Tier 3 · vertical & regionalfull biography
Friedrich Cerha
Person · male · Austria · Vienna · born 1926 · died 2023 · recording since 1994
Austrian composer and conductor (1925–2023)
official homepagedatabasedatabasedatabasedatabase
Also known as 契爾哈
Timeline
18 events▣ Album 11✦ Award 4◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1† Death 1
1920s
1970s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Eine Art Chansons
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography1,041 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1339014630
Biography
Friedrich Cerha (German: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈt͜sɛʁha]; 17 February 1926 – 14 February 2023) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and academic teacher. His ensemble die reihe in Vienna was instrumental in spreading contemporary music in Austria. Cerha composed three literary operas, beginning with Baal, based on Brecht's play, which was premiered at the Salzburg Festival in 1981. He is best known for completing Alban Berg's opera Lulu by orchestrating its unfinished third act, which premiered in Paris in 1979.
Life and career
Cerha was born in Vienna on 17 February 1926, the son of an electrical engineer. He played the violin at age six, instructed by Anton Pejhovsky, and began composing two years later. He played Viennese folk music on the violin in Vienna suburban cafes.
At 17, Cerha was drafted as a Luftwaffenhelfer in 1943, and initially served in Achau, near Vienna. During this time, he participated in a number of acts of resistance against the fascist regime. After a semester at the University of Vienna in 1944, studying musicology with Eric Schenk, philosophy and German, he was sent to an officer's school in occupied Denmark. While there, he obtained a number of blank, but signed, marching order papers and deserted. These papers allowed him to remain within German territory for some time as he could use them as proof that he was supposed to be there. However, after a period, he was forced to rejoin a military unit during an advance by the Soviet forces near Pomerania. He deserted a second time and made his way to the west of Austria, where he lived in the mountains for several months to avoid capture by the Allied forces, until he was eventually able to return to Vienna in November 1945. After the war, he worked as a mountain guide, to find distance from the past.
Cerha studied at the Vienna Music Academy from 1946, violin with Gottfried Feist and Váša Příhoda, composition with Alfred Uhl, and music pedagogy. Simultaneously, he continued his studies at the University of Vienna. His dissertation in German studies there, on the Turandot topic, was completed in 1950. As a student, he played concerts as a violinist. He searched for places to perform new music, and found only cafés, shops and cellar pubs; he realised later that friendships had developed in the process.
Cerha worked as a music and German teacher from 1950 to 1962, developing school orchestras in the early 1960s, while continuing work as a concert violinist. He attended the Darmstädter Ferienkurse from 1956 to 1958, where he experienced "the sense of a new era". He also attended courses with violinist Rudolf Kolisch and pianist Eduard Steuermann, who were experts on the Schoenberg school. After studying serialism further, he composed Relazioni fragili which was first performed in Darmstadt in 1958. He received a grant in 1957 that led to the composition of Espressioni fondamentali for orchestra, premiered in Berlin in 1960.
In 1958 Cerha founded the ensemble die reihe together with Kurt Schwertsik, which was instrumental in spreading contemporary music in Austria. He also founded the Camerata Frescobaldiana for the performance of Renaissance music, editing music for their concerts. Cerha earned a reputation as an interpreter of the works of Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg, and Anton Webern. He was recognised internationally as a composer when Relazioni fragili was performed at the 1961 ISCM festival in Vienna, and increasingly conducted contemporary music at leading festivals and opera houses.
He began studies of the unfinished third act of Berg's opera Lulu in 1962. Cerha orchestrated sections of the third act using Berg's notes as a reference. The complete three-act opera was premiered by Pierre Boulez in Paris Opéra on 24 February 1979, and directed by Patrice Chéreau.
Alongside his career as a composer and conductor, Cerha taught from 1959 at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he was professor of composition, notation, and interpretation of new music from 1976 to 1988. His students include Gerald Barry, Charles Boone, Benet Casablancas, Karlheinz Essl, Georg Friedrich Haas, Petr Kotik, and Thomas Pernes.
Cerha composed both orchestral works and operas. His first opera was Baal, based on Brecht's play of the same name, and influenced by Berg's Wozzeck. It was premiered at the Salzburg Festival in 1981, with performances at the Vienna State Opera and a production at the Staatsoper Berlin in 1982. It was followed by Der Rattenfänger and Der Riese vom Steinfeld, the latter commissioned by the Vienna State Opera, with a libretto by Peter Turrini, and premiered in 2002. Cerha began a cycle Spiegel (Mirror) in 1960 which over decades became regarded as one of his key works. He continued to compose into his old age, saying that he was fascinated by the "unfathomable" and mystery at the core of music. He stated: "I only sit down at my desk to write the first note when I know what the last one will be."
Cerha and his wife Gertraud, a music historian, were founding members of the Joseph Marx Society in April 2006. The couple had two children.
