"With devout music, God is always present with his grace"

Marginal note in Johann Sebastian Bach's House Bible on 2 Chr. 5, 12-14

I have been characterised by a lifelong preoccupation with the rich tradition of Christian music. In terms of composition, this means both pleasure and burden, security and confinement: freedom rubs up against commitment; but the two poles often fertilise each other.

In my work as a church musician, I have written numerous works for church services. Initially, I was influenced by the youth singing movement (Hugo Distler, among others). Then I was responsible for musical youth work in the diocese of Hildesheim for many years and wrote countless pieces and arrangements in the style of New Spiritual Songs (Peter Janssens, etc.). It can be quite satisfying for me when my music is used in liturgical or social contexts.

But I also keep writing new music that deals more broadly and freely with existential questions about God, about man, about the nature of religion. The first model for these works was the music of Olivier Messiaen, but later countless other influences also came into play. My experience is that questions are not answered, searches do not come to an end - but it enriches life immensely to shape both with sounds. I therefore believe that religious and artistic experience lie close together - indeed, that all great music is "religious" in a broad, interdenominational sense.

Klaus-Hermann Anschütz, born in 1959 in Uelzen, studied school music for the artistic teaching profession at grammar schools, church music (A examination) at the Hanover University of Music and Theatre and history at the University of Hanover. His teachers included Prof Hans-Christoph Becker-Foss (organ), Prof Heinz Hennig (conducting) and Prof Alfred Koerppen (composition). He has attended numerous masterclasses with internationally renowned lecturers, including the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music on several occasions. In 1991, Anschütz won the organ competition of the International Spring Academy for Contemporary Organ Music in Kassel. He has given numerous organ concerts in the Federal Republic of Germany, the USA and Russia.

From 1989-1998 he was regional cantor and organ expert for the diocese of Hildesheim for Salzgitter and Goslar. Since 1998 he has been deanery church musician at St Ludwig's Church in Celle. At World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne, Klaus-Hermann Anschütz won the prize for the songs at the opening service. Since 2013, he has been the artistic director of the "Nachtklänge" concert series in Celle, in which he frequently appears as an organist and composer.

New Music

-- "Präludium" and "Kanon" for organ, (1992 / 10')

--Credo" for large choir, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 6 saxophones, 2 percussion, organ) (1997, 6')

--Two songs for clarinet, viola and mezzo-soprano, (1997 / 10')

--Choral, Intermezzo and Invention for clarinet and viola ( 2000 / 10')

--Twomotets and chorale for mixed choir, clarinet and violoncello (2001 /15', texts: Bible)

--Meditationon a Byzantine chant for saxophone (in E flat alto and B flat soprano) and organ (2002/17')

--Eli, eli, lama sabachtani" - Fantasy based on a text by Jean Paul for speaker, children's voice, sound engineering, percussion and organ (2007 / 38')

--Befiehl du deine Wege - Fragmente und Metamorphosen for percussion, accordion, flute, clarinet, violin and violoncello (2008 (commissioned work), 20')

--Psalm- Spiel - for ten singers, 2 percussion and accordion (2012, 13')

--Circle- for wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet in Bb, horn in F, bassoon) and sound engineering (2014, 11')

--Theart of splitting - Hommage á J.S.B. for wind quintet (alto flute in G, cor anglais in F, clarinet in Bb, horn in F, bassoon) (2015, 5')

--Therose is also waiting - for soprano and piano or e-piano (Text: SAID, 2016, duration: 10')

--EcceHomo - for accordion and narrator (with a text by Matthias Claudius, (2017, duration: 12')

--Three Spiritual Songs - for soprano and piano (2018, 17')

Church music/liturgical music (larger works)

--"Ich steh vor dir mit leeren Händen, Herr", song cantata for baritone solo, choir and orchestra (1994 /10')

--Das Weltall ist sein Heiligtum", psalm cantata for children's choir, 2 oboes, 1 clarinet, bassoon, percussion, double bass and organ (1996 (commissioned work) / ca. 25')

--Three small cantatas for solo, choir and orchestra on texts of the interludes of the Mass (1997/ 4' each)

-- "Mass (Proprium) for a Feast of Saints" for mixed choir, three trumpets, three trombones and organ (1998 / 40')

-- among others

New sacred songs, Christian popular music

70 songs and masses for (youth) choir and band