Ruth Zechlin (22 June 1926 – 4 August 2007) was a German composer.
Ruth Oschatz was born inGrosshartmannsdorf, where she began piano lessons at the age of five years, and wrote her first composition at the age of seven. From 1943 to 1949 she studied music theory withJohann Nepomuk David[1] andWilhelm Weismann,church music andorgan withKarl Straube andGünther Ramin and piano withRudolf Fischer andAnton Rohden at the Music Academy inLeipzig. After she completed the state exam, she worked at the academy for a year as a lecturer and also worked as a deputy organist at theNikolai Church in Leipzig.
In 1951 she married pianistDieter Zechlin, and the marriage lasted until 1972 when the couple divorced. Zechlin gained lectureship in music theory at the German College of Music in Berlin in 1969, where she taughtharpsichord and studied harmony, counterpoint, form, orchestration and composition. After 1970 she was professor of composition at the Academy of Arts and taught a master class in composition. After her retirement in 1986, Zechlin continued teaching as a visiting professor. Beginning in 1990, she was a member of the DDRAcademy of Arts, Berlin and served as vice president of that organization. From 1997 she was a member of the Free Academy of the Arts ofMannheim, and in 1998 became an honorary member of the German Music Council.[2]
Zechlin composed works for instrumental and vocal performance and stage works, as well as music for radio plays, documentaries and TV movies. She was an active conductor, harpsichordist and organist, and received numerous awards for her work. Her students includedGerd Domhardt,Thomas Böttger andGeorg Katzer.
Ruth Zechlin died inMunich in 2007, aged 81, and her estate is owned by theState Library in Berlin.[3]
