEMBER 1926– ). German com-

poser. Having studied composition as a youth with Kurt Thomas

in Frankfurt, he worked briefly as an organist after the war, then

moved to Hanover where he taught music, eventually becoming a

238 • KOECHLIN, CHARLES

professor at the conservatory. His neo-Classical (yet wide-ranging)

style is characterized by vivid expressiveness and careful attention

to the text. His choral output includes an array of diverse works, sa-

cred and secular, with and without instruments, for mixed, male, and

female choirs; among them, masses, motets, madrigals, folksongs,

and especially narrative works with soloists and speakers. Examples

include the lengthy Das Hohe Lied Salomons, for six-voice mixed

choir (1945); Der Turmbau zu Babel, an oratorio for 4 solo vv., male

chorus, and orch. (1951); Das Feuer des Prometheus, an oratorio for

5 solo vv., mixed chorus, and orch. (1956); Der Sonnenhymnus des

Echnaton, for three mixed choruses (1965); Parabel vom Dornbusch,

for mixed chorus and orch. (1969); Deutsche Messe, for mixed choir

(1972); Das Stadtwappen, for solo vv., mixed chorus, and orch.

(1973); Vier italienische Madrigale, for 4 solo vv. and mixed chorus

(1979); Zauberwald, for female chorus (1982); Echo, for solo vv.

and 3 mixed choirs (1985); Neun Volkslieder (1960–89); Drei exem-

plarische Geschichten, for solo vv., spkr., and female chorus (1989);

Elia, for mixed chorus and org. (1991); Stephanus, for mixed chorus

and org. (1993); Jona, for mixed chorus and org. (1995); Schöp-

fer Geist, a cantata for spkr., solo vv., mixed choir, and 13 winds

(1998); Geschichten von der Sonne, for 2 S, 2 spkr., and female cho-

rus (2002); and Missa brevis, for unaccompanied choir (2005).

KOOPMAN, TON (2 OCTOBER 1944– ). Dutch conductor, organ-

ist, and harpsichordist. While studying organ and harpsichord at

the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam (1965–70), he studied

musicology at Amsterdam University. He showed an early interest in

historical performance practice, and founded some early music en-

sembles while still a student. He taught harpsichord at the Sweelinck

Conservatory from 1978 until 1988, when he was appointed to a simi-

lar position at the conservatory in The Hague. In 1979 he founded the

Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, and the Amsterdam Baroque Choir

in 1992. With these period ensembles he has performed and recorded

extensively, covering all of Johann Sebastian Bach’s existing can-

tatas (a project that included the publication of three books on the

cantatas). He has also been active as a guest conductor with many

prominent orchestras in Europe, the United States, and Japan.

KORN, MICHAEL (6 MARCH 1947–29 AUGUST 1991). American

organist and choral conductor. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of

KORN, MICHAEL • 239

Music in Philadelphia (where he studied orchestral conducting and

opera), he founded the Philadelphia Singers (a professional choir) in

1971, the Bach Festival of Philadelphia in 1976, and the Association

of Professional Vocal Ensembles (now Chorus America) in 1977,

serving as its president until 1985. In his honor, Chorus America has

established the Michael Korn Founder’s Award for Development of

the Choral Art.

KOX, HANS (19 MAY 1930– ). Dutch composer. The son of an organ-

ist and choral conductor, he studied at the Utrecht Conservatory and

privately with Henk Badings. His early choral works demonstrate

various Austrian influences of the early 20th century. Later ones em-

ploy controlled improvisation and spatial effects. Examples include

Chansons cruelles (1957); De kantate van Sint Juttemis, for T, Bar.,

male vv., and pf. (1962); Litania, for female vv., and orch. (1962);

Zoo, for male vv. and orch. (1964); In Those Days, for 2 ensembles of

4 vv. and 3 orch. ensembles (2 conductors) (1969); Requiem for Eu-

rope, for 4 choruses, 2 org., and orch. (1971); Puer natus est, for vv.

and orch. (1971); Anne Frank Cantata, for S, C, B, chorus, and orch.

