Boris Blacher
A composer of razor-sharp wit and rhythmic vitality who fused jazz-age energy with rigorous modernism in 20th-century German music.
1903–1975 (age 72)·German composer·Birthday: January 19·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Boris Blacher's music pulsed with the syncopated drive of jazz and the sleek lines of modern architecture. Born in China to Baltic-German parents, his cosmopolitan upbringing informed a style that was inherently eclectic and anti-dogmatic. Settling in Berlin, he developed his signature 'variable meters,' a system of shifting time signatures that gave his compositions a propulsive, unpredictable rhythm. While his early work was condemned by the Nazis as 'degenerate,' post-war Germany embraced him as an influential teacher and innovator. As a composer and librettist, he excelled in opera and ballet, creating works that were satirical, accessible, and meticulously crafted. Blacher's legacy is that of a brilliant formalist who never forgot that music should, above all, engage and move the listener.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Boris was born in 1903, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Boris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1903
Boris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1903Born
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Started school
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1916Became a teenager
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1919Could drive
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1921Could vote
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1924Turned 21
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1933Turned 30
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 40
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 50
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 60
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 70
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Died at 72
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Key Achievements
- Developed a compositional technique known as 'variable meters,' influencing rhythmic structure in contemporary music.
- Served as director of the Berlin Music Academy (now the Berlin University of the Arts) from 1953 to 1970.
- Composed over a dozen operas, including the satirical 'Preussisches Märchen' (Prussian Fairy Tale).
- His 'Orchestral Variations on a Theme of Paganini' became a popular and frequently performed work.
Did You Know?
He wrote the libretto for several operas by other composers, including Werner Egk.
Blacher's father was a banker, and the family lived in China and Russia before moving to Germany.
He was married to the pianist Gerty Blacher-Herzog.
The jazz composer and pianist Uri Caine is one of his grandsons.
“Music is architecture in time, built from rhythm and a free play of forms.”
