POKORNY, František Xaver (1729-1794) - Sinfonia in Es-Dur (c.1760)

František Xaver Pokorný (1729-1794) - Sinfonia in Es-Dur à più Stromenti (c.1760) 

deliberately attributed to Georg Matthias Monn (1717-1750) by Baron Theodor von Schacht (1748-1823)

Performers: Vienna Baroque Ensemble; Theodor Guschlbauer (conductor)

Painting: John Wootton (1682-1764) - Marlborough at the Allied siege of Tournai that preceded Malplaquet (1720)

Further info: František Xaver Pokorny (1729-1794) - Klarinettenkonzert Nr.1 Es-Dur

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František (Franz) Xaver (Thomas) Pokorný [Pokorny, Pockorny]

(Mies [now Střibro], 20 December 1729 - Regensburg, 2 July 1794)

Bohemian composer and violinist. Son of a bureaucrat, he was sent to Regensburg as a youth to study under Joseph Riepel. In 1750 he obtained a post as violinist at the court of Oettingen-Wallerstein, and in 1753 he was given leave to further his studies in Mannheim, where his teachers included Johann Stamitz, Franz Xaver Richter, and Ignaz Holzbauer. Returning to Wallerstein he was also employed at the Thurn und Taxis court in Regensburg, commuting back and forth for several years before being offered a permanent position in the latter city in 1769. He was appointed as court chamber composer, though his relationship with the Kapellmeister, Baron Theodor von Schacht was not smooth, resulting in much of his music being deliberately misattributed to others after (and possibly before) his death in 1794. As a composer, he was one of the most prolific symphonists of the period, noted for his particular use of the orchestra. His works in this genre are mostly four movement, and in his numerous concertos he was able to exploit the technical capabilities of the instrumental solos. His works include at least 145 symphonies (with as many as another 100 still of possible attribution), 65 concertos (including 45 for keyboard), numerous serenades/divertimentos, three quartets, a piano quintet, three string trios, and five trio sonatas. Much of his music remains to be explored, primarily due to von Schacht’s intervention.

VALLEDOR Y LA CALLE, Jacinto (1744-1809) - La cantada vida y muerte del general Malbrú (1785)

Jacinto Valledor y la Calle (1744-1809) - La cantada vida y muerte del general Malbrú (1785)

Performers: Raquel Andueza (soprano); Marta Infante (mezzosoprano); Juan Sancho (tenor); Jordi Ricart (baritone);

El Concierto Español; Emilio Moreno (conductor)

Painting: Louis Laguerre (1663-1721) - The Battle of Tanieres (Malplaquet) (1709)

Further info: La Tirana Contra Mambru

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Jacinto Valledor y la Calle [De la Calle]

(Madrid, 18 December 1744 - Madrid, 12 March 1809)

Spanish composer. Born into a family of actors, his mother was the comic actress Águeda de la Calle and his father the actor Juan Ángel Valledor. He probably received music lessons in his childhood. Together with his wife, Gabriela Santos, a talented actress and singer, he performed in various provincial theaters, including Murcia, Cádiz, and Valencia, before settling more permanently in Barcelona. In 1783, he sought a position as a company musician in Madrid, aiming to fill the vacancy left by Manuel Martínez. However, his return to Madrid was delayed until 1785, when he joined Eusebio Ribera's company. During this period, he frequently substituted for the renowned composer of 'Tonadillas' Pau Esteve i Grimau, alongside with the composer Antonio Rosales. He was also considered for positions at the prestigious 'Reales Sitios' theaters. Around the turn of the 19th century, he resumed his role as a company musician in Madrid. Despite his initial success, his fortunes took a dramatic turn. As he aged, he faced severe financial hardship, relying on a meager pension of 10 reales per day. Ultimately, he was reduced to begging on the streets. Valledor's significant contribution to Spanish music lies in his mastery of the tonadilla genre. Alongside with Blas de Laserna and the mentioned Pau Esteve i Grimau, he is considered one of the most influential composers of 'Tonadillas'.

RIESE-LIEBMANN, Helene (1795-1869) - Grand Trio (1816)

Helene Riese-Liebmann (1795-1869) - Grand Trio (A-Dur) pour le Pianoforte

avec accompagnement de Violon et Basse (1816)

 Performers: Fine Zimmermann (harpsichord); Jaroslav Sveceny (violin); Wladimir Kissin (cello)

Painting: Eduard Gaertner (1801-1877) - Die Bauakademie (1868)

Further info: Helene Riese-Liebmann (1795-1869) - Grand Sonata Op.11

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Helene (Maria-Sophia-Lea) Riese-Liebmann [Liepmann]

(Berlin, 16 December 1795 - Dresden, 2 December 1869)

German pianist and composer. Daughter of the banker Meyer Wulff Riess, she was a child prodigy who began performing in public before the age of 13. She soon received music lessons from Wilhelm Schneider, Franz Lauska and Joseph Augustin Gürrlich. In 1813, she converted to Christianity and married the merchant John Joseph Liebmann. The young couple moved to London in April 1814, where she took lessons from Ferdinand Ries. No further information extant about whether she continued to compose after 1819. The next trace of her life is in Clara Wieck's diary, stating that Liebmann was present at a Hamburg concert of Clara's in 1835. As a composer, her output was mainly secular and instrumental. Among her published works, two sets of songs, several sonatas, variations and miscellaneous piano works, two violin sonatas, two piano trios and one piano quartet. They are mostly dedicated to teachers and family members. Her music showcases a talent for melody and a deep understanding of classical forms. Despite she was a great performer with early success, her public performances were much less frequent after her marriage.

DA SILVA GOMES, André (1752-1844) - Missa a 5 vozes

André da Silva Gomes (1752-1844) - Missa a 5 vozes

Performers: Solistas, coro e orquestra sinfônica do Teatro Nacional de Brasília; Cláudio Santοrο (1919-1989, conductor)

Drawing: Charles Landseer (1799-1879) - Cidade de São Paulo (1825)

Further info: André da Silva Gomes (1752-1844) - Missa em Sol maior (c.1790)

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André da Silva Gomes

(Lisboa, bap. 15 December 1752 - São Paulo, 16 June 1844)