Cerha died in Vienna on 14 February 2023, at age 96.
Operas
Netzwerk, 1981 for singers, reciter, movement groups and orchestra
Baal, 1974/81 – text: Bertolt Brecht
Der Rattenfänger, 1987 – text: Carl Zuckmayer
Completion of the opera Lulu by Alban Berg, 1962–78
Der Riese vom Steinfeld, 2002 – text: Peter Turrini, 2002
Onkel Präsident, 2013 – text: Peter Wolf and Cerha
Other works
Spiegel I, 1960 for movement groups, light objects, orchestra, and tape
Spiegel II–VII, 1960–72
Sinfonie, 1975
Requiem für Hollensteiner, Text: Thomas Bernhard 1982/83, dedicated to Kurt Ohnsorg, commissioned by Austrian Musical Youth for the 25th anniversary of the Vienna Youth Choir.
Baal-Gesänge, 1983
Keintate I, II, 1983 ff.
Monumentum für Karl Prantl, 1988
Introitus and Kyrie of Requiem of Reconciliation, 1995
Fünf Stücke for clarinet in A, cello and piano, 1999–2000
Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Orchestra, 2003–2004
Violin Concerto, 2004
Oboe Quintet, 2007
Percussion Concerto, 2007–2008
Like a Tragicomedy for orchestra, 2008–2009
Bruchstück, geträumt for ensemble, 2009
Paraphrase of the beginning of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, 2010
Zebra-Trio for string trio, 2011
Tagebuch for orchestra, 2012
Drei Sätze für Orchester, 2015
Fasce for orchestra, before 1993
Langegger Nachtmusiken I-III, before 1993
Relazioni fragili for chamber ensemble, before 1993
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 20 | 81.1th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 14 | 84.5th |
| Studio albums | 12 | 92.8th |
| Awards recorded | 7 | 98.2th |
| Timeline events | 18 | 93th |
| Recording span (years) | 28 | 62th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (14 release groups · 12 studio albums)
Albums · 12
1999 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 16 tracks · 1:17:34
1String Quartet No. 115:172String Quartet No. 218:443String Quartet No. 3: I. Furioso1:254String Quartet No. 3: II. Elegie6:105String Quartet No. 3: III. Con spirito2:406String Quartet No. 3: IV. Intermezzo3:387String Quartet No. 3: V. Sehr ruhig3:078String Quartet No. 3: VI. =841:3998 fragments d'après Hölderlin: Schönes Leben2:19108 fragments d'après Hölderlin: Doch uns ist gegeben2:41118 fragments d'après Hölderlin: Es kommen Stunden1:35128 fragments d'après Hölderlin: Wie wenn die alten Wasser2:39138 fragments d'après Hölderlin: Die Linien des Lebens sind vershieden2:48148 fragments d'après Hölderlin: Und unstef wehn und irren2:38158 fragments d'après Hölderlin: Weh mir, wo nehm' ich3:07168 fragments d'après Hölderlin: Das Herz ist wieder wach7:07Konzert Für Violine & Orchester / Fasce
2006 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 2 tracks · 52:39
1Fasce (1959/1974)22:392Konzert Für Violine Und Orchester (2004): 1. Satz - Rhapsodie / 2. Satz - Nachtstück / 3. Satz - Finale Rapsodico30:00Spiegel / Monumentum für Karl Prantl / Für K.