(1984); Sjoah, an oratorio for S, T, B, chorus, and orch. (1989); and

Das Credo quia absurdum, for S, B, chorus, and orch. (1995).

KRAKOW CHAMBER CHOIR. Polish chamber choir. Formed in

1990 by students and alumni of the Krakow Academy of Music, it

began giving concerts the following year. Since then it has performed

throughout Europe under its director, Stanisław Krawczyński.

KRAUS, JOSEPH MARTIN (20 JUNE 1756–15 DECEMBER

1792). German composer who settled in Sweden. He was educated in

music, philosophy, law, and literature, and was especially influenced

by the Sturm und Drang literary movement. In 1778 he moved to

Sweden, hoping to get a court appointment, but had little initial suc-

cess. In 1782 Gustav III sent him on a grand tour of Europe for the

purpose of studying the latest developments in theater. During the

four-year trip he met Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,

and Christoph Willibald von Gluck, among other leading compos-

ers. Upon his return in 1786, he was appointed head administrator at

the Royal Academy of Music, and in the following year he became

director of music at the court chapel. His individualistic style is

characterized by lyricism, progressive harmonies, and an interest in

dramatic portrayal. Among his extant choral works are sacred and

secular cantatas, a few motets (including a “Miserere” setting); a

240 • KOX, HANS

requiem (1775); the oratorio Der Tod Jesus (1776); a Te Deum

(1776); and canons.

KREBS, JOHANN GOTTFRIED (BAPTIZED 29 MAY 1741;

DIED 5 JANUARY 1814). Organist and composer. The eldest son

of Johann Ludwig Krebs, he spent his career in Altenburg as an

organist and city Kantor. He was a prolific composer of cantatas,

whose simple, largely homophonic style evidently made them popu-

lar, not only in Altenburg, but in other German cities as well. More

than 80 of them survive, as does the oratorio Die Auferstehung und

Himmelfahrt Jesu (1774).

KREBS, JOHANN LUDWIG (12 OCTOBER 1713–1 JANUARY

1780). German organist and composer. From 1726 until 1734 he stud-

ied under Johann Sebastian Bach at the Thomasschule in Leipzig

(where he also served as one of Bach’s copyists). He then attended

the University of Leipzig (1735–37) while continuing to have contact

with Bach as an occasional assistant at the Thomaskirche and as a

harpsichord player in Bach’s collegium musicum. He was organist

at the Marienkirche in Zwickau (1737–43), then held court positions

at Zeitz (1744–55) and Altenburg (from 1755). He was admired par-

ticularly as an organist and composer of organ works. Among some

one dozen surviving choral works are a mass, settings of the Sanctus

and Magnificat, and cantatas, almost all with orchestra.

KRENEK, ERNST (23 AUGUST 1900–22 DECEMBER 1991).

Austrian-American composer and writer on music. In 1920, after four

years of study in Vienna with Franz Schreker (who stressed coun-

terpoint), he followed his teacher to Berlin, where he soon gained

recognition for works in a dissonant, neo-Classical style. In 1925

he visited Paris, where he met Les Six. The group’s influence led

him to simplify his style and incorporate jazz elements. An ensuing

opera, Jonny spielt auf (1927), brought great musical and financial

success, but also opposition from the emerging Nazi regime. In 1928

he settled in Vienna, where he met Alban Berg and Anton Webern,

who influenced him to embrace serialism. When Germany annexed

Austria 10 years later, he emigrated to the United States, where he

taught at several institutions before settling in Los Angeles.

Krenek’s style evolved as he encountered new idioms and tech-

niques. Consequently his output covers an eclectic mix of roman-

ticism, dissonant neo-Classicism, jazz, serialism, electronic tech-

niques, and aleatorism, which suggest an intellectual-inspirational

KRENEK, ERNST • 241