Martin Böttcher

Martin Böttcher, who had secured a firm place in the hearts of millions of enthusiastic fans for over half a century with countless compositions for cinema films and television series (including Winnetou, Edgar Wallace, Father Brown, Derrick, Der Alte, Forsthaus Falkenau), was born in Berlin in 1927. His greatest worldwide successes include the title melody he composed and arranged as well as the various scores for the Winnetou films based on the Karl May classics - Melodies that have lost none of their magic and continue to inspire future generations.

Just as Karl May brought the world of the distant Wild West and the nearby rugged Balkans to life through his imagination alone, Böttcher's congenial compositions, thanks to his exceptional visionary talent and masterful craftsmanship, lend many films the acoustic crown that makes them shine even brighter.

Despite the conciseness and clear recognizability of Böttcher's sound, he never allowed himself to be restricted to certain patterns. It is thanks to Böttcher's brilliant instinct for creating a tension between images and music that the films and series he scored were so successful. For some very dark Edgar Wallace films, for example, he liked to choose a particularly enjoyable melody as a strong point of contrast, through which the media of sound and image enhance each other instead of competing with each other.

A wise person once wrote that Martin Böttcher's music is "visible", and that's pretty accurate.

Looking for sheet music? 

We offer professionally prepared rental material for orchestras who would like to play Böttcher's music:

• Winnetou melody (approx. 4 min.)
• Old Shatterhand melody (approx. 4 min.)
• ‘Der Schatz im Silbersee’ (approx. 15 min.) - Fantasy from the melodies to the film of the same name
• ‘Winnetous Leben’ (approx. 24 min.) - Suite in 10 movements from the Karl May films ‘Winnetou I-III’, ‘Unter Geiern’, ‘Der Ölprinz’ and ‘Old Surehand I’
  
  Between heroism and friendship, a thirst for adventure and a love of nature - the Karl May films of the 1960s have left their mark on generations. Their music is just as unforgettable: epic, sensitive, melodic - composed by Martin Böttcher, one of the most important German film composers.
  
  You can find more information about our rental material here.