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Volker Bertelmann

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Volker Bertelmann, born in 1966 in Kreuztal, is a German composer and pianist who performs mainly under the name Hauschka. He had piano lessons as a child, formed a rock band at fourteen and briefly studied medicine and business administration in Cologne before choosing music. In 1992 he formed the hip hop duo God's Favorite Dog with his cousin, which released an album on Epic and split up in 1995. After that he began writing piano music in Düsseldorf. He borrowed his stage name from the Bohemian composer Vincenz Hauschka.

Music and breakthrough

The sound of Hauschka is that of the prepared piano. On The Prepared Piano from 2005 he wedged leather, felt and rubber between the strings, wrapped aluminium foil around the hammers and placed small objects on the strings. As a result, the piano sometimes sounds like a percussion instrument. His first album, Substantial, was released in 2004. Ferndorf in 2008, Foreign Landscapes in 2010, Salon des Amateurs in 2011 and What If in 2017 followed, among others. In 2012 he made the album Silfra with the violinist Hilary Hahn.

Influence

Since 2012 Bertelmann has also written film music. With Dustin O'Halloran he composed Lion, which was nominated for an Oscar. He also wrote for, among others, Adrift, The Old Guard, Ammonite and Stowaway. For All Quiet on the Western Front from 2022 he won an Oscar and a BAFTA. Bertelmann proves that an experimental pianist who comes from the club world can bridge the gap to the cinema.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a piece from the album The Prepared Piano or What If and notice the sounds that do not sound like ordinary piano notes. Can you hear the hammers, foil and objects on the strings, and how they form a rhythm?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists