Un portal on escoltar i gaudir de l'art musical dels segles XVI, XVII, XVIII i XIX. Compartir la bellesa de la música és l'objectiu d'aquest espai i fer-ho donant a conèixer obres de compositors molt o poc coneguts és el mètode.
Gessel (18th Century)
- Dominica Laetare "Schmecket und sehet wie freundlich der Herr ist"
Performers: Ingrida Gapova (soprano); Jan Medrala (alto); Krzysztof
Kozarek (tenor); Jacek Ozimkowski (bass); Goldberg Baroque Ensemble;
Andrzej Mikołaj Szadejko (conductor)
Jan Engel (?-1788) - SINFONIA (Es-Dur) | A | Violini, Oboe, Corni, | Alto, e Basso. |
[by hand with black ink: "Due Clarinetti"] | DEDICATA | A SUA ECCELLENZA
| II Sig|r: Conte | PRZEZDZIECKI. ... ANNO 1772
Performers: Capella Claromontana; Jan Tomasz Adamus (conductor)
Polish composer, printer and music publisher. He served as Kapellmeister
at the Cathedral of St. John in Warsaw between 1771 and 1772, during
which time he established a printing press on Ulica Krzywe Koło that
remained operational until 1776. In 1772, he independently published six
of his own symphonies, issued separately with uniform title pages and
distributed through the Warsaw booksellers M. Gröll and J.A. Poser;
while extant copies of the first three symphonies are preserved in the
Pauline Monastery in Częstochowa, the remaining works are known
exclusively through contemporary Warsaw press announcements and entries
in the Breitkopf (Leipzig) catalogs spanning 1772, 1777, and 1785-1787.
The following year, he compiled and published a collection titled
'Mélanges de Musique pour le clavecin par Monsieur Engel', which notably
featured works by M. Kamieński alongside what were highly probable to
be his own compositions and those of other contemporaries, though this
publication was regrettably destroyed during World War II. In tandem
with advertising this collection, he offered for sale various
manuscripts and prints, including Masses, motets, arias, duets, and
oratorios, alongside a novel, proprietary "music printing machine of his
own invention" before resigning from his cathedral post on September 1,
1773. A subsequent notice in the Gazeta Warszawska, dated February 14,
1776, documented the relocation of his printworks to the Wędrychowska
tenement on ul. Kamienne Schodki and publicized the release of "new
Polish dances arranged for the harpsichord" as well as twelve
forthcoming pieces. Ultimately, given the scarcity of surviving
historical data, evidence suggests that Engel’s publishing endeavors
were sporadic, representing the pioneering, independent efforts of a
single individual.
Leopold Strach (1699-1755)
- Missa Solemnis (c.1730)
Performers: Mieke van der Sluis (sopran); Bernhard Landauer (alt);
Wilfried Jochens (tenor); Wolf Matthias Friedrich (bass); Kammerchor des
Ferdinandeums; Concerto Armonico Budapest; Josef Wetzinger (conductor)
Bohemian composer and church musician. His early life and training
remain unknown. Born in Kolín, his documented career began in 1727 when
he was employed as a bassist and court composer under the Prince-Bishop
of Brixen. By 1728, he provisionally assumed the duties of
Vice-Kapellmeister for Prince-Bishop Kaspar Ignaz von Künigl, a
leadership position over the court and cathedral choir (Hof- und
Domkapellmeister) that he officially secured in 1730 and held for the
rest of his life. Strach was a prolific creator of sacred music, much of
which was performed at the Stams Abbey (Abbatia B. M. V. et Sancti
Ioannis Baptistae), but he also composed secular theatrical music for
the Brixen Gymnasium, including Conradinus (1737) and Genovefa (1739).
Following his death in Brixen in June 1755, he left behind an extensive
library of roughly 3,000 sheets of usable musical material, which the
cathedral chapter purchased from his widow for 100 florins on the advice
of his successor, Simon Judas Thaddäus Mayr.
Italian composer and violinist. Referred himself as Roman, he came from a
family of musicians active in Rome. His father, Bartolomeo Mossi, and
brother Giuseppe Mossi, and Gaetano Mossi, a tenor at the papal chapel.
Introduced into the musical circles of Rome by his father, he was active
as a violinist from 1694. His career there can be divided into three
periods. An initial phase as an instrumentalist for local courts and
churches, a highly productive middle period (1716-1733) during which he
published his entire instrumental catalogue in Amsterdam (comprising
three sets of sonatas and three of concertos), and a final phase of
gradual retirement. Though he briefly served Baldassarre Odescalchi,
Duke of Bracciano, his compositions, consisting of solo sonatas and
orchestral concertos, remain firmly rooted in the Roman tradition of
employing four violin parts, while increasingly favoring the first
violin as a soloist. Furthermore, while the long-standing claim that he
was a pupil of Arcangello Corelli lacks documentary proof, Corelli's
influence on his work is undeniable, even though Mossi maintained a
distinct originality and stylistic independence that aligned closely
with his contemporary, Giuseppe Valentini.
