Günter Henle

1899

Born on 3 February in Würzburg
Childhood and youth in Munich
Piano lessons with Walther Lampe

1916–1918

Participation in World War I

1918–1920

Studies law in Marburg and Würzburg, also gains doctorate

1921–1931

Attaché in the diplomatic corps, serving in Berlin, Amsterdam, Den Haag and Buenos Aires; Appearances as a pianist, including the premiere of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasia op. 80 in Buenos Aires

1931–1936

Attaché at the German Embassy in London

1933

Marries Anne Liese Küpper, the stepdaughter of the owner of the Klöckner consortium in Duisburg

1937

Peter Klöckner takes on his son-in-law Günter Henle as a partner in the company

1940

Death of Peter Klöckner, Dr. Henle steadily rises to the top of the industrial firm

1947–1949

Member of the Frankfurt Wirtschaftsrat (Economic Council)

1948

Founds his “Publishing house for musical Urtext editions”
Offices in Duisburg and Munich

1949–1953

Member (CDU) of the first German Parliament
Advisor to the German Chancellor Adenauer on foreign policy and economics

since 1950

Sponsorship of numerous highly-gifted musicians, e.g. Edith Peinemann, Murray Perahia and Frank Peter Zimmermann; Friendship with many important musicians, including Pablo Casals, Walter Gieseking, Karl Klingler, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrach, Arthur Rubinstein, Wolfgang Schneiderhan and Rudolf Serkin

1951–1964

Chairman of the Cultural Circle of German Business and Industry within the Federation of German Industry

1955

Co-founds the Joseph Haydn Institute in Cologne

1955–1973

Co-founds and first President of the German Council on Foreign Relations

1956

Honorary member of the Gesellschaft für Musikforschung (Society for musicological research)

1964

Honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Philosophy at Cologne University

1968

Publication of the autobiography “Three Spheres”

1972

Establishes the Günter Henle Foundation

1976

Retires as senior partner from Klöckner & Co

1979              

Dies on 13 April in Duisburg

See also the article on Günter Henle in Wikipedia (in German).