Portuguese composer. Little is known about his early years. It is believed that he may have received lessons from or at least been influenced by David Pérez, a Neapolitan composer of Spanish descent, Master of the Royal Palatine Chapel of Palermo, who lived in Portugal for several years as Master of the Imperial Chapel of Lisbon. Pérez developed significant pedagogical activities in Portugal. An influential composer of opera seria, David Pérez directed all the musical life of José I court until the end of his life, influencing all Portuguese composers of his time. It is unknown whether André da Silva Gomes had already moved to Brazil or if he came specifically to take up the position of Master of Chapel at the cathedral of the city of São Paulo in 1774 under the bishop Frei Manuel da Ressurreição. Among his duties, he was in charge of reorganizing the choir and repertoire of the cathedral to avoid the hybridization of sacred music and operatic music, a practice that the governor of the captaincy of São Paulo, Luís Antônio Botelho de Sousa Mourão, had banned. In addition to the tendency to purify the profane sounds of sacred music (mainly coming from opera or theatrical music), encouraged by the governor of the Captaincy of São Paulo, but probably resulting from the Encyclical Annus qui hunc (1749) of Pope Benedict XIV, André da Silva Gomes found himself, in São Paulo, in an urban environment and a cathedral lacking resources, initially counting, in this church, almost exclusively on the organist Inácio Xavier de Carvalho. Was then he founded a free music school and gathered an orchestra. In 1775 he married to Maria Garcia de Jesus with whom he had no children, but the couple adopted 16 children and provide them, besides the surname, formal and musical education. In 1789, he joined the military career where he conducted the musical corporation. In 1797 he was appointed as a teacher in Latin Grammar. With the coronation of Pedro I of Brazil in São Paulo in 1822, he directed his Te Deum in the cathedral in honor of the future emperor. The same year, when the independence of Brazil was proclaimed he was in charge of the musical solemnities in São Paulo. As a composer, his extant output is over than 130 works, mainly sacred.

SCHNITZER, Franz Xaver (1740-1785) - Sonata 'Pastorella' per il Organo

Franz Xaver Schnitzer (1740-1785) - Sonata 'Pastorella' (VI, G-Dur) per il Organo aus 'SEI SONATE | per il Cembalo ed Organo ... L'Autore P. Francesco Schnizer Capitolare dell'istesso Monastero | OPERA I.' (1773)

Performers: Pierre Pfіstеr (organ)

Painting: Unknown artist (19th Century) - Ottobeuren von Osten anzusehen (1824)

Further info: Franz Xaver Schnitzer (1740-1785) - Domine, Dixit, Magnificat à 4 Vocibus (1764)

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Franz (Francesco) Xaver Schnitzer [Schnizer, Shnizer, Snizer]

(Wurzach, 13 December 1740 - Ottobeuren, 5 May 1785)

German organist and composer. He entered the monastery of Ottobeuren in 1760 and studied music under Placidus Christadler and Benedikt Kraus. In 1766, he had the honor of performing on Karl Joseph Riepp's newly constructed organ during the consecration of the monastery's Dreifaltigkeitskirche, marking a significant moment in both his career and the abbey's musical history. From 1769 onward, he assumed the roles of regens chori, organist, and music teacher, further solidifying his position as a central figure in the abbey's musical life. As a composer, his output primarily consisted of sacred music composed in the prevailing Italian style of his time. His compositions are preserved in various libraries and archives, including those in Vienna, Freiburg, Munich and Ottobeuren. Additionally, he wrote at least 17 school dramas, now lost, which were performed at Ottobeuren and in Freising in 1776. He also published a set of 'Sei sonate per il Cembalo ed Organo' (1773) and his 'Cantus ottoburani monasterii' (1784), offers a glimpse into the rich choral tradition of the Ottobeuren monastery.

SAMAYOA, José Eulalio (1781-1855) - Sinfonía en Mi bemol mayor (1834)

José Eulalio Samayoa (1781-1855) - Sinfonía en Mi bemol mayor, No.7 'Batalla de Jiquilisco' (1834)

Performers: Orquesta Millеnnium; Dieter Lеhnhοff (conductor)

Drawing: Unknown artist (19th Century) - Le Concert anglais

Further info: José Eulalio Samayoa (1781-1855)

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José Eulalio Samayoa

 (Guatemala, 10 December 1781 - Guatemala, 1855)

Guatemalan composer. He honed his musical skills within the traditional guild system, later benefiting from the tutelage of Manuel Mendilla Retalhuleu. In 1813, he joined the choir of Guatemala Cathedral as the third tenor. On July 2, 1813, he founded the Sociedad Filarmónica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. From its inception, this society included the annual celebration of the 'Día del Músico' (Music Day), dedicated to the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús as atonement for any musical errors committed during liturgical services. Music Day was marked by a Mass and public concerts, which significantly stimulated the local musical scene. Certain restrictions imposed by the Ecclesiastical Chapter, prohibiting the performance of dawn carols, compelled Samayoa to explore the realm of absolute music, a previously neglected genre in Guatemala. To replace these carols or instrumental pieces by the likes of Joseph Haydn or Antonio Vivaldi, he composed instrumental works such as 'Tocatas' for strings and horns, as well as 'Piezas para tocarse en la iglesia' for larger orchestras. Music scholar Dieter Lehnhoff notes that "the necessity of delving into larger musical forms (initially limited to small, two-part forms leading to the sonata-allegro form) spurred his experimentation, making him one of the first American musicians to venture into the symphony genre." The earliest surviving example is his 'Sinfonía No.7' (1834), dedicated to 'al triunfo de las Armas Federales en la batalla de Jiquilisco (El Salvador).' Among his other extant works, the 'Sinfonía Cívica' and the 'Sinfonía Histórica', the mentioned 'Tocatas' and 'Piezas para tocarse en la iglesia', and eight masses, a Requiem, psalms, vespers et al,. In 1842 he wrote the history of the Sociedad Filarmónica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, with an extended historical appendix on the development of Music in Guatemala since the earliest days of the Spanish missions, thus becoming the first music historian in Central America and perhaps all of Latin America.

VON LINDPAINTNER, Peter Josef (1791-1856) - 2te Sinfonie Concertante

Peter Josef von Lindpaintner (1791-1856) - 2te Sinfonie Concertante ... Op.44 (c.1824)

Performers: Aulos Bläserquintett; Radio Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart; Bernhard Güller (conductor)

Painting: Josef Wilhelm Wallander (1821-1888) - Marknad vid Asen (1852)

Further info: Sinfonia Concertante

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Peter (Pierre) Josef (Joseph) von Lindpaintner [Lindpainter, Lindpaitner]

(Koblenz, 8 December 1791 - Nonnenhorn, 21 August 1856)

German conductor and composer. Son of a tenor active at the court of the Bishop-Elector of Trier, as a small child accompanied the court into exile in Augsburg after the French secularization of Trier. In 1806 he settled in Munich to study composition with Peter Winter. There he wrote the first opera, 'Demophoon' (1811), successfully performed in Munich. The following year he became music director at the Isartortheater, and over the next six years produced another eight operas, of which the most successful were 'Der blinde Gärtner' (c.1813), 'Die Sternkönigin' (1815), 'Pervonte' (1816) and 'Die Rosenmädchen' (1818). After his opera success he resumed the study of composition with the contrapuntist Joseph Graetz. In 1819 he took over the post of Kapellmeister in Stuttgart, in a position he held for the rest of his life. He was praised as one of the finest German conductors and continued to compose assiduously for the stage. He also enjoyed a reputation as a composer of lieder, sacred music and instrumental works. His songs, particularly 'Die Fahenwacht' and 'Roland', were widely popular; among his sacred music, which included cantatas, masses and psalms, the oratorio 'Der Jüngling von Nain' held a high place. His concertos and concertinos were notably successful, especially the two concertante symphonies for five wind instruments and orchestra. His achievements were acknowledged by the bestowal of the aristocratic ‘von’ in 1844, but in his later years his reputation as a composer declined. In 1854 Hans von Bülow castigated ‘the supreme impropriety of the pretensions with which Kapellmeister Lindpaintner now represents himself as the old master of the departing epoch, forgetting that Spohr alone can bear this honour’.