German organist and composer. The youngest son of a smith, after study
at the Jesuit Gymnasium in Ellwangen, he obtained his only position, the
organist and schoolmaster (later choirmaster and Kantor) at the parish
church of St Maria, which he retained for over 40 years. After the
secularization of the foundation in 1802-03, he remained in his post as
organist and Kapellmeister. As a composer, his works include 24 sonatas
for organ, chamber sonatas, six Requiems, 24 vesper Psalms, six Tantum
ergos, 26 Masses (six published as “simple country Masses” as his Op.
2), six symphonies, three Marian antiphons, and six Misereres. His
music, little studied, is characterized by a studied simplicity and
nearby to Michael Haydn on style terms. He was one of the most
successful composers of sacred music of his time. His music was
distributed throughout Europe, Russia and North America. His sons,
Heinrich Dreyer and Johann Baptiste Dreyer, were also musicians.
German composer. Son of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and Anna
Magdalena Bach (1701-1760), he was known as the ‘Bückeburg Bach’. He
received his musical education from his father and his cousin Johann
Elias Bach (1705-1755) at the Thomasschule. After leaving the
Thomasschule, he is thought to have studied law briefly, but there is no
record of his matriculation at Leipzig University. In 1750, upon the
death of his father, he was offered a position as harpsichordist with
Count Wilhelm von Schaumberg-Lippe in Bückeburg. In 1759 he was elevated
to concertmaster, a position he retained for the remainder of his life.
He did not travel, save for a visit to his youngest brother, Johann
Christian Bach (1735-1782), in London in 1778, preferring the calm
surroundings of his small town. He was able to create music that was
different from his brothers, thanks both to the intellectual stimulus of
people such as Johann Gottfried Herder and his patron’s penchant for
Italian music. His son, Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach (1759-1845), was
trained in this environment, becoming the third direct generation of the
family of Johann Sebastian to pursue a career in music. The arrival in
Bückeburg about 1793 of the Bohemian musician Franz Neubauer presented
Bach with unaccustomed competition in the last years of his life. It
inspired him to write new works (including a dozen large-scale
symphonies and several double concertos) but it also intensified the
latent depression from which he had been suffering since the death of
his half-brother Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) and which may
have hastened the course of the chest ailment that brought about his
death on 26 January 1795. In his obituary his friend Karl Gottlieb
Horstig, superintendent at Bückeburg from 1793, described him as an
industrious composer, always ready to be of service, and praised his
upright character and ‘kindness of heart’. As a composer, his music,
cataloged by Hansdieter Wolfarth (and using BR numbers), includes eight
oratorios, a Miserere, nine sacred cantatas, 55 secular cantatas, odes,
or other similar works, 79 Lieder, 28 symphonies, 16 piano concertos,
three sinfonia concertantes (titled “concerto grosso” by Bach himself), a
septet, six flute quartets and six string quartets, 13 trio sonatas,
six piano trios, 22 sonatas (for flute, violin, or cello), 43 keyboard
sonatas, and around 92 miscellaneous pieces for the keyboard. He was
known for his ability to imbue drama into his works, particularly the
oratorios, as well as his adherence to sonata principles and a
progressive sense of harmony and orchestral color. Although much of his
music did not survive the Second World War, what is left demonstrates
that he was as innovative in his own way as his siblings. Among the
better known of his pupils, in addition to his son Wilhelm Friedrich
Ernst, were the future Thomaskantor August Eberhard Müller and perhaps
Adolf, Baron von Knigge. For teaching purposes he wrote a number of
pedagogically valuable keyboard works, including the 'Sechs leichte
Clavier-Sonaten', variations, concertos and sonatas for four hands.
Spanish composer. Born in Catalonia, he was trained as a choirboy at the
Cathedral of Sigüenza before moving to Madrid, where by 1707 he worked
as a composer and instructor for the Royal Chapel. After briefly
returning to Sigüenza as maestro de capilla following a competitive
examination (oposición), he was appointed maestro de capilla at the
royal monastery of Las Descalzas Reales in Madrid in 1711, working
alongside organist José de Nebra. In the musicological field, he
participated in the 'Valls controversy', writing a text that defended
Francisco Valls's use of an unprepared dissonance in the Missa Scala
Aretina. His surviving works, which include masses, villancicos, and
pastorelas, are preserved in Spanish archives such as Montserrat, El
Escorial, and the Sanctuary of Arantzazu, with some manuscript copies
dating up to 1751.
