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Felicitas Kukuck

Composing Against All Odds

SHEKELA WANYAMA

Felicitas Kukuck (1914–2001) was a prolific German Biography
music educator and composer who lived through both Felicitas Kukuck was born Felicitas Cohnheim on
world wars in Germany. The socio-economic and po- November 2, 1914, in Hamburg, Germany. Her father
litical upheaval of the time had a tremendous impact was a physiologist and her mother was a trained classi-
on her life and output. She wrote over one thousand cal singer, and both were supportive of their four chil-
works, including for chamber ensembles, piano, flute, dren’s musical aptitude. Felicitas sang songs with her
and solo voice, though the bulk of her output is cho- mother from an early age, beginning piano lessons at
ral. Her choral music suits singers of varying levels of the age of ten and improvising songs on piano with her
experience, often allows for adaptation as needed, and younger brother, Fritz. Her childhood was not without
is neatly crafted with both musicians and listeners in challenges: World War I broke out just four months be-
mind. Her works display approaches to structure and fore she was born. In 1916 her parents changed their
melody that recall Johannes Brahms and Hugo Distler, family name from the Jewish-origin Cohnheim to Ger-
and harmonic language that reflects her study with manic-origin Kestner out of concern for the family’s
Paul Hindemith. All of her vocal works are in German. safety. At the end of World War I, Felicitas and her
Due to the post-World War II recovery period that sister had the good fortune to travel to the Netherlands
overlapped with Kukuck’s most prolific years, as well as for six weeks as part of a wartime recovery program for
challenges she faced during her lifetime as a woman of children. This early experience may have contributed
Jewish descent in Germany, only a small percentage of to her later dedication to children’s health, well-being,
her compositions are easily accessible to conductors to- and education.
day. However, taking some extra time to investigate her She eventually returned to Hamburg and went on
works will yield rewards for the dedicated conductor. to attend the city’s renowned Lichtwarkschule, a school
This article provides a start. that emphasized critical thinking, creativity, and the
arts. When the Nazis came to power and took over the
school in 1933, she transferred to the Schule am Meer
Shekela Wanyama, DMA on the island of Juist—a residential school that empha-
Director, Hamline University A Cappella Choir and sized the performing arts. While her time there was
Minnesota Chorale Youth Choirs short, this was perhaps a formative time for Kukuck, as
helloshekela@pm.me pianist and composer Eduard Zuckmayer conducted
the school’s choir and orchestra. Zuckmayer was also

58 CHORAL JOURNAL November/December 2025 Volume 66 Number 3