REINER, Ambrosius (1604-1672) - Missa IV (1655)

Ambrosius Reiner (1604-1672) - Missa IV aus MISSAE | QVINQVE VOCVM | ET TRIVM INSTRUMENTO-|rum necessariorum cum alijs | tribus ad libitum ... Anno 1655

Performers: Jörg Wаschinski (sopran); Doеrthе Mаria Sаndmаnn (sopran); Bеrnhard Lаndаuеr (alto);

Mаx Ciolеk (tenor); Wolf Mаtthias Friеdrich (bass);

Kammerchor und Kammerorchester des Fеrdinаndеums; Josеf Wеtzingеr (conductor)

Painting: Matthias Stomer (c.1600-c.1652) - Holy Family

Further info: Ambrosius Reiner (1604-1672) - Missa V (1655)

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Ambrosius Reiner [Rainer]

(Altdorf, bap. 7 December 1604 - Innsbruck, 4 July 1672)

German composer and organist. Son of Jacob Reiner (c.1560-1606), he embarked on his musical journey with a trial appointment as organist at the Archducal Chapel in Innsbruck on July 15, 1630. His talent was soon recognized, securing him the position of second court organist and choirmaster in 1631. A mere four years later, in 1635, he ascended to the prestigious role of first court organist. In 1642, his life took a personal turn as he married Maria Katharina Stadlmayr, daughter of his predecessor. This familial connection further solidified his position within the musical establishment. On July 1, 1648, he succeeded Johann Stadlmayr as court Kapellmeister, a testament to his exceptional abilities. Following the dissolution of the Archducal Chapel in 1665, he was appointed Imperial Director of Music in Innsbruck, a position he held until his demise. As a composer, his legacy is primarily composed of sacred vocal works, which, while not extensively studied, are believed to bear the stylistic influence of his mentor and father-in-law, Johann Stadlmayr.

FELTON, William (1715-1769) - Concerto for the Organ (1762)

William Felton (1715-1769) - Concerto (IV, D Major) for the Organ, Op.7 (1762)

Performers: Roger Bevan Williams (organ); Scottish Baroque Players

Painting: Johann Zoffany (1733-1810) - The Sayer Family of Richmond

Further info: William Felton (1715-1769) - Concerto in F, No.2 Op.4 (1752)

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William Felton

 (Drayton, 1715 - Hereford, 6 December 1769)

English priest, organist and composer. He was the son of George Felton, a clerk, and was educated at Manchester Grammar School and St John's College, Cambridge. On 11 August 1742 he was ordained priest by the Bishop of Hereford, became a vicar-choral and sub-chanter of the cathedral on 3 February 1743, and minor canon in 1760. From 1744 he also held various parochial appointments in Herefordshire. Felton was a steward at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford in 1744 and in Gloucester in 1745; and his name is on the list of subscribers to Thomas Chilcot's Twelve English Songs (1744). He seems to have enjoyed wide popularity as a performer on the harpsichord and organ. Charles Burney, who considered Felton a better performer than composer, recollected hearing in his youth ‘the celebrated Mr Felton’ play at Shrewsbury, and wrote in his History of his ‘neat finger for common divisions and the rapid multiplication of notes’. As a composer, he wrote several concertos both for harpsichord or organ which were modelled on those of George Frideric Handel. His concertos were widely acquired by music society libraries and private collectors, and his music frequently appeared in 18th-century domestic manuscript anthologies.

MULLER, Iwan (1786-1854) - Concerto pour la Clarinetto

Iwan Müller (1786-1854) - No: 11 | Concerto (d-moll) | pour la Clarinetto | avec les parties a orchestre |

Composé et Dedié a son Ami | N. Simrock

Performers: Emil Drápela (clarinet); Státní filharmonie Brno; Tomáš Hanus (conductor)

Painting: Erik Henningsen (1855-1930) - The Dance Pavilion (1891)

Further info: Iwan Müller (1786-1854) - Concertante, Op.23 (1826)

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Iwan (Ivan, Jwan) Müller

(Reval [now Tallinn], 3 December 1786 - Bückeburg, 4 February 1854)

German-Baltic clarinettist and composer. He was also active as an inventor: in 1808 he produced an 18-key basset-horn, and in 1809 a prototype clarinet of the class now known as ‘simple system’. The clarinet had 13 keys, seven of which were new, and gave much better intonation through more carefully placed holes. He was the first to use stuffed pads over counter-sunk tone holes, and in 1817 he invented the metal ligature. Early in his career he added three keys to the bassoon, which he played at that time, and later claimed the invention of the alto clarinet. He was no less energetic as a performer; his ‘carrière agitée’, as Fétis called it, took him to all major European cities. Wherever he went he advertised his new clarinet, and his success as an artist inspired composers to write specifically for it. His style was brilliant and expressive, though impetuous and somewhat lacking in polish. From 1800 he was in St Petersburg, where he became an imperial chamber musician. He left in 1807 and travelled through Austria and Germany to Paris, where he spent considerable periods throughout his life, though without any fixed appointment. He lived in England from 1815 to 1820 and during 1829; he dedicated his tutor of 1825 to George IV. In later years he made several extremely successful Italian tours, and he ended his days as court musician to the Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. As a composer, he mainly wrote instrumental music, among them, over than 10 clarinet concertos, six flute concertos, orchestral works and chamber music. Despite his studies were very popular, his major works fell into oblivion after his death. 