Bohemian composer, violinist and teacher. He received his early
schooling in Německý Brod, though his first musical instruction
doubtless came from his father. From 1728 to 1734 he attended the Jesuit
Gymnasium in Jihlava; the Jesuits of Bohemia, whose pupils included the
foremost musicians in Europe, maintained high standards of musical
education during this period. Stamitz is known to have spent the
following academic year, 1734-35, at Prague University. His activities
during the next six years, however, remain a mystery. It seems logical
to assume that his decision to leave the university was prompted by a
desire to establish himself as a violin virtuoso, a goal that could be
pursued in Prague, Vienna or countless other centres. The precise
circumstances surrounding Stamitz’s engagement by the Mannheim court are
unclear. The date of his appointment was probably 1741, for he remarked
in a letter of 29 February 1748 to Baron von Wallbrunn in Stuttgart
that he was in his eighth year of service to the elector. The most
likely hypothesis is perhaps that Stamitz’s engagement resulted from
contacts made late in 1741 during the Bohemian campaign and coronation
in Prague of the Bavarian Elector Carl Albert (later Carl VII), one of
whose closest allies was the Elector Palatine. In January 1742 Stamitz
no doubt performed at Mannheim as part of the festivities surrounding
the marriage of Carl Theodor. At Mannheim Stamitz advanced rapidly: in
1743, when he was first violinist at the court, he was granted an
increase in salary of 200 gulden; in payment lists from 1744 and 1745
his salary is given as 900 gulden, the highest of any instrumentalist at
Mannheim; in 1745 or early 1746 he was awarded the title of
Konzertmeister; and in 1750 he was appointed to the newly created post
of director of instrumental music.
The latter promotion came almost two years after the offer of a position
at the court of Duke Carl Eugen in Stuttgart with an annual salary of
1500 gulden, an offer that the Elector Palatine probably saw fit to
match, as Stamitz remained in Mannheim. In court almanacs for 1751 and
1752 Stamitz is also listed as one of the two Kapellmeisters, but after
the arrival of Ignaz Holzbauer in 1753 he appears as director of
instrumental music alone. Stamitz’s principal responsibilities at court
were the composition and performance of orchestral and chamber music,
although he seems also to have composed some sacred music for the court
chapel. As leader of the band and conductor Stamitz developed the
Mannheim orchestra into the most renowned ensemble of the time, famous
for its precision and its ability to render novel dynamic effects.
Stamitz was also influential as a teacher; in addition to his sons Carl
and Anton, he taught such outstanding violinists and composers as
Christian Cannabich, the Toeschi brothers, Ignaz Fränzl and Wilhelm
Cramer. In 1744 Stamitz married Maria Antonia Lüneborn. They had five
children: the composers Carl and Anton, a daughter Maria Francisca
(1746-1799) and two children who died in infancy. In 1749 Stamitz and
his wife journeyed to Německý Brod to attend the installation of
Stamitz’s younger brother Antonín Tadeáš as dean of the Dean’s church.
In February 1750, while the family was still in Bohemia, Stamitz’s
brother Václav Jan or Wenzel Johann (1724-after 1771), also a musician,
was in Mannheim. Johann Stamitz returned to Mannheim in March 1750, but
his wife remained temporarily in Německý Brod, where Anton Stamitz was
born on 27 November 1750. Probably in late summer 1754 Stamitz undertook
a year-long journey to Paris, appearing there for the first time at the
Concert Spirituel on 8 September 1754. He presumably returned to
Mannheim in autumn 1755, dying there less than two years later at the
age of 39.
German organist and composer. He first learnt music with his grandfather
Johann Michael Agthe, Kantor at the Rathsschule, and his great-uncle
Andreas Agthe, a local organist; he later continued his musical studies
as a choirboy and as a member of the local Stadtpfeiferei. From 1776 to
1782 he was director of music with the Hündelberg theatrical company in
Reval (now Tallinn), where he composed his first Singspiele 'Martin
Velten' (1778). He then moved to Ballenstedt to join the court orchestra
of Prince Friedrich Albrecht of Anhalt-Bernburg as an organist and
harpsichordist. There he became known as one of the best organists of
his time and, after further studies with Friedrich Wilhelm Rust, as an
active composer of Singspiele, songs and instrumental pieces. His
best-known work is a setting of August Friedrich Ferdinand von
Kotzebue’s 'Der Spiegelritter' (1795), which was first performed by an
amateur society in Ballenstedt and several times revived. He also left
11 symphonies, two concertos, and 14 Dances. His son Albrecht Wilhelm
Johann Agthe (1790-1873) was a pianist, teacher and composer.
Italian composer. He was taken by his father at an early age to Naples,
where he studied violin under Nicola Fiorenza and composition under
Francesco Durante at the Conservatorio Santa Maria di Loreto. In 1756 he
composed his first opera, Fra Donato, which launched his career as a
composer of opera in Italy. Although he served for several years as an
assistant maestro di cappella at the conservatory, he abandoned his
teaching profession by 1763 to concentrate on commissions from
throughout the country, eventually establishing a reputation as a
dramatic and talented composer. In 1768 while in Venice he became
director of the Conservatorio dell’Ospedaletto, teaching singing to
students such as Nancy Storace. In 1772 he moved to London, where he
obtained a great success with his operas but was known for a dissolute
lifestyle. This forced Sacchini to travel to Paris in 1781, where he was
caught in the middle of the feud between Niccolò Piccinni and Christoph
Willibald von Gluck, both of whose partisans condemned him as a member
of the other’s faction. In 1786 he produced his most enduring work,
Oedip à Colonne, at the request of Marie Antoinette, but his early death
from his lifestyle and acute gout prevented him from realizing its
success. As a composer, Sacchini was known for his dramatic musical
style, particularly in serious opera. He was able to move fluidly
between both the Italian and French styles, often using varied forms and
progressive harmonic structures. His works include 47 operas, seven
oratorios, two symphonies, six string quartets, six trio sonatas, and 12
violin sonatas or lessons, in addition to numerous insertion arias,
Masses, motets, Psalms, and other sacred works.
