Ernst Tittel

Ernst Tittel was an Austrian organist, composer and music writer, born in Sternberg, Moravia (now Šternberk, Czech Republic), on 26 April 1910, and died in Vienna on 28 July 1969. His career was carried out almost entirely in the Austrian capital, where sacred music and music theory were at the centre of his activity.

He studied organ and theory at the Vienna Musikhochschule with Lechtaler and other teachers, graduating in 1932. In 1935 he earned his doctorate at the University of Vienna with a dissertation on the sacred music of Simon Sechter. From 1933 he was organist at the Viennese Franziskanerkirche, and from 1934 he worked for Austrian radio.

In 1936 he began teaching theory and composition at the Musikhochschule, where he became assistant professor in 1954 and full professor in 1961. He also taught at the university from 1965. He wrote numerous articles for journals and several books, including the counterpoint treatise Der neue Gradus (Vienna, 1959) and Österreichische Kirchenmusik (Gerasdorf, 1961).

His output consists chiefly of sacred works, such as several masses, Psalm 150 and a Requiem, alongside secular and organ pieces, such as the Toccata and Fugue op. 49. His legacy is associated with the teaching of music theory in Vienna and with the documentation of Austrian religious music.