Erich Urbanner (26/03/1936), an Austrian composer. He was born in Innsbruck. He received his first musical education from his father, a church organist and choir conductor. Afterwards he studied at the Music Academy in Vienna (the University of Music), piano with Greta Hinterhofer, composition with Karl Schiske and Hanns Jelinek and directing with Hans Swarowski. Since 1961 he has been teaching there himself and since 1977 he is a full professor of composition.
As he made a decision to become a composer while he was still studying, in his early works he followed in the steps of Stravinsky, Bartok and Hindemith. From free atonality, he soon turned to dodecaphony, composing a whole range of serial compositions. In this context we have to mention his Piano Concerto (1958), Concertino for organ and strings (1961), the opera Der Glucherich oder Tugend und Tadel der Nutzlichkeit, as well as The Theme, 19 Variations and Postlude for orchestra (1968). After 1969 he turned to aleatoric and free improvisation techniques, composing Improvisation II for chamber ensemble, Contrasts II for orchestra, Violin Concerto (1971) and Concerto for contrabass (1973). After the dodecaphonic period, when he did not manage to express all his ideas through the entire organization of the material, and after unsatisfactory results in leaving too much freedom to the performers, Urbanner slowly turned back to writing down his musical ideas. He developed a free style which leaves the melody, form and sound to creative will, guaranteeing understanding by its aired form and the logicality of the melody phrases. The concertos for different solo instruments, the music for chamber ensembles and the big Requiem from 1983 evolved from this style.