2010 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 9 tracks · 2:02:55
Disc 11Spiegel (1961) for large orchestra and tape: Spiegel I9:442Spiegel (1961) for large orchestra and tape: Spiegel II13:533Spiegel (1961) for large orchestra and tape: Spiegel III8:244Spiegel (1961) for large orchestra and tape: Spiegel IV21:065Spiegel (1961) for large orchestra and tape: Spiegel V9:02Disc 21Spiegel (1961) for large orchestra and tape: Spiegel VI6:212Spiegel (1961) for large orchestra and tape: Spiegel VII16:463Monumentum Für Karl Prantl (1988) for large orchestra20:154Für K (1993) for chamber orchestra17:24Spiegel / Monumentum / Momente
2010 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 9 tracks · 2:12:50
Disc 11Spiegel I11:502Spiegel II16:063Spiegel III8:344Spiegel IV18:215Spiegel V10:23Disc 21Spiegel VI7:042Spiegel VII17:283Monumentum22:004Momente21:04Bruchstück, Geträumt / Neun Bagatellen / Instants
2011 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:07:21
1Bruchstück, geträumt19:032Neun Bagatellen: No. 1. Adirato - Marcato0:423Neun Bagatellen: No. 2. Malinconia I2:344Neun Bagatellen: No. 3. senza titolo0:585Neun Bagatellen: No. 4. senza titolo1:106Neun Bagatellen: No. 5. Capriccioso1:027Neun Bagatellen: No. 6. Malinconia II3:018Neun Bagatellen: No. 7. Molto leggiero1:189Neun Bagatellen: No. 8. Molto calmo1:5510Neun Bagatellen: No. 9. Con ostinatezza1:4711Instants: Teil I15:3212Instants: Teil II18:192011 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 3 tracks · 1:05:57
1Und Du... For Orchestra, Ensemble and Speakers39:232Verzeichnis9:303Für K For Ensemble17:042016 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 16 tracks · 59:37
1Fünf Sätze: I. Parabola2:502Fünf Sätze: II. Malinconia enigmatica3:583Fünf Sätze: III. Scherzo Spettrale3:464Fünf Sätze: IV. Elegie5:265Fünf Sätze: V. Stretta3:116Rhapsodie8:377Drei Stücke: I3:078Drei Stücke: II2:429Drei Stücke: III2:0710Sechs Inventionen: I. Getragen4:1111Sechs Inventionen: II. Energico, ma poco leggero, non troppo marcato1:1512Sechs Inventionen: III. Zart2:2813Sechs Inventionen: IV. Gespentisch huschend3:4314Sechs Inventionen: V5:1515Sechs Inventionen: VI1:5816Trio-Nachtstück5:032018 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 20 tracks · 55:04
18 Sätze nach Hölderlin - Fragmenten for string sextett: I. =632:4328 Sätze nach Hölderlin - Fragmenten for string sextett: II. heftig / =1442:3338 Sätze nach Hölderlin - Fragmenten for string sextett: III. =351:4248 Sätze nach Hölderlin - Fragmenten for string sextett: IV. presto misterioso / =1762:3658 Sätze nach Hölderlin - Fragmenten for string sextett: V. =482:4968 Sätze nach Hölderlin - Fragmenten for string sextett: VI. =1442:4978 Sätze nach Hölderlin - Fragmenten for string sextett: VII. =323:0188 Sätze nach Hölderlin - Fragmenten for string sextett: VIII. =circa 524:509Quintet for oboe and string quartet: I. =525:5310Quintet for oboe and string quartet: II. =426:0611Quintet for oboe and string quartet: III. =1205:13129 Bagatellen for string trio: I. Zornig, marcato / =960:45139 Bagatellen for string trio: II. Malinconia I a2:40149 Bagatellen for string trio: III. =1200:56159 Bagatellen for string trio: IV. =361:12169 Bagatellen for string trio: V. Kaprizios / =1041:00179 Bagatellen for string trio: VI. Malinconia II a3:09189 Bagatellen for string trio: VII. Übermütig, molto leggiero / =841:08199 Bagatellen for string trio: VIII. ganz still2:17209 Bagatellen for string trio: IX. trotzig, eigensinnig / =1161:422019 · studio album
I. Keintate / Eine letzte Art Chansons
2021 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:08:38
1I. Keintate (1980/82) - Prolog0:552I. Teil9:443II. Teil9:534III. Teil7:545IV. Teil11:596Epilog7:517Eine letzte Art Chansons (1989) - I. Erzieherischer Akt0:408II. Die Utopie der Solidarität0:489III. Diagnose0:4210IV. Achleitner über Achleitner0:5711V. Meditation1:2612VI. Gigözzn0:2813VII. Überlegung0:3314VIII. Kollegiale Aufforderung…0:5415IX. Da aunkl Poidi2:5916X. Da Friedn auf da Wöd6:4217XI. Zehn putzi gedichti4:132022 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 27 tracks · 41:47
1Marsch1:392Da maraunibroda0:343Glauma des ollas sumiad si1:354Di auslendische bagasche0:245Galopp2:006A leich am otagringa friidhof1:347Bei da bost schdimmt aa wos ned1:118Oes kinda hauma glaubt0:479An lipizana1:1810I gee reglmesig ins konzeat0:3211Waun i da keisa gwesn waa1:2912De darm san in de katakombm1:2713De sun is ma zhaas0:2914Waun i a baafleisch iis2:1015Alter Plattenmarsch2:2516Waun i sinia1:2317Quadrille3:3018Wauma uns min dreg und midn leam0:5319Polka schnell1:2420De ringldaum2:0821Es waa jo gaunz schee in schdahof0:4322Pizzicato Polka1:2823Wer no nii inan kölla gsessn is2:2324Valse sentimentale3:5925Aum raupfaung wisawi1:0726Da himme fia uns weana1:5827Marsch1:17Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun / 3 Nocturnes / Chansons de Bilitis / Jeux
— · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:06:46
