Walter Schartner (3 December 1894 – 24 May 1970) was a German conductor, composer and Hochschullehrer. In 1946, he was appointed Generalmusikdirektor in Halle and as such he directed the . In 1949/50, he was chief conductor of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle.
Schartner was born in Berlin in 1894.[1] There he attended the Stern Conservatory where Leo Blech was his main teacher.[1] A first Kapellmeister position in Königsberg was followed by posts in Münster and Bremerhaven.[1] In 1926, he conducted the Hans Rudolf Waldburg production of Handel's opera Rodelinda in Bremerhaven. From 1928 to 1944, he worked in Görlitz.[1] In 1928, he became musical director of the, and in 1930 took over the symphony concerts.[2]
In 1945, Schartner was appointed director of the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden.[1] Guest conducting led him among others at the Semperoper and the Dresden Philharmonic.[3] After a guest performance in Halle in 1946, he received his appointment as Municipal Music Director by the Lord Mayor of Halle, at the suggestion of the Theatre Committee.[1] In June 1946, he conducted his first symphony concert in Halle.[1] Following a proposal by Pretzsch, the president of the province of Saxony, Erhard Hübener, appointed him Generalmusikdirektor in September 1946.[1] In 1948, he conducted the premiere of Handels Xerses at the Thalia Theater; the production was directed by Sigurd Baller. In Halle, he also made a name for himself as a composer, and in 1948 his opera Und Pippa tanzt based on eponymous play by Gerhart Hauptmann was premiered at the Landestheater.[1] He also headed the opera department at the .[3] In April 1949,, the Minister for National Education, Arts and Science, declared that his contract as general music director would not be renewed.[1] Nevertheless, he was appointed artistic director of the Philharmonic State Orchestra Halle in 1949/50.[1]
In 1950, Schartner received a proposition from the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber.[4] In 1950/51, he was conductor of the