RICHTER, Franz Xaver (1709-1789) - Concerto Per il Oboe Principale (1770)

Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789) - Concerto (F-Dur) Per il | Oboe Principale | Violino Primo. |

Violino Secondo. | Violetta. | Con | Basso (1770)

Performers: Luise Hаugk (oboe); Czеch Baroque Ensemble; Roman Válеk (conductor)

Painting: Jean-Baptiste Pater (1695-1736) - Concert Champêtre (c.1734)

Further info: Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789) - Sinfonia in D (1750)

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Franz (František) Xaver Richter [Ritter]

(Holleschau [now Holešov], 1 December 1709 - Strasbourg, 12 September 1789)

Moravian composer, theorist and singer. His earliest education was at the Jesuit school in Uherské Hradištĕ (Ungarisch Hradisch), following which in 1727 he traveled to Italy and Vienna, where he probably received some musical instruction from Johann Joseph Fux. From around 1735 to 1740 he was employed in a variety of small positions, probably in Bavaria or the Tirol before obtaining the post of vice Kapellmeister for Prince-Abbot Anselm von Reichlin-Meldeg in Kempten. Here he composed one of his earliest works, a multi-movement Te Deum and several symphonies for strings, 12 of which were published in two sets in Paris (Grande Symphonies) as some of the earliest popular works in the genre. In 1747 he arrived in Mannheim as a singer (bass), where he performed in various operas and by 1768 had become known both as a teacher and as a composer of chamber music. During this period he often traveled to Paris and was on loan at the court of Oettingen-Wallerstein; his students included Joseph Martin Kraus, as well as most likely Carl Stamitz and Ignaz Fränzl. In 1769 he succeeded Joseph Garnier as Kapellmeister of the cathedral in Strasbourg, where he remained the rest of his life, save for a brief visit to Munich in 1787 to see his old colleagues from Mannheim. Although he was an active composer of sacred music during this time, his duties required him to hire an assistant in 1783, Ignaz Pleyel, who also became his successor following Richter’s death. His extant works include about 80 symphonies, overtures, 6 harpsichord concertos, 8 flute concertos, an Oboe Concerto, dozens of sonatas for several instruments, various keyboard pieces and much sacred music. He was one of the most notable composers of the Classical period and particulary in the instrumental field. 

SANXO I LLITERES, Joan Baptista (1772-1830) - Missa de los Angeles

Joan Baptista Sanxo i Lliteres (1772-1830) - Missa de los Angeles à 4 voces, 5to tono ... (1796)

Performers: Zеphyr Voices Unbοund; Rіchаrd Lyοns (conductor)

Drawing: Henry Chapman Ford (1828-1894) - Mission San Antonio de Padua (1883)

Further info: A Choir Of Angels II (Mission Music)

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Joan Baptista (Juan Bautista) Sanxo i Lliteres [Sancho Literes]

(Artà, 1 December 1772 - Mission San Antonio de Padua, California, 8 February 1830)

Spanish composer and scholar. Born into a prominent family of musicians, the first of them was the organist Esteve Sanxo (16th Century). Joan Baptista Sanxo i Lliteres was the son of Pere Josep Sanxo i Nicolau (c.1740-1815) and Margarida Lliteres Llinàs. He moved to Palma as a young teen where he took Holy Orders on 9 February 1791 as a Franciscan monk and rose in prominence to assume the post of Music Director in the late 1790s at the prestigious Convent de Sant Francesc. In 1803 he left Mallorca with his friend Pere Cabot. The two arrived in Mexico on 20 June 1803. After a brief training session in Mexico City at the Mother House of their Franciscan Missionary Order, the Colegio Apostólico de San Fernando, they embarked for California, where they landed in Monterey on 15 August 1804. Sanxo immediately made his way down to Mission San Antonio, where he then was involved in nearly every aspect of this thriving culture, including its agricultural production, architectural construction, and musical performance. Soon, he had established a choir and orchestra capable of playing music of the difficulty one would hear in Rome or Paris. As a composer, his 'Misa en Sol' and 'Missa de los Angeles à 4 voces' (1796) are among his best works. He also brought to California some of the first samples of 18th-century European music, including sacred plainchant, sacred polyphony, as well as opera excerpts and instrumental arrangements with basso continuo. Among the musicians of his family, his greatgrandfather Pere Sanxo i Sard (c.1684-1755) active in Palma, Antonio Sanxo Sacrer (fl. 1776-1781) and Jaume Sanxo Melis (1743-1829), violinist and composer and the most accomplished member of his family.

BINDER, Carl (1816-1860) - Ouverture 'Orpheus in der Unterwelt'

Carl Binder (1816-1860) - Ouverture zur Jacques Offenbach 'Orpheus in der Unterwelt'

Performers: Angèlе Dubеau (violin); La Piеtà

Painting: Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875) - Orpheus Leading Eurydice from the Underworld (1861)

Further info: Infernal Violins

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Carl (Karl, Carlo, Charles) Binder

(Vienna, 29 November 1816 - Vienna, 5 November 1860)

Austrian composer. Nothing is known about his early years. From 1839 to 1847 he was Kapellmeister at Viennese suburban theaters writing a large number of scores for Possen (farces) and Singspiele, most of which did no more than satisfy the expectations of the audiences of his day. He later did achieve a few major successes with the scores to seven of Johann Nepomuk Nestroy’s plays written between 1851 and 1859, and in his instrumentation of Offenbach’s operettas which reached Vienna in the late 1850s. He was elected an honorary member of the Dom-Musik-Verein in Salzburg on 10 April 1854. Of approximately 80 works written by Binder between 1849 and 1860, those most frequently performed at the Carltheater (formerly the Theater in der Leopoldstadt) included the scores to Nestroy’s Kampl (1852) and Umsonst (1857), Kaiser’s Verrechnet (1851) and the ‘Charakterbild’ Die Frau Wirtin (1856), and Kalisch’s Ein gebildeter Hausknecht (1858). His best-known work though was the overture on various motifs of the Jacques Offenbach operetta 'Orpheus in der Unterwelt', stage work originally composed by Offenbach with a short instrumental prelude but with no overture itself. The overture was arranged by Carl Binder for the first operetta performance in Vienna (1860) achiving a great success. His son Karl Binder (1843-1870) was a promising musician ended by an early death.