1Nocturnes, L. 91: Nuages8:122Nocturnes, L. 91: Fëtes6:263Nocturnes, L. 91: Sirènes10:314Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: I. Chant Pastoral1:475Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: II. Les comparaisons0:416Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: III. Les contes0:517Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: IV. Chanson1:308Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: V. La partie d'osselets0:519Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: VI. Bilitis1:1810Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: VII. Le tombeau sans nom1:5111Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: VIII. Les courtisanes égyptiennes0:3812Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: IX. Eau pure du bassin1:0513Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: X. La danseuse aux crotales1:2714Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: XI. Le souvenir e Mnasidika1:0315Chansons de Bilitis, L. 96: XII. La pluie au matin2:2416Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, L. 869:3317Jeux, L. 12616:38
Album · 2
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Eine Art ChansonsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 60 tracks · 1:05:081Statt Ouvertüre1:24 2sonnet0:45 3synopsis einer politischen rede0:32 4der wein1:25 5stiegen steigen0:29 6ich weiss nicht1:06 7ich glaub' sie sind kein kavalier0:38 8wenn es stinkt1:22 9Polka (nach Satie)0:42 10Da Frieden auf der Wöd6:18 11Puppenmarsch0:38 12Die Utopie der Solidarität0:57 13Achleitner über Achleitner0:57 14Gigözzn0:31 15Aria buffa für Nali4:21 16Gebet0:46 17Dienstag4:12 18Geschichte2:16 191,2,3, ...2:26 20klassisch0:19 21ein deutsches denkmal0:59 22sieben kinder0:44 23etüde in f0:55 24der (ale-)xander1:07 25zwergenparade0:52 26ich bekreuzige mich0:31 27lichtung0:25 28fragment0:29 29österrreichisches fragment0:31 30ich brech dich0:24 31thechdthen jahr0:45 32falamaleikum0:41 33loch0:34 34wien: heldenplatz1:04 3513. märz1:05 36keiner schließlich0:27 37vater komm erzähl vom krieg0:54 38was können sie dir tun?1:21 39koexistenz1:06 40Minipotpourri0:39 41sieben weltwunder0:43 42ich haben einen sessel0:52 43kleeblattgasse2:13 44tür auf0:25 45haiku0:27 46ich was not yet in brasilien2:30 47Warte, warte0:16 48Grete Müller0:19 49Ich bin0:19 50Liebe Ratte0:20 51Eine Maus, eine Maus0:25 52Das ist der Daumen0:23 53Ein Männlein steht0:23 54Hänschen1:27 55Morgen früh um sechs0:57 56Windradal1:12 57Blauboad I0:39 58Kinderfazara0:52 59Was unguaz1:22 60Wenn der Puls der Frau Schulz1:27 | Live | 1994 | |
| 2001 | DokumenteSearch SpotifySearch YouTube Music | Compilation | 2001 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Friedrich Cerha head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 20 | 81.1th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 14 | 84.5th |
| Studio albums | 12 | 92.8th |
| Awards recorded | 7 | 98.2th |
| Timeline events | 18 | 93th |
| Recording span (years) | 28 | 62th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | City of Vienna Prize for Music | won | |
| 2005 | Austrian Decoration for Science and Art | won | |
| 2008 | Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the State of Vienna | won | |
| 2012 | Ernst von Siemens Music Prize | won | |
| — | Honorary Member of the International Society for Contemporary Music | won | |
| — | Order of Honour (Lower Austria) | won | |
| — | Order of Honour (Styria) | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Friedrich_Cerha_2006.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/65f5c763-daad-4762-bd92-76383082d11bdiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/65f5c763-daad-4762-bd92-76383082d11bcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78794genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78794seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Cerhabiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Cerha
Why this artist is in the database
- List of Austrian musicians
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: HPaul · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q78794 · MusicBrainz: 65f5c763-daad-4762-bd92-76383082d11b
Similar artists
Browse every Tier 3 artist →Ranked from this record's own data: shared genre tags (rarer tags weigh more), era, home country and comparable fame. Every card lists the signals that placed it — no editorial picks.
Peter Ablinger
Austria · Person
opera
1 shared genre tag · debut 1996, 2 years apart · from Austria
14 wikis
Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
Azerbaijan · Person
opera
1 shared genre tag · debut 1997, 3 years apart
19 wikis
Necil Kazım Akses
Turkey · Person
opera
1 shared genre tag · debut 1992, 2 years apart
19 wikis
Edmond Audran
France · Person
opera
1 shared genre tag · debut 1992, 2 years apart
22 wikis
Granville Bantock
United Kingdom · Person
opera
1 shared genre tag · debut 1991, 3 years apart
22 wikis
Dominick Argento
United States · Person
opera
1 shared genre tag · debut 1991, 3 years apart
16 wikis
François Bazin
France · Person
opera
1 shared genre tag · debut 1993, 1 year apart
14 wikis
Georges Aperghis
Greece · Person
opera
1 shared genre tag · debut 1992, 2 years apart
14 wikis