Spanish teacher and composer. The eldest son of Francesc Viola's third
marriage, his mother's name was Maria Rosa Valentí. He trained at the
Escolania de Montserrat under Benet Julià and Josep Antoni Martí. On 20
March 1756, he began his novitiate at the Monastery of Montserrat, where
he took his vows in 1757. He then moved to Madrid, where he completed
his ecclesiastical and musical studies at the Church of Nuestra Señora
de Montserrat, coming under the influence of José de Nebra. He also
premiered many of his works there, achieving great success at the royal
chapel. Upon returning to Montserrat in 1768, he was appointed master of
the Escolania, teaching renowned students such as Fernando Sor, who
wrote memoirs detailing the life of his master Anselm Viola, and master
of the music chapel, positions he held until his death. As a composer,
he wrote instrumental works, sonatas, and other pieces for keyboard
instruments, as well as a classical-style concerto for bassoon and
orchestra. He composed two masses for voices and orchestra, two
Magnificats for six and seven voices (the second with basso continuo),
'Tèrcia i Completes' (both for seven voices with accompaniment), and a
Lamentation for alto and orchestra.
Italian priest and composer. He was initially educated in Trento and
Innsbruck in philosophical and humanistic subjects appropriate to the
clerical vocation he was to follow. In 1691 he was admitted to the
Collegium Germanicum in Rome, where he studied theology. While in Rome,
he also studied composition under the guidance of Giuseppe Ottavio
Pitoni and possibly violin (not documented) with Arcangelo Corelli.
Bonporti returned to Trent ordained as a priest and obtained a minor
office in the cathedral in 1697. There he published his first opus, a
set of ten trio sonatas and where on the title-page he called himself
‘gentiluomo di Trento’. He moved to Padua in 1740, lodging in the house
of a fellow priest. A final appeal to Empress Maria Theresa in 1746, in
which op.12 was enlisted, proved fruitless. He died three years later
and was buried in Padua. Bonporti regarded himself as primarily a priest
rather than a composer. His output consists in twelve opus, and the
foremost of them is his 'Concerti a quattro', Op.11 (c.1715). Such as
many italian composers of his time, he based his musical language on
Corelli.
Joseph Bologne de Saint-George (1744-1799)
- Symphonie concertante des 'Second œuvre de | deux | symphonies |
concertantes | Pour deux Violons principaux, | deux Violons ripieno,
Alto et Basse, | deux Hautbois et deux Cors, | ad Libitum ... Oeuvre IX'
(1777)
Performers: Miroslav Vilimec (violin); Radio Symphony Orchestra Pilsen; Frantisek Preisler (conductor)
Caribbean composer, violinist, swordsman, equestrian and military
commander. Son of a manumitted African mother and French plantation
owner (his last name was apparently taken from one of the plantations
his father owned), he grew up in the vicinity of Basse-Terre. His family
went to France in 1747 to escape difficulties with the law but returned
to Guadeloupe a few years later. In 1753 they moved permanently, first
to Bordeaux then to Paris, where he underwent his earliest musical
education, probably under Antonio Lolli and a few years later
François-Joseph Gossec. In 1769 he became a violinist in the Concerts
des amateurs, later becoming its director. During this time, beginning
with his debut as a soloist in 1772, he became famous for his technical
proficiency on his instruments, earning the epithet as the finest
violinist of the age. A proposal to make him musical director of the
Opéra in 1776 was blocked by four singers who refused to work with a
“mulatto.” In 1781 he founded the Loge Olympique orchestra sponsored by
one of Paris’s largest masonic lodges; he conducted the premieres of
Haydn’s so-called Paris symphonies, which he had helped commission. In
1787 he traveled to London, where his prowess as a violinist and
swordsman were thought legendary. A supporter of the Revolution, he was
given command of troops from France’s colonial domains in 1792, but a
year later he was denounced and spent 18 months in prison.
