German composer. Born in Leipzig, he created neoclassical works centered on church music, influenced by the tradition of Protestant church music in the city, as well as by Hindemith and Stravinsky. From the mid-1940s, he adopted the twelve-tone technique and also lectured on it at the Darmstadt Summer Courses. Later, he organized other musical elements beyond pitch. His serial technique remained unique, without losing its freedom. From the 1950s onwards, he showed interest in isorhythm and mirror/symmetrical structures.

He studied composition and organ at the Leipzig Conservatory and musicology at the university. In 1931, he taught composition and music theory at the Institute for Church Music in Heidelberg, and in 1935, he founded the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra. In 1947, he initiated the 'Musica Viva' series, aimed at introducing contemporary music. In later years, he taught music in various locations, serving as Professor of Composition at the Nordwestdeutsche Musikakademie Detmold, Professor at the Freiburg University of Music, and Head of the Music Department at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin, nurturing talents such as Henze. He was a composer who garnered recognition during his lifetime, evidenced by numerous awards and appointments, including Head of the German Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music, member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, and recipient of the Berlin Schreker Prize.