PUGNANI, Gaetano (1731-1798) - Sinfonia a più Strumenti (c.1775)

Gaetano Pugnani (1731-1798) - Sinfonia (Si bemolle maggiore) a più Strumenti (c.1775)

Performers: Neue Düssеldorfеr Hofmusik; Mary Utіgеr (conductor)

Painting: Anton Kern (1709-1747) - Rinaldo und Armida im Zauberwald (c.1735)

Further info: Gaetano Pugnani (1731-1798) - Concerto in re maggiore per due violini

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(Giulio) Gaetano (Gerolamo) Pugnani [Pugnano, Pugniani]

(Turin, 27 November 1731 - Turin, 15 July 1798)

Italian violinist and composer. Trained under Giovanni Battista Somis and Giuseppe Tartini, at the age of ten he began his career as a second violinist in the orchestra at the Teatro Regio, Turin, though his official appointment was delayed until 19 April 1748. Two years later he made his debut at the Concerts spirituels in Paris. Was then when 'The Mercure de France' wrote: ‘the connoisseurs insist that they have never heard a violinist superior to this virtuoso’. From 1767 to 1769 he served as conductor at the King’s Theatre in London, where his first opera, 'Nanetta e Lubino' (1769), met with success. He also appeared in concerts with Johann Christian Bach and other prominent musicians. In 1770 he became first violinist of the king’s music in Turin, a post his teacher Somis had held and which included the leadership of the Teatro Regio orchestra. His most famous pupil was Giovanni Battista Viotti, with whom he toured Europe as far as Russia in the 1780s and 1790s, thereby becoming the direct link between the early violin styles of Tartini and the later international style represented by Viotti. His last foreign journey took him to Vienna, where on 22 March 1796 he conducted his orchestral suite based on Goethe’s Werther. As a composer, he was known for his dramatic and harmonically adventurous works. These include eight operas, the mentioned 'Werther', six concert arias, an oratorio, three cantatas, 19 symphonies, eight quintets, five violin concertos, six string quartets, 45 trios, 18 duets, 20 violin sonatas and numerous dances.

BAUR, Jean (1719-1777) - Sonate pour harpe et clavecin (c.1774)

Jean Baur (1719-1777) - Sonate pour harpe et clavecin des 'Sonates pour la harpe dont deux

avec un accompagnement chantant pour le clavecin ou le forte-piano et deux

avec un accompagnement de violon ad libitum ... œuvre VIII' (c.1774)

Performers: Clara Izаmbеrt (harp); Marie van Rhіjn (harpsichord)

Drawing: Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827) - A woman plays the harp and sings, but her husband sleeps

Further info: Jean Baur (1719-1777) - Sonates pour harpe et clavecin (c.1773)

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Jean Baur [Baur 'le père']

(Bouzonville, 1719 - Paris?, 1777)

French composer and harpist. He was the first member of a family of musicians. He settled in Paris in 1745, four years before Georg Adam Goepfert introduced the pedal harp there. Jean Baur was among the first one on using the pedal harp in his chamber works, and his sonatas with clavecin or fortepiano accompaniment mark him as the earliest known composer to differentiate between the harp and keyboard instruments. Among his works, dozens of sonates for several instruments compiled in collections printed and published in Paris. His daughter Marie-Marguerite Baur (1748-after 1790) was also an harpist active in Paris, where she made her début at the Concert Spirituel in 1762. His son Barthélemy Baur (1751-1823) was an harpist and composer active in Tours, and his grandson Charles-Alexis Baur (1789-after 1820) was an harpist, pianist, teacher and composer active in London.

SIMRAK, Ján (1600-1657) - Missa Super omnes gentes

Ján Šimrák (1600-1657) - Missa Super omnes gentes

Performers: Camerata Brаtislаva; Jan Rozеhnаl (conductor)

Painting: Jan Brueghel II (1601-1678) - Die Ruhe auf der Flucht

Further info: Šimbracký - Latin Church music

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Ján (Johannes) Šimrák [Schimbrack, Schimrag, Schimbracky, Šimbracký et al.]

(1600 - Spišské Podhradie, 1657)

Slovak composer and organist. Almost nothing is known about his life and career. He came from the German evangelical environment of Spiš where he was born into a family of priests and teachers. It was mentioned as a senator of the Podhradie city council from 1637 until his death in 1657 and as organist in Spišské Podhradie. As a composer, he mainly wrote sacred music the most of them currently preserved in three tablature books which contains almost the whole of his extant output.

MARPURG, Friedrich Wilhelm (1718-1795) - Concerto per il Clavicembalo

Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg (1718-1795) - Concerto (B-Dur) per il Clavicembalo (1757)

World Premiere Recording

Performers: Pau NG on Sibelius with samples of a German harpsichord (18th Century)

Painting: Johann Nikolaus Grooth (1723-1797) - Kurfürst Maximilian III. Joseph mit seiner Gemahlin und Schwester

Further info: Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg (1718-1795) - Partita Sesta C-Dur (1756)

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Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg [Marpourg, Simeon Metaphrastes der Jüngere]

(Seehof, 21 November 1718 - Berlin, 22 May 1795)

German critic, journalist, theorist and composer. Although little is known about his musical training, he was resident in Paris in 1746, where he became friends with François Marie Arouet 'Voltaire' and Jean le Rond d'Alembert, among others. Shortly after his return to Germany, he published his first work, 'Der critische Musicus an der Spree', which was followed in 1754 by his most famous and widely distributed journal, 'Historisch-kritische Beyträge zur Aufnahme der Musik'. In 1752 he wrote an extended preface for Johann Sebastian Bach’s Kunst der Fuge under the auspices of publisher Breitkopf. Economic difficulties were overcome in 1763 when he was given a post at the Prussian Lottery, three years later becoming its director. His final major work, the 'Kritische Briefe über die Tonkunst', published between 1760 and 1764, was equally significant in establishing his reputation as a critic and theorist. As a composer, he showed that he was one of the significant figures in the Berlin School. He composed 185 Lieder (many of which were published in anthologies he edited), six sonatas for harpsichord (c.1755), a collection of fugues (1777) and two collections of chorale preludes.

KOZELUH, Leopold (1747-1818) - Simphonie à grand orchestre (1787)

Leopold Koželuh (1747-1818) - Simphonie (Sol mineur) à grand orchestre ... oeuvre 22 (1787)

Performers: Collеgium 1704; Václav Lսks (conductor)

Drawing: Dirk Langendijk (1748-1805) - Battle Scene with Church at right (c.1795)

Further info: Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818) - Piano concerto B-Dur (c.1786)

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(Jan Antonín) Leopold (Leopoldo) Koželuh [Kozeluch, Kotzeluch, Goscheloch et al.]

(Velvary, 26 June 1747 - Vienna, 7 May 1818)

Bohemian composer, pianist, music teacher and publisher. His earliest musical education was under Antonín Kubík and his cousin Jan Antonín Koželuh in his hometown. By 1771 he had moved to Prague, where he studied briefly under František Xaver Dusek and wrote ballets for the National Theatre. By 1774 he had Germanized his name to prevent confusion with his cousin Jan Antonín Koželuh (1738-1814), arriving in Vienna in 1778 to study under Johann Georg Albrechtsberger. In 1781 he was given the post as teacher of Archduchess Elisabeth, Georg Christoph Wagenseil’s old position. By 1781 he was so well established there that he could refuse an offer to succeed Mozart as court organist to the Archbishop of Salzburg. He remained active in Viennese musical and social circles the remainder of his life, although in 1792 he was named as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s successor as Kapellmeister in Prague, a position that did not require residence. Although he is best known for his disparaging remarks on the music of Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and Ludwig van Beethoven, as a composer he had a reputation for works that demonstrated good orchestration and solid formal structures. His 400 or so compositions include six operas, 25 ballets, five Masses, numerous smaller church works, two oratorios, 30 symphonies, 22 piano concertos (plus others for clarinet and bassoon), two sinfonia concertantes, 24 violin sonatas, six string quartets, 63 keyboard trios, 10 parthies, two serenades, eight divertimentos, 61 dances, 87 keyboard sonatas, nine secular cantatas, and six vocal notturnos. His daughter Katharina Koželuh-Cibbini (1785-1858) was a well-known pianist and composer of piano music during the early 19th century in Vienna.

