Paul Burkhard

Paul Burkhard ((1911-12-21)21 December 1911 in Zürich - (1977-09-06)6 September 1977 in Zell) was Swiss composer. He wrote primarily Oratoria, Musicals and Operettas.

His probably most famous artistic creation was the song Oh mein Papa (Oh my Papa), about the death of a beloved clown-father, written for the musical "Der Schwarze Hecht" (re-issued in 1950 as "Feuerwerk") that premiered in April 1939. The song rose to #1 on the Sheet Music Chart and stayed in the chart for 26 weeks. The song has been performed and recorded by numerous artists since then, including Alan Breeze, Annette Klooger, Billy Cotton, Billy Vaughn, Connie Francis, Diana Decker, Eddie Calvert, Eddie Fisher, The Everly Brothers, Harry James, Ken Mackintosh, Lys Assia, Malcolm Vaughan, Muriel Smith, Ray Anthony & his Orchestra, Russ Morgan & his Orchestra, The Beverley Sisters, The Brasshats, The Radio Revellers, and many others.

Works (Selection)

• 1935 - Hopsa
• 1950 - Feuerwerk (Original: Der schwarze Hecht, 1939) with the hit song O mein Papa
• 1951 - Die kleine Niederdorf-Oper
• 1960 - Frank V - Comedy with Musik; „Oper einer Privatbank“, by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
• 1960 - Zäller Weihnacht - Christmas play
• 1965 - Noah - The story of Noah and the Arc - for children
• 1971 - Zäller Oschtere - Easter passion play

Literature

Flury, Philipp (1979). O mein Papa… Paul Burkhard: Leben und Werk (in German). Zürich: Orell Füssli/Neue Schweizer Bibliothek. ISBN 3280011299. OCLC 6787865. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Template:PND
• Paul Burkhard in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• O mein Papa - Documentary film about Paul Burkhard - launch September 2007