Notte di maggio (Mainacht) (2001)

Barbara Heller (b. 1936) — Notte di maggio (Mainacht) (2001) for organ

This piece is inspired by the brief poem “Notte di maggio” (May Night) by the Italian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti (1888–1970).

“Il cielo pone in capo
ai minareti
ghirlande di lumini.”

“The sky places garlands
of candles at the head
of the minarets.”

German composer Barbara Heller (b. 1936) was born in Ludwigshafen and was educated in music in Mannheim and Munich. Her teachers included Hans Vogt and Harald Genzmer. Heller moved to Darmstadt in 1963 to work as a freelance composer and pianist. An active advocate for women composers past and present, she was a founding member of the International Association for Women in Music, remaining its director until 1981. From 1970 to 1975, Heller was the documentary archivist for the estate of the composer Hermann Heiss.

Published by Schott Musik GmbH & Co. in “Frauen komponieren”