SCHEIBL, Johann Adam (1710-1773) - Concerto ex C a Clavi Cembalo

Johann Adam Scheibl (1710-1773) - Concerto Ex c | a | Clavi Cembalo | Violino Primo | Violino Secondo |

Clarino Primo | Clarino Secondo [accolada: ad lib] | e | Baʃso

Performers: MiIko Bіzjаk (cembalo); Gertraud Gаmеrith (violin); Aninka Hаrms (violin); Alojz Mordеj (violoncello)

Painting: Pietro Longhi (1701-1785) - La trattativa

Further info: Johann Adam Scheibl (1710-1773) - Parttitta in C

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Johann Adam Scheibl [Scheibel]

(Spital am Pyhrn, 18 November 1710 - St. Pölten, 31 December 1773)

Austrian organist and composer. He was born in Spital am Pyhrn as the son of a collegiate conductor and received his first music lessons from his father. From 1734 to 1737 he served as organist at the Benedictine monastery in Seitenstetten and later was appointed organist and choirmaster at the Augustinian canons in St. Pölten, which was later repealed under Joseph II. Occasionally, he also was commissioned by the Piarists. As a composer, he wrote at least 22 masses, three requiems, numerous smaller church pieces, ballets, symphonies, divertimenti as well as several concertos and keyboard parthien.

ABOS, Girolamo (1715-1760) - Magnificat à 4:o Concertato con Strum.ti

Girolamo Abos (1715-1760) - Magnificat à 4:o Concertato con Strum.ti

Performers: Zoe Brown (soprano); Myriam Arbouz (alto); George Pooley (tenor); Mauro Borgioni (bass);

Die Kölner Akademie; Michael Alexander Willens (conductor)

Painting: Joseph Kenhelm (18th Century) - View of the Grand harbour, Valetta, Malta

Further info: Girolamo Abos (1715-1760) - Messa a due cori (1756)

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Girolamo (Matteo) Abos [Abbos, Abosso, Avos, Avossa, Avosso, D'Avossa, Habos]

(Valetta, 16 November 1715 - Naples, October 1760)

Maltese composer and teacher. Born into a musical family, his grandfather, who was French, settled in Malta in 1661. Girolamo Abos was sent to Naples at the age of 14 to study at the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù under Gaetano Greco, Francesco Durante and Gerolimo Ferrara. His first opera for Naples was 'Le due zingare simili', an opera buffa staged at the Teatro Nuovo in 1742. The same year he was appointed deputy to maestro di cappella Ignazio Prota at the Conservatorio di Sant’Onofrio a Porta Capuana in a post he held until his death. On 29 May 1752 he married Angela Maria Gauttier, by whom he had two children. In 1754 he also became secondo maestro at the conservatory Pietà dei Turchini, but retired from the post on 11 July 1759 and was succeeded by Pasquale Cafaro. He also occasionally served as maestro di cappella at several important Neapolitan churches. As a composer, he wrote at least 16 operas (mostly seria), many of which were performed internationally. In addition he composed at least one symphony (1735) and numerous sacred works, among which the Stabat mater (1758) is the best known. He was not related to the composer active in Naples, Giuseppe Avossa (1708-1796), despite some mistaken attributions exist among manuscript copies.

HUMMEL, Johann Nepomuk (1778-1837) - Concerto a Trombe Principale

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) - Concerto (Es-Dur) a Trombe Principale (1803), IJH 100

Performers: Ludwig Güttlеr (trumpet); Kammerorchester Bеrlin; Max Pommеr (conductor)

Painting: Johann Peter Krafft (1780-1856) - Der Einzug von Kaiser Franz I. in Wien nach dem Pariser Frieden

Further info: Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) - Messe Nr. 2 in Es à 4 Voci (1804)

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Johann (Johannes, Jean, John) Nepomuk Hummel [Humel]

(Pressburg [now Bratislava], 14 November 1778 - Weimar, 17 October 1837)

Slovakian-Austrian composer, teacher and pianist. He was son of Johannes Hummel (1754-1828), director of the Imperial School of Military Music in Vienna, and Margarethe Sommer (1751-1837). Recognized as a child prodigy, he began musical instruction from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1786 when his family moved to Vienna. Making his debut a year later, he was so proficient that in 1788 Mozart recommended that he be taken on tour of Germany and Denmark. By 1790 he and his family were in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he took on pupils for a short time, and in 1792 he made his debut at the Hannover Square Rooms in London. He returned to Vienna in 1795, where he studied organ under Joseph Haydn, composition under Antonio Salieri, and counterpoint under Johann Georg Albrechtsberger. During this period he began a long and often stormy friendship with Ludwig van Beethoven, whom Hummel considered a superior performer and composer, often lending him an inferiority complex. In 1804, he became Konzertmeister at the Esterházy estate in Eisenstadt, a position that was problematic enough that in 1811 he resigned and turned to private teaching. In 1816 he obtained the position as court Kapellmeister in Stuttgart but left after only a year to take up a similar post in Weimar. In 1832, at the age of 54 and in failing health, he began to devote less energy to his duties as music director at Weimar. He was in partial retirement until his death in 1837. As a composer, although his music displays redolent Classical form and structure, the advanced harmonies and expanded forms more properly belong to the Romantic period, with the bulk of his music being written after 1800. His output embraced virtually all the genres and performing media common at the turn of the century: operas, Singspiele, symphonic masses and other sacred works, occasional pieces, chamber music, songs and concertos and solo piano music, as well as many arrangements. He was considered in his time to be one of Europe's greatest composers and perhaps its greatest pianist. Despite his great success, he seems to have remained fundamentally a warm and simple person. His son Eduard Hummel (1814-c.1875) was also a composer active in Augsburg. 

