Wolfgang Gabriel (*1930): Violin concerto op.17 (1971)

[violinconcerto]

Wolfgang Gabriel (*1930) is a renowned Austrian composer and conductor. Many of his compositions are published and were performed, but his Violin concerto op.17 from 1971 remained in manuscript. But the composer kindly granted permission to me to typeset the manuscript and publish the score through my website. Therefore I am happy to announce the free publication of the full score of the Violin concerto. It can be downloaded in pdf-format from my website:


www.tobias-broeker.de


Here is a short biography about Wolfgang Gabriel:

Wolfgang Gabriel was born on 9 June 1930 in Vienna (Austria). He grew up in a musically interested home, his father could play the piano and they often performed family music. So he also started to play the piano at the age of 6 and his first own compositions date from that time as well. Wolfgang Gabriel received regular piano lessons - in his last school year from Hans Sittner - and finished school in 1948. Already a year earlier he had started to study music at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Hans Swarowsky (Kapellmeisterschule), Alfred Uhl (composition) and Grete Hinterhofer (piano). He completed his studies in 1952 and graduated with distinction in music theory and Kapellmeisterschule.

In 1954 Wolfgang Gabriel first worked as a repetiteur and lecturer at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, in 1974 he was appointed professor and directed an opera class in his last years until his retirement in 1996. In addition Wolfgang Gabriel became the principal conductor of the Akademischer Orchesterverein, one of the time-honoured non-professional orchestras in Vienna, in 1960 and directed this ensemble for nearly 50 years. And in 1988 he also took over the position of chorus master at the Bachgemeinde Wien. Beyond that Wolfgang Gabriel worked as a lieder accompanist from time to time.

Beside his diverse activities as a conductor Wolfgang Gabriel also composed music throughout his lifetime. His work catalogue contains 9 concertos for orchestra, 3 concertos for chamber ensembles, 9 string quartets, 3 wind quintets, solo concertos for piano, oboe, violin, viola, cello and double bass, chamber works for manifold instrumentations, 9 song cycles and much more. In his compositions Wolfgang Gabriel uses twelve-tone rows, but always based on the key tone and therefore as a means to an end, not as an ideology.
In 2005 Wolfgang Gabriel was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art I. Class.
After two strokes in 2010 Wolfgang Gabriel had to quit his conducting activities and now focuses on composing.