Disillusioned, he sailed to Hispanola to participate in the newly
independent Haiti of Toussant l’Ouverture. There the corruption and poor
living standards further eroded his health and state of mind. He
returned to Paris to conduct the Cercle d’harmonie orchestra, but was
unable to escape poverty. During his lifetime, Saint-Georges was a
remarkable bon vivant who freely interacted in the upper circles of
Parisian society. His music was known for its tunefulness and technical
brilliance, using devices such as bariolage that were extremely
uncommon. His 1778 opera 'Le partie du chasse' was well received. In all
he wrote six operas, 13 violin concertos, 10 sinfonia concertantes, a
bassoon concerto, two symphonies, nine violin sonatas, 18 string
quartets, and several other smaller pieces. His multifaceted personality
has been the subject of both literature (six novels) and a motion
picture. He is reckoned as one of the greatest Afro-Caribbean musicians
of the period.
German composer and conductor. He was the first child of the composer
Carl Ernst Daniel Nicolai (1785-1854) and his wife Christiane Lauber.
Because of his mother’s physical and mental illness, the marriage was
dissolved a few months after Nicolai’s birth. He grew up in the care of
foster-parents until 1820, when his father took on responsibility for
his education. He studied piano at home, and in 1827 went to Berlin,
where he took lessons in theory with Carl Friedrich Zelter. He also took
courses with Bernhard Klein at the Royal Institute for Church Music. On
13 April 1833, he made his concert debut in Berlin as a pianist,
singer, and composer. He then was engaged as organist to the embassy
chapel in Rome by the Prussian ambassador, Christian Charles Josias von
Bunsen. While in Italy, he also studied counterpoint with Giuseppe
Baini. In 1837 he proceeded to Vienna, where he became a singing teacher
and Kapellmeister at the Karnthnertortheater. In 1838 he returned to
Italy where he presented in Trieste his first opera, 'Rosmonda
d'Inghilterra'. In late summer 1841 he was appointed principal conductor
of the Hofoper at the Kärntnertor, and was able to concentrate on the
operas of Mozart and Beethoven, which he particularly admired. Required
by contract to compose German operas, he provided his first original
German opera, 'Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor'. In summer 1844 he
undertook a long journey via Prague, Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin to
Königsberg, where he performed the 'Kirchliche Fest-Ouvertüre' which he
had dedicated to his native town, as part of the festival to celebrate
the 300th anniversary of the university. King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of
Prussia was so impressed that he tried to tempt him to Berlin; Nicolai,
however, did not at first respond to the offer. October 1847 saw him
installed as Kapellmeister at the Königliches Opernhaus in Berlin and,
as Mendelssohn’s successor, artistic director of the cathedral choir.
Wishing to reform Prussian church services, he immediately began to
compose a series of large-scale religious works. Soon afterwards he
joined the Tonkünstlerverband, a society concerned with the
reorganization of Prussian musical life; 'Die lustigen Weiber'
eventually received its première, without huge success, on 9 March 1849.
Two months later, Nicolai died. On the same day he was elected a member
of the Akademie der Künste, but too late to receive the news.
Austrian composer and organist. Almost nothing is known about his youth
until he was documented as organist at the Benedictine abbey of Göttweig
in 1736, a post he held until 1746. That year he was appointed choral
director of St Veit, Krems an der Donau (1746-1753) while he was
studying philosophy and theology. In 1752 he was ordained priest and a
year later he was appointed to the charge of the Chapel of All Saints at
Stein an der Donau, in a post he held the rest of his life. As a
composer, he show the influence of his fellows Johann Joseph Fux and
Antonio Caldara, both active in Vienna, but evolving to early Classical
style in his later works. Despite he focused on sacred music, among
them, masses (the foremost was his Große Orgelmesse in C, 1761),
requiems, and many liturgical pieces, he also wrote instrumental music
very close to Georg Christoph Wagenseil and Georg Matthias Monn on style
terms.
Spanish composer, organist, and cleric. Born in Peníscola, he belonged
to a family of musicians, including his brother Manuel Ciurana Ardiol
(fl. 1800-1842), who served as organist at Sant Nicolau in Valencia and
known for his 'Gran Salmodia de Misas' (1842). Tomás Ciurana Ardiol was
organist at the church of Morella before moving to the Collegiate church
of Xàtiva to occupy the same position. His tenure in Xàtiva included
the professional formation of successors such as Joaquin Aparicio
Ibáñez, who resided in Ciurana’s household on Sant Domènec Street. As a
composer, his output consists of works for keyboard instruments, ranging
from liturgical pieces like 'pasos y fugas' to sonatas influenced by
the European Galant style. Historical records in Xàtiva, including his
testamentary documents, provide evidence of his role in the city's
religious institutions and the continuation of local organ traditions.