BRANDL, Johann Evangelist (1760-1837) - Te Deum Laudamus

Johann Evangelist Brandl (1760-1837) - Te Deum Laudamus | a Piu | Stromenti

Performers: Ruth Dobers (soprano); Marion Egner (alto); Marcus Elsässer (tenor); Joachim Herrmann (bass);

Chor der Hofkirche Bruchsal; Bruchsaler Hofkapelle; Dominik Axtmann (conductor)

Painting: Ludwig Halauska (1827-1892) - A View of Klosterneuburg Monastery (1873)

Further info: Brandl - Piano Quintet, Op.63 (1798)

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Johann (Iohann) Evangelist (Evangeliste) Brandl [Brandel, Branden, Prandl]

(Kloster Rohr, 14 November 1760 - Karlsruhe, 25 May 1837)

German violinist and composer. Following early musical training, probably at Regensburg, he was appointed as Kapellmeister at Bartelstein in 1784, five years later moving to Bruchsal. Intermittent temporary appointments in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart occurred until 1805, when he moved to Karlsruhe as Kapellmeister and director of the town theatre along with Franz Danzi. He remained there until his death in 1837. As a composer, he was concerned with the infusion of drama into musical settings. His monodrama 'Hero und Leander' attempts to provide a lush orchestral setting for the Greek tale. His other works include five operas, over 50 Lieder, 60 Masses, numerous smaller church works (hymns and litanies), nine symphonies, 20 string quintets (and several others with winds), five concertos, three sextets, and two serenades, as well as six string quartets and numerous concert arias.

CANONGIA, José Avelino (1784-1842) - Concerto pour la clarinette

José Avelino Canongia (1784-1842) - Troisixième Concerto (Mib majeur) pour la clarinette avec Orchestre ou Quatuor dédié à S. M. Dom Fernando second (c.1840)

Performers: Julien Hеrvе (clarinet); Orquestra Sinfónica da ESMAE; António Sаiοte (conductor)

Painting: John Lewis Krimmel (1789-1821) - Parade of the Victuallers (1821)

Further info: José Avelino Canongia (1784-1842)

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José (Joze) Avelino Canongia

(Oeiras, 10 November 1784 - Lisbon, 10 July 1842)

Portuguese clarinetist and composer. He was born into a family of Catalan origin. His father, Ignacio Canongia, the principal clarinettist of the Teatro São Carlos, had emigrated from Catalonia in the 1780s. He pursued his son to study at the music school of the Confraria do Apóstolo Paulo, where Canongia learned to sing, play the piano and the violin. He later studied clarinet with Johann Anton Wisse, a German musician active in Lisbon. Few time later he was promoted first as musician of the Teatro de São Carlos orchestra and then of the Teatro do Salitre orchestra. From 1806 to 1808, he settled in Paris and then in Nantes. Following solo performances in Paris and London, and upon his return to Portugal, he was appointed principal clarinettist at the Portuguese Royal Court. He embarked on numerous tours throughout Europe: in 1818, he gave recitals in Genoa and Bologna; in 1819 in Saint Petersburg; in 1820 in Turin, Zurich, Dresden, Weimar, Frankfurt, and Berlin. His appearance at the Concerts Spirituels in 1820 was greatly appreciated by the Parisian public. In 1821, after concerts in Munich, he returned to Lisbon via Paris, where he became a soloist of the Teatro de São Carlos orchestra in a post he held until his death in 1842. As a composer, and along with João Domingos Bomtempo, he is considered one of the greatest virtuoso musicians in Portugal during the early 19th century. He possessed a brilliant technique, and during his tour of Germany, his playing was compared to that of Heinrich Joseph Bärmann and Johann Simon Hermstedt. His compositions include four concertos, variations, fantasies, and other works for clarinet.

ZOMB, František Xaver (1779-1823) - Missa brevis ex D (1812)

František Xaver Zomb (1779-1823) - Missa brevis ex D (1812)

Performers: Livia Aghová (soprano); Marta Beňačková (alto); Ludovit Ludha (tenor); Peter Mikulás (bass); Spevácky zbor mesta Bratislavy; Statna filharmónia Kosice; Richard Zimmer (conductor)

Painting: Jakob Alt (1789-1872) - Košice Cathedral (1839)

Further info: Zomb - Choral Works

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František Xaver Zomb

(Košice, 9 November 1779 - Košice, 20 December 1823)

Moravian composer and teacher. Almost nothing is known about his life. He was mainly active as a regens chori, teacher and composer in his hometown. In 1819 he was appointed as choirmaster in the Košice Cathedral in a post he held the rest of his life. He was also documented as music critic to the 'Allgmeine musikalische Zeitung' in Leipzig and Vienna. As a composer, he mainly focused on sacred music, among them, a collection of ten masses from 1812 and a set of Vespers.

VON PREUSSEN, Anna Amalie (1723-1787) - Sonata per il Flauto traverso

Anna Amalie von Preußen (1723-1787) - Sonata (F-Dur) per il Flauto traverso e Basso (1771)

Performers: Elisabeth Wеinziеrl (flute); Eva Schiеfеrstеin (cembalo); Philipp von Morgеn (cello)

Painting: Antoine Pesne (1683-1757) - Prinzessin Amalia von Preussen (1757)

Further info: Flute Music of Female Composers

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Anna Amalie (Amalia, Amélie), Prinzessin von Preußen [Äbtissin von Quedlinburg]

(Berlin, 9 November 1723 - Berlin, 30 March 1787)

German patron, amateur musician and composer. Son of Friedrich Wilhelm I (1688-1740) and Sophie Dorothea von Hannover (1687-1757), and sister of Frederick II (1712-1786), her earliest training in music came only after the death of her father and was under the tutelage of her brother. In 1743 she secretly married Baron Friedrich von der Trenck, but when this became known and her pregnancy discovered, she was packed off to the cloister at Quedlinburg. She preferred this location, though she spent most summers thereafter in Berlin at a palace given her by her brother. In 1755 she became abbess of the secularized convent of Quedlinburg, a position which afforded her a comfortable income and made almost no demands on her time. She continued to make her home in Berlin, where she held musical soirées attended by the artists and intelligentsia of Berlin and Europe. Adept as a performer on flute, violin, and keyboard, she formed her own musical circle alongside the Berlin School, taking composition from both Carl Heinrich Graun and Johann Kirnberger, beginning in 1758. Her number of compositions is relatively slight, given that she probably destroyed many in later years. Among them are several cantatas, marches, and smaller chamber works much in the style of the Berlin composers. Her greatest significance to music lies in her music library, a collection of incalculable value. It is particularly rich in 18th-century music – that of J.S. Bach above all. She has not to be confused with Anna Amalia, Duchess of Saxe-Weimar, also a composer.

