Heinz Martin Lonquich (1937-2014)

Biography

Heinz Martin Lonquich studied at the music academies of Saarbrücken and Cologne (piano with Alexander Sellier, composition with Bernd Alois Zimmermann and electronic music with Herbert Eimert). During this time, Lonquich dealt with twelve-tone music, among other things, which has also been reflected in his compositions. For his works he received awards from Radio Hilversum and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and in 1971/72 he spent ten months as a scholarship holder of the German state at the Villa Massimo in Rome. In 1997 Heinz Martin Lonquich received the Orlando di Lasso Medal of the Cäcilienverband in the German-speaking countries for special merits as a composer of sacred and liturgical music.

From 1958 to 1973 he worked at the Städtische Bühnen Münster, Braunschweig and Cologne as répétiteur and Kapellmeister, and also as pianist and song accompanist. In 1973 he became a lecturer for repetition at the Cologne Conservatory and church musician at St. Nikolaus in Cologne-Sülz. There he also became a deacon in 1976. Lonquich has been retired since 2002.

In addition to numerous other works for a wide variety of instrumentations, including piano and chamber music and songs, Lonquich also created a large body of New Spiritual Songs. As a believer, Heinz-Martin Lonquich became interested in theological questions at an early age. The starting point for Heinz Martin Lonquich's preoccupation with "spiritual" music were the new settings of psalms. Indian and other non-European music, the folklore of various peoples, and later also Jewish music were incorporated. Heinz Martin Lonquich died in Cologne on July 23, 2014 at the age of 77.