English composer and organist. Born with a club foot (later corrected
somewhat by surgery), he showed remarkable musical talent at an early
age, being able to play the harpsichord at the age of four and
performing concertos in public at six. For a time he was taught by
Thomas Garland, the Cathedral organist, and before he was eight he had
composed songs and his first opera. This was considered by connoisseurs
as an ‘extraordinary instance of infantine genius’, but the music is
lost. From 13 November 1756 fairly regular advertisments appeared in the
Norwich Mercury for concerts at which Hook performed concertos, many of
which were benefit concerts. Hook employed his talents in various ways
at this time, including teaching, composing, transcribing music and
tuning keyboard instruments. By 1763 he had moved to London, where his
prowess on the instrument led to employment as a soloist in the
Marylebone Gardens public concerts. On 29 May 1766 he married Elizabeth
Jane Madden (?-1805) at St Pancras Old Church. In May 1767 he had
applied unsuccessfully for the post of organist for the united parishes
of St Matthew Friday Street and St Peter Westcheap, but before 6
September 1772 he had been appointed organist of St Johns Horselydown,
Bermondsey. In 1768 he was appointed organist and composer to Marylebone
Gardens. From 1774 to 1806 he also performed regularly at the Vauxhall
Gardens and participated in the English opera at Covent Garden. On 18
October 1805 Hook’s wife died, and a year later, on 4 November 1806, he
married his second wife, Harriet Horncastle James (?-1873). It is not
known why he suddenly left his position at Vauxhall after almost a half
century of service there. As a composer, he wrote over 2000 songs
(including catches and glees), as well as 52 operas-stage works, 21
concertos, 40 odes (and an oratorio), and a large number of sonatas. His
musical style was at once progressive and reflective of European
continental trends. His son Theodore Edward Hook (1788-1841) was a
writer, intellectual, prankster and civil servant, mainly known for his
practical jokes, particularly the Berners Street hoax in 1810.
German composer and organist of French birth. He studied with
Jean-Baptiste Lully and his contemporaries in Paris from 1663 to 1669.
He returned to Alsace to become a student, first at the Jesuit college
at Séléstat in 1669, then in 1671 at a similar institution at Molsheim,
where he was appointed organist to the exiled Strasbourg Cathedral
chapter. Then he held posts in Prague (1677), and Salzburg, where he was
appointed organist and chamber musician to the Archbishop Max Gandolf
in 1678. In the early 1680s, he was granted leave to study in Rome,
where he met Arcangelo Corelli. He returned to Salzburg in September
1682. In 1690, he became Kapellmeister for Johann Philipp, bishop of
Passau in a post he held the rest of his life. As a composer, his 15
orchestral suites model the French manner, while the 12 concerti grossi
(1701) bring out the typical Corellian textures and contrasts of small
and large groups. He also composed 5 sonatas for strings and continuo, a
single violin sonata, 3 lost operas, and a volume of organ music
containing 12 toccatas, a chaconne, a passacaglia, and an aria with
variations. His 1699 treatise, the 'Regulae Concentuum Partiturae', is
one of the best on continuo playing. He considered himself a German,
although his ancestors were Scottish and his family had settled in Savoy
in the early 17th century. He was a prominent composer of instrumental
music who was particularly important for the part he played in
introducing the French and Italian styles into Germany. Three of his
sons worked at the Hofkapelle in Vienna: Franz Georg Gottfried Muffat
(1681-1710), Johann Ernst Muffat (1686-1746) and Gottlieb Muffat
(1690-1770).
Augustinian friar, keyboardist, and composer. Few details of his life
are known. Associated with the Augustinian Monastery in Prague’s Lesser
Town (Malá Strana), he gained recognition as harpsichordist whose works,
characterized by a progressive style featuring virtuosic flourishes,
were preserved in contemporary manuscript copies alongside those of
notable figures like Antonín Reichenauer. Between approximately 1734 and
1737, he served the noble Morzin family, likely as a domestic tutor for
either Václav Morzin or his son Karl Josef. His tenure at the Morzin
court concluded around the time of Václav’s death in 1737.
Austrian organist and composer. Primarily active in Graz, where he
served as the city parish organist (Stadtpfarrorganist) starting in
1740. Although his exact dates of birth and death remain unconfirmed,
records of his family life suggest he was born before 1710, and his
professional trail fades after 1741, though he may have later joined the
court of Count Joseph Bernhard Attems at Schloss Dornau. As a composer,
he is historically significant for his five harpsichord concertos,
early Austrian examples of the genre that adhere to the Vivaldian formal
model, and a collection of six partitas. The modest range of the solo
parts in his concertos suggests they may have been originally conceived
for the organ, marking an important stylistic link in the development of
keyboard literature within the regional Baroque tradition.
Bohemian composer. Nephew and pupil of Joseph Rejcha (1752-1795), in
1785 the family moved to Bonn, where he became a member of the
Hofkapelle of Max Franz, Elector of Cologne, playing violin and second
flute in the court orchestra under his uncle's direction. The young
Beethoven entered the Hofkapelle as violist and organist in 1789 and he
befriended him. From about 1785 he studied composition secretly, against
his uncle's wishes, composing and conducting his first symphony in 1787
and entering the University of Bonn in 1789, where he studied and
performed until 1794, when Bonn was attacked and captured by the French.
He managed to escape to Hamburg. In 1799 he moved to Paris, hoping to
achieve success as an opera composer but in 1801 he moved on to Vienna.