RICCI, Francesco Pasquale (1732-1817) - Sinfonia à Più Stromenti obligati

Francesco Pasquale Ricci (1732-1817) - Sinfonia (IV, B-Dur) à Più Stromenti obligati, Op.2 (1767)

Performers: Nеthеrlands Radio Chamber Orchestra; Jan Willеm de Vriеnd (conductor)

Drawing: Giuseppe Galli Bibiena (1696-1757) - Classical Architectural Fantasy

Further info: Francesco Pasquale Ricci (1732-1817) - Sinfonia Diss Dur a piu Instrumenti (c.1767)

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Francesco Pasquale Ricci [Rici, Rizzi] detto 'Festoni'

(Como, 17 May 1732 - Loveno di Menaggio, Como, 7 November 1817)

Italian composer and violinist. Following early studies in Milan, he joined the Franciscan Order of the Friars Minor obtaining the title of abbé. In 1759 he was appointed as maestro di cappella of the cathedral in Como, but he was absent for long periods touring France and England. In 1764 he was employed at the court of William V of Orange in The Hague, where his students included Josina van Aerssen. In 1780 he returned to Como, where he remained, being pensioned in 1798. His main claim to fame was a treatise written for a Neapolitan conservatory titled 'Méthode ou recueil des connaissances élémentaires pour le forte-piano ou clavecin', published in 1786 and purported to be done in collaboration with the then-late Johann Christian Bach. His own music includes 15 symphonies, three sinfonia concertantes, two concertos, 12 trios, 12 trio sonatas, six quintets, six string quartets, a number of chamber works, two Masses, a Requiem sequence, and six ariettas. 

Unknown composer (18th Century) - Concerto per il Oboe

Unknown composer (18th Century) - Concerto (Sol minore) à 6 con il Oboe Obbligato

(apparently composed by Antonio Vivaldi as RV 812 but not on RISM / IMSLP)

Performers: Andreas Hеlm (oboe); Concіlіum Musicum Wien

Painting: Attributed to Jacques de Lajoue (1687-1761) - Portrait of a musician, full-length,

seated before a park landscape

Further info: Klingende Schätze aus Schloss Rohrau

ORTWEIN, Magnus (1845-1919) - Dreifaltigkeits-Messe (1907)

Magnus Ortwein (1845-1919) - Dreifaltigkeits-Messe für 4stimmig gemischten Chor und Orchester (1907)

Performers: Susanne Langbein (soprano); Martha Senn (alto); Johannes Puchleitner (tenor); Marc Kugel (bass);

Chor und Orchester der Akademie St. Blasius; Karlheinz Siessl (conductor)

Painting: Eduard von Steinle (1810-1886) - Der Heilige Franziskus in seiner Zelle Ein Engel stillt des Sterbenden Sehnsucht nach Musik (1855)

Further info: Ortwein - Dreifaltigkeitsmesse

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P. Magnus (Josef) Ortwein

(Laatsch, 3 November 1845 - Meran, 2 October 1919)

German priest and composer. He received his first musical training from his father, a teacher and organist. In 1865, he entered at the Benedictine monastery of Marienberg and studied theology from 1866 to 1870, being ordained a priest in 1869. From 1870 to 1872, he taught mathematics, physics, and singing at the Benedictine Gymnasium in Meran and from 1872 to 1876, he studied German, Latin, and Greek at the University of Innsbruck. From 1876 to 1919, he settled again in Meran where he was appointed as a high school teacher and choirmaster and, from 1886 to 1917, director of the Benedictine Gymnasium. As a composer, he only wrote vocal music, among them, two masses, several graduals, offertories and hymns as well as motets and secular and sacred songs. His style tries to emphasize the liturgical texts by combining his Wagnerian leitmotif technique with old classical polyphony.

VINYALS GALI, Josep (1772-1825) - Sonata per a orgue (1797)

Josep Vinyals i Galí (1772-1825) - Sonata per a orgue (1797)

Performers: Montserrat Torrent (orgue)

Drawing: Carl Christian Schramm (fl. 1726-1735) - Vista del Pont del Diable de Martorell,

amb la muntanya de Montserrat al fons (1735)

Further info: L'Orgue de Maó - Obres del S.XVIII

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Josep (José) Vinyals (Viñals) i Galí [Gali]

(Terrassa, 1 November 1772 - Terrassa, 10 January 1825)

Spanish monk, organist and composer. He received his musical training at the Escolania de Montserrat under Anselm Viola and Narcís Casanoves, which whom he learned to play the organ, violin and cello. In 1791, he entered the Montserrat abbey as a monk and from 1799 onwards, he took over the post of choirmaster. During this period, he wrote a large corpus of liturgical music to perform at the same abbey. As organist there, he also wrote a large amount of organ music, compiled in a collection (1797). After the Napeoleonic war and the consequent destruction of the abbey, he came back to Terrassa where he assumed an organist post at the parish church. He also was in charge of recovering the Montserrat music lost during the Napoleonic war. He spent his last years at the monastery of Sant Benet de Bages.

HAMMERSCHMIDT, Andreas (1611-1675) - Suite in g (1636)

Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611-1675) - Suite in g-moll aus 'Erster Fleiß Allerhand neuer Paduanen, Galliarden, Balletten, Mascharaden, Françoischen Arien, Courentten und Sarabanden ... Erster Theil' (1636)

Performers: Spirit of Gambo; Ecco la musica; Heinz Hennig (conductor)

Painting: Hans Holbein The Younger (1497-1543) - The Holy Family (1519)

Further info: Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611-1675) - Machet die Tore weit

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Andreas Hammerschmidt [Hammerschmid, Hammerschmied]

(Brüx [now Most], 1611 - Zittau, 29 October 1675)

Bohemian composer and organist. His father, Hans Hammerschmidt (1581-1636), was of Saxon descent and was a saddler in Bohemia, first at Saaz and from 1610 at Brüx, and his mother probably came from Bohemia. Nothing is known about his early education. By this date there was no Gymnasium at Brüx, and his name does not appear in the registers of the Gymnasium at Freiberg. From July 1633 to 1634 he was organist to Count Rudolf von Bünau at his castle in Weesenstein, Saxony, and from 1634 to 1639 at St. Petri in Freiberg im Breisgau. On 22 August 1637 he married there Ursula Teuffel, the daughter of a Prague businessman; of their six children, three died in infancy. From 1639 until his death, he was organist at St. Johannis in Zittau. During his tenure in Zittau, he became one of the most celebrated musicians of the day. He died on 29 October 1675; his funeral was well attended; and his tombstone describes him as the ‘Orpheus of Zittau’. As a composer, he wrote a large body of sacred vocal music, some 400 works published in 14 collections. His compositions for the Lutheran liturgy are of great significance. Although he was an organist all his life, no organ works by him have survived. His instrumental music is confined to the three collections of pieces that appeared in 1636, 1639 and 1650. He was one of the earliest composers to adopt the new Italian style of writing elaborate instrumental accompaniments to polyphonic vocal works.