Waldemar von Baußnern

Born in Berlin, and descended from Transylvanian Saxons, Baußnern was the son of a financial official. He grew up in both Transylvania and Budapest in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (in present-day Romania and Hungary respectively). Between 1882–1886 he was a student of Friedrich Kiel and Woldemar Bargiel at the Berlin Musical Academy (Berliner Musikhochschule). He then conducted various choirs; after 1909 he became director of the Großherzoglichen Musikschule in Weimar. From 1916 to 1923 he served as director of the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt am Main. In 1923, he became undersecretary of the Academy of Arts, Berlin. He died in Potsdam.

Baußnern's extensive catalogue of compositions includes almost all musical genres, yet it displays an emphasis on both choral symphonic and orchestral composition. As a composer, Baußnern found stimulation from poetry, for not only his vocal music, but also his instrumental music; the poetry of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe emerged as an especial source of inspiration. This compositional impetus is reflected in numerous titles of his works, yet his oeuvre lacks any programmatic design. Stylistically, Baußnern stands out as a maverick to his contemporaries, remaining a composer who defies classification. Generally, however, his music is rooted in the 19th century, yet exhibits independence of form, ranging from extremes of conventional tonality to frequently polyphonic chromaticism, nonetheless never metamorphosizing into atonality.

Baußnern completed Peter Cornelius's fragmentary opera Gunlöd in 1906 and served as editor of the operatic section of a comprehensive edition of Cornelius' works.

Sustained success eluded Baußnern during his life, and many of his compositions (for example, all of his symphonies) were never published. Research into Baußnern work remains in its infancy, but a Baußnern Society (Baußnern-Gesellschaft), founded by German composer Dietrich von Bausznern (1920–1980), Baußnern's grandson, seeks to promote awareness of his life's work. Current chair of the society is Angela Gehann-Dernbach.

• Vera Grützner, Waldemar von Baußnern – Leben und Werk, Musikgeschichtliche Studien 2, Gehann-Musik-Verlag: Kludenbach 1999.
• Karl Teutsch / Monica Vlaicu, Waldemar von Baußnern, Biografie – Briefe – Berichte – Bilder, Musikgeschichtliche Studien VI, two volumes, Gehann-Musik-Verlag: Kludenbach 2003.

• Short German biography of Baußnern's life
• German-language homepage of the Baußnern-Gesellschaft
• A German-language Hermann Keller article on Baußnern
• Serenade for violin, clarinet, and piano in E-flat major (full score)
• Literature by and about Waldemar von Baußnern in the German National Library catalogue
• Free scores by Waldemar von Baußnern at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Orchestral-, Chamber- and Pianomusic by W.v. Baußnern on klassik-resampled
• Two Preludes and Fugues Dem Gedächtnis der Toten - Den Lebenden (In Memory of the Dead - To the Living) in MIDI size