Once there, he studied with Antonio Salieri and Johann Georg
Albrechtsberger. Reicha's life and career in Vienna were interrupted by
Napoleon's November 1805 occupation of the city by French troops. Then
Reicha decided to move back to Paris. He was soon teaching composition
privately, future prolific composer George Onslow being one of his
pupils by 1808. This time three of his many operas were produced, but
they all failed; yet his fame as theorist and teacher increased
steadily, and by 1817 most of his pupils became professors at the
Conservatoire de Paris. The following year, Reicha himself was appointed
professor of counterpoint and fugue at the Conservatoire with the
support of Louis XVIII. In 1818 he married Virginie Enaust, who bore him
two daughters. Reicha stayed in Paris for the rest of his life. He
became a naturalized citizen of his adopted country in 1829 and
Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1835. That same year, he succeeded
François-Adrien Boieldieu at the Académie française. Though a prolific
composer, he was of particular importance as a theorist and teacher in
early 19th-century Paris.
Alsatian priest and composer. After preliminary studies in Sélestat he
entered the Benedictine convent of Ebersmünster, where he became master
of the novices, teacher, and in 1745 prior, at the same time acquiring
sufficient reputation as a harpsichordist to play before Louis XV during
the king's visit to Strasbourg in 1744. His knowledge of the organ led
to invitations to examine new instruments. As a superior he insisted
upon strict adherence to the rule of his order, but he could also be
amusing and entertaining. At his death he was provost of the convent of
St Marx near Gerberschweier. Harst's only known work is his 'Recueil de
différentes pièces de clavecin' (1745). He was one of the very few
composers to use François Couperin's term ordre for a group of pieces in
the same key, and his style is an amalgam of Couperin, Jean-Philippe
Rameau and Jean-François Dandrieu.
Brazilian composer, instrumentalist, and conductor in the Captaincy of
Minas Gerais. A bassoonist and timpanist for the Regiment of Dragoons,
he also served as a contralto singer and eventually succeeded José
Joaquim Emerico Lobo de Mesquita as music director at the Matriz do
Pilar in 1800. In addition to his musical professional career, he held
administrative roles, including treasurer and clerk, within several
religious brotherhoods. While historical estimates suggest a prolific
output of approximately 200 compositions, only a small number of
manuscripts have been preserved. His extant catalog is defined by sacred
works for voices and chamber orchestra, most notably the Novena de
Nossa Senhora do Pilar (1789) and the Matins Spiritus Domini (1795).
German composer. He was the ninth child of Carl Wagner, a clerk in the
Leipzig police service. Richard’s father died six months after his
birth. Soon after, Richard’s mother started living with her late
husband’s friend named Ludwig Geyer. After a while, she and her family
moved to Geyer’s residence in Dresden. Richard lived here until he
turned 14. Geyer loved theater and this interest was shared by Richard
who took part in his performances. In 1820, Richard was enrolled at
Pastor Wetzel’s school near Dresden. Here, he received piano instruction
from a Latin teacher. After Geyer’s death in 1821, Richard was sent to a
boarding school of Dresdner Kreuzchor, which was paid for by Geyer’s
brother. When Richard turned nine, he was impressed by the Gothic
elements of Carl Weber’s opera Der Freischutz. During this time, Richard
entertained ambitions as a playwright. By 1827, the family went back to
Leipzig. His first lessons in harmony were taken between 1828 and 1831.
In January of 1828, he heard Beethoven’s 7th Symphony and later in
March, the same composer’s 9th Symphony. In 1831, Richard joined Leipzig
University. He became a member of the Saxon student fraternity. Richard
also took composition lessons from Thomaskantor Weinlig. In 1833,
Richard’s brother managed to get a position for him as a choir master at
a theatre in Wurzburg. When he turned 20 that same year, Richard
composed his first complete opera entitled Die Feen, which means The
Fairies. In 1834, he went back to Leipzig where he held a short
appointment as a musical director at the Magdeburg opera house. During
this time, he wrote Das Liebesverbot, or The Ban on Love. This
composition was based on Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. In 1840,
Richard completed Rienzi. With a lot of support from Giacomo Meyerbeer,
this was accepted for performance by the Dresden Court Theatre in 1842.
Richard lived in Dresden for the next six years.
During his time here, he was appointed the Royal Saxon Court-Conductor.
