Peter Huebner - Germany's New Classical Composer

1969

Federal
Government of Germany

Offer to finance a research and education program in Asia (at the time of the grand coalition – via the Foreign Office under Minister Willy Brandt).
The composer decided to accept the Government's offer for a study and research trip to Asia and, for this reason, postponed for an unspecified time all further negotiations in respect of the above mentioned offers.

Willy Brandt
Minister for Foreign Affairs
and later on
Chancellor of the
Federal Republic of Germany

After this trip to Asia the composer withdrew completely from public music life – from all musical activity that was outwardly directed and aimed at public success – in order to contemplate in peace the newly acquired knowledge and motivations, to scientifically and artistically evaluate them and, on this basis, to plan further international research trips to the great music traditions of the world.

1983 The Composer with allied
Scientists on Lake Titicaca
in Bolivia

1983 The Composer on an
educational congress in Lima,
talking to perunian children

The journey to the great music traditions of the world
Practical ethnic music research from the point of view of the European music tradition

1970
Ethnic Music Research

Then he undertook extended trips to Asia, Africa and North and South America and, having regard to our European musical tradition, worked out the musical knowledge and those musical laws which are common to all peoples and the great civilisations throughout history, and which are inter-linked with the laws of nature – a research and development task which was ultimately to take two decades.

These fundamental musical studies also provided him with deeper insight into the essence of human existence – connected with his research into the microcosm of music – in the musical sense, and so ultimately he freed himself in peace and seclusion from the highly modern discordant endeavours of the avant-garde, and instead turned decisi- vely to the harmony of life and music.

For him the harmony of music lies in a natural connection of the macrocosm of music (the external composition) with the natural microcosm of music.

This simple truth permeates the creative versatility of all his newer works, thus, with his music, he works with regard to a corresponding natural combination of the individual, society and ecology.

1983 The composer – beind invited by the famous Massai warriors on one of their great tribal festivals

1983 In Africa, together with
the director of the president
of Kenya’s music commission,
Prof. Dr. Omondi (picture 1)
and the leader of institute
of musicology from the University
of Nairobi (picture 1),
Peter Huebner begins to set out
the initial guidelines
for a research project
for the harmonical evaluation
of Africa’s traditional
music culture.