Boddy, Erwin

Son of Justice Advisor Luis Bodka. After graduating from high school in 1914 - 1916 . studied at the Berlin Higher School of Music and at the Scharwenka Conservatory as a pianist. Among his teachers were Ferruccio Busoni , Karl Heinrich Barth , Ernst von Donagni and Pavel Juon . In addition, already in 1920 - 1922 . Bodki studied composition under the guidance of Richard Strauss , becoming one of only three of his students.

Since 1922, Bodki conducted concert and performing activities, in 1926 he became a professor at the Higher School of Music in Berlin and at the same time a professor at the Academy of Church Music in the same place. Despite the great pedagogical load, he continued to give concerts a lot, combining performances with composer activity. Among Bodka's works are the string quartet (1916), piano quintet ( 1920 ), piano concert (1922), chamber symphony ( 1923 ), piano and violin sonatas. In the same period, Bodki began to become interested in original editions of old music and old instruments; in particular, he broke up with Busoni after the mentor found out that his student was performing works by Johann Sebastian Bach in the original versions, and not in the editions of Busoni.

In 1926 and 1932 Bodki held a series of lectures on ancient music in Germany and Holland. In the same period, he organized the ensemble Collegium musicum , whose programs comprise works by composers of the 17th – 18th centuries. In 1932, on the recommendation of musicologist Alfred Einstein, the Berlin publishing house Hesse published in the popular Musik-Handbucher series Bodka's first book, “Interpretation of Old Clavier Music” ( German: Der Vortrag alter Klaviermusik ). In 1933, the Peters Publishing House issued Bach's two- and three-voiced inventions as edited by Ludwig Landshof , the fingering of which belongs to Bodka; this edition has been reprinted more than once, including by Soviet music publishers.

In 1933, with the advent of Hitler, Bodka left Germany and moved to Amsterdam , and in 1938 he emigrated to the United States. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Bodki founded, together with Ivan d'Archambault and several other musicians, the Cambridge Collegium Musicum early music ensemble and directed it until his death, performing many concert programs using historical instruments (harpsichord, clavichord, and hammerclavier ) The programs of these concerts with informative Bodka annotations were included in the memorial collection Erwin Bodky. A Memorial Tribute "( 1965 ). In addition, since 1949 , Bodki was a professor at Brandeis University .

Bodka's performing and musicological experience was reflected in the fundamental work, Interpretation of Bach's Keyboard Music , published posthumously in 1960 . This book was reprinted twice ( 1976 , 1977 ), translated into German ( German: Der Vortrag Der Klaviermusik von JS Bach ; 1970 ) and Russian ( 1989 ) languages. The basic ideas of Bodka were also highlighted in the book by Jacob Milstein “The Well-Tempered Clavier of I. S. Bach” ( Moscow , 1967 ).

In Cambridge, in memory of the founder of the Society of Ancient Music, annual Bodka competitions are held for performers on harpsichord, clavichord, organ and ancient piano (Hammerclavier).

• Maikapar A. Erwin Bodki and his Bach interpretation concept