German musician Harald Genzmer studied from 1928-34 in Berlin with the well-known composer Paul Hindemith. His composition Der Läufer (Runner) earned the bronze medal at the 1936 Olympic Games in the music category “Compositions for Solo or Chorus.” The text was written by the tenor Paul Schmidtmann (1904-67). The cantata follows the story of the Greek messenger who carried the news of the victory against the Persians at Marathon to Athens and collapsed dead after the run. During the Nazi period Genzmer worked in Breslau (now Wroclaw) together with Schmidtmann and Berlin. He developed the Trautonium, an electronic instrument, with the support of the Ministry of Propaganda. In 1944 he was inducted into Adolf Hitler’s list of important composers, so he did not have to serve in the military. In 1946 he became a professor at the College of Music in Freiburg (Breisgau), while from 1957-74 he was a professor for Compositions at the High School for Music in München. He wrote orchestral, chamber music and choral works, and was known for his experimentation and unusual orchestras.
Germany