Braunfels, Walter (1882-1954): The Personal Papers in the Bavarian State Library

The composer Walter Braunfels was born into an art-loving Frankfurt family and received music lessons at an early age. He attended the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt at the age of 12. Braunfels initially studied law and economics in Munich, then piano with Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna and composition with Ludwig Thuille in Munich. In 1909, he married Bertel von Hildebrand, the youngest daughter of the Munich sculptor Adolf von Hildebrand. Braunfels' musical development was particularly influenced by the conductor Felix Mottl, who also introduced him to the music of Berlioz. He had close personal ties with Wilhelm Furtwängler, Max Reger, Bruno Walter, Max von Schillings, and Hans Pfitzner. Braunfels was a successful pianist and composer of operas ('Prinzessin Brambilla', 'Die Vögel' and many others) and large orchestral works (e.g. 'Phantastische Erscheinungen eines Themas von Hector Berlioz op. 25'). After military service and being wounded in the First World War, he converted to Catholicism in 1918 and subsequently created major works of confession such as the Te Deum op. 32 and the 'Große Messe' op 37. Braunfels was elected a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1923 and in 1925, together with Hermann Abendroth, became director of the newly founded Academy of Music in Cologne. In 1933, he was stripped of all offices as a 'half-Jew' and his works were banned from performance. The composer spent the years of National Socialism in internal emigration and created some of his main works: sacred cantatas, three string quartets and the operas 'Verkündigung', 'Der Traum ein Leben' and 'Szenen aus dem Leben der heiligen Johanna'. After the war, Braunfels was re-assigned as director of the Cologne Academy of Music.

The composer's descendants had already given important autographs to the BSB as a depository in 1989. Both this depot and the extensive musical and documentary part of Walter Braunfels' estate still held by the family were donated to the BSB in 2025.

The music manuscripts from the estate are listed in the RISM Catalogue . Some music manuscripts are fully digitised. Letters and documents are researchable in the Kalliope database. An updated version of the basic biography by Ute Jung-Kaiser is available under 'Walter Braunfels (1882-1954). Life and Work' (PDF).