Ernst Hess

Full biography Ernst Hess

Ernst Hess (13 May 1912 – 2 November 1968) was a Swiss conductor ), composer, and musicologist. He was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, and studied at the Zurich School of Music and with Hans Münch and Volkmar Andreae in Zurich and Vienna. His conducting debut was with the Stadtorchester Winterthur in 1937. In 1938, he was appointed conductor of the opera in Plauen, Germany, where he remained until 1945. After World War II, Hess worked as a conductor and composer in Switzerland.

Hess composed works in a variety of genres, including music for the stage, orchestral works, chamber music, and choral music. Some of his notable works include the opera Die Fünf Todten, the ballets Der Tod des Ikarus and Tanz-Skizzen, and the choral works Verkündigung, Osterhymne, and Psalm 47. He was also a respected musicologist and published several books and articles on music history and theory.

Ernst Hess died on November 2, 1968, in Zurich, Switzerland, at the age of 56. Despite his relatively short life, he left a significant mark on the Swiss music scene as a composer, conductor, and music scholar.