Carl Mansker

Carl Mansker was born 20 November 1935 in Los Angeles (USA). He began to learn the piano at the age of 9. After school he studied music at the University of California and later in New York. In the early 1960s Carl Mansker received a scholarship to study piano with Rosl Schmid in Munich (Germany). He completed his studies in 1967 and worked as a pianist, composer and teacher. Since 1969 he only spent the summer months in Munich and the winter months in Deia on the island Mallorca (Spain). In Deia he regularly contributed to the Festival International de Musica de Deia.
Carl Mansker died on 26 June 2019 in Munich (Germany).

The work catalogue of Carl Mansker contains an opera "El bon senyor Karnak" (composed for the Deia Music Festival in 1987), a symphony "Algabal", a piano concerto, a flute concerto "Jalisco", a concerto grosso, a piano sonata, "Three pieces" for piano as well as other chamber music and songs. 

In my possession are several autograph manuscripts of compositions by Carl Mansker. All these manuscripts were dedicated to Erna Hanfstaengl (1885-1981), a Munich lady who is best known today for being a lover of Adolf Hitler. The compositions are:


1) Prelude


The Prelude is scored for piano and was composed in 1967.


2) Das Haus


The song "Das Haus" is scored for voice and piano and sets a text by Christoph Meckel to music. The work was composed in 1966.


3) Six Haiku


The Six Haiku for soprano and piano were composed in 1965. The titles are

  1. Die acht Ansichten von Omi am Biva-See (haiku by Matsuo Basho)
  2. Der Mond von heute Nacht (haiku by Nishiyama Soin)
  3. Mond und Wolken (haiku by Matsuo Basho)
  4. Herbststurm (haiku by Morikawa Kyoroku)
  5. In Ueno (haiku by Kusakabe Kyohaku)
  6. Der Frühlingsmond (haiku by Hotta Bakusui)