However, his involvement with left-wing politics terminated his stay in
Dresden. After leaving Dresden, Richard was unable to enter Germany for
the next 11 years due to great political instability. During this time,
he wrote Opera and Drama and then started developing his popular Ring
Cycle. This work combined literature, music, and visual elements in a
way that would anticipate the future of film. In 1843, Wagner completed
The Flying Dutchman, which was considered one of the greatest works of
the time. In 1845, Richard produced Tannhauser and then started working
on Lohengrin. In 1862, Richard returned to Germany. He was invited by
the king to settle in Bavaria. In 1869 and 1870, Richard’s first two
operas were presented in Munich. Richard died of a heart attack on
February 13, 1883. He was 69 years old and died while on vacation in
Venice. His body was shipped back to Bayreuth where he was buried. Until
his final years, Richard’s life was characterized by political exile,
poverty, turbulent love affairs and repeated flight from creditors. His
controversial music, drama and politics have attracted extensive comment
in the recent decade. The effect of his ideas can actually be traced in
many arts throughout 20th century. Their influence spread beyond
composition to philosophy, visual arts, theatre and literature. During
his lifetime, his work was deeply loved by many and influenced other
composers. He was able to revolutionize opera through his concept of
Gesamtkunstwerk, which translates to “total work of art.” His
compositions, and especially those of later years, are notable for their
complex textures, orchestration, rich harmonies and elaborate use of
leitmotifs. His musical language composed of extreme use of chromaticism
and shifting tonal centers greatly influenced the development of
classical music.
French composer. Born into a family of woodwind instrument makers,
instrumentalists and composers, he was son of Martin Hotteterre
(c.1635-1712). He served in the hautbois et musettes de Poitou. On his
father's death in 1712 he succeeded to the business, continuing the
workshop on the rue de Harlay until his death. His only extant
collection of 'Pièces pour la muzette qui peuvent aussi se jouer sur la
flûte, sur le haubois etc... oeuvre posthume' was published by his
brother Jacques Hotteterre (1673-1763) in 1722. During the 17th century
various members of the family moved to Paris, where they gained fame as
instrument makers and players, serving royal music-making. They are
credited with developing early prototypes of the Baroque oboe, bassoon,
musette and flute. Their talents in instrument making, playing,
composition and pedagogy converged to form the foundation of the French
school of woodwind playing.
Italian violinist and composer. He was probably trained in the city of
Milan, by 1758 was named solo violinist to the court of the Duke of
Wurttemberg in Stuttgart. He also commenced touring as a virtuoso,
appearing with great success in Vienna (c.1760) and at the Concert
Spirituel in Paris (1764, 1766). As a result of incurring debts, the
Stuttgart court allowed him to tour extensively in order to recoup his
losses. His tours took him to Frankfurt am Main and Utrecht (1769),
Italy (1771), and northern Germany (1773). Lolli's Stuttgart contract
was abrogated due to his debts in 1774. He then went to St. Petersburg,
where he was a favorite of Catherine II in the capacity of chamber
virtuoso (1774-83). He also found favor with Grigori Potemkin. Lolli
continued to tour, and absented himself from the court between 1777 and
1780. Having dissipated 10,000 florins he had accumulated from gambling,
he returned to St. Petersburg in 1780 and succeeded in regaining his
social and artistic position. He appeared in concerts at Potemkin's
palace there, and also in Moscow. Despite his frequent derelictions of
duty, he was retained at the court until his contract was terminated in
1783. In 1784 he gave his last public concerts in Russia. He then
appeared in Stockholm, Hamburg, and Copenhagen (1784), London (1785),
and Italy. After visits to Copenhagen, Hamburg, and Stettin (1791),
Palermo (1793), and Vienna (1794). In 1794 he was engaged as maestro di
cappella to the court of Naples. After retirement, he settled in
Palermo, where he spent his last years in poverty. As a performer, he
was greatly admired for his commanding technique as a virtuoso and he
was even known as 'the Shakespeare among violinists', but as a composer
critics such as Charles Burney found his music bizarre. Lolli had little
if any formal training in composition, nor did he ever realize his
intentions of studying counterpoint with Padre Martini. Such study might
not have made him a better composer, but identification as a Martini
pupil might have mitigated contemporary criticism of his works. His
music consists of 12 violin concertos, 28 violin sonatas, six duos, and
36 solo violin capriccios. His main claim to fame is a treatise,
'L’école du violon en quatuor' (1784).
French composer and organist. On 14 June 1621, Henry Du Mont and his
brother Lambert entered the choir school of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk in
Maastricht and continued through the Jesuit college. Henry became
organist of the church there in 1629. In Paris, on 4 April 1643, he
signed a contract to be organist at the church of St. Paul. He took
French nationality in 1647. In 1652, he published his first volume of
motets and became the harpsichordist to the Duke of Anjou, brother of
King Louis XIV. In July 1660, he was appointed organist to the queen,
then as sous-maître of the Chapelle Royale in July 1664, for one quarter
of the year under the court system, then for half the year in 1668.
Thereafter, he continued to acquire appointments and benefices, all the
while continuing at St. Paul and making frequent trips to Maastricht. He
retired in Paris in 1683. The dominant figure in sacred music in
mid-17th-century Paris, he published 114 petits motets between 1652 and
1681 and also composed 26 grands motets, as well as 37 French psalm
settings. His most remarkable and often performed sacred music is the
collection of five original plainchant masses, an early effort at
restoring what was considered a corrupt tradition. His secular music
includes 21 songs, 5 symphonies, and a few dance movements for ensemble.
As a professional organist, he must have composed or improvised a
significant body of organ music, but very little survives.
