NIVERS, Guillaume-Gabriel (1632-1714) - La Messe avec plain-chant (1667)

Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers (1632-1714) - La Messe avec plain-chant des

'Deuxième livre d’Orgue contenant la Messe et les Hymnes de l’Église' (1667)

Performers: Jean Wolfs (organ); Schola Cantorum

Painting: Jan Baptist van Meunincxhove (c.1620-c.1703) - Interieur d'eglise anime de personnages

Further info: Musique de Versailles

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Guillaume (Guilaume) Gabriel Nivers

(Paris?, c.1632 - Paris, 30 November 1714)

French organist, composer and theorist. He came from a prosperous family; his father, a ‘bourgeois de Paris’, was farmer to the bishop. He most likely received his education at the University of Paris (1661). He was appointed organist of St. Sulpice from the early 1650s, and was also made one of the 4 organists of the royal chapel (1678), master of music to the queen (1681), and head of music at the Maison Royale de St. Louis, the convent school in St. Cyr for young women of the nobility. He married in 1668 and had one son. His will, dated 1711, gives a detailed picture of the comfortable circumstances of his last years and of his piety and devotion to the church. As a composer, his three 'Livres d'orgue' were the first published works to establish the distinctive styles and forms of the French organ school of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. As a theorist, he was mainly praised for his 'Traité de la composition de musique' (1667), widely known outside France.

TAYLOR, Raynor (1747-1825) - Sonata in D Major (c.1780)

Raynor Taylor (1747-1825) - Sonata in D Major from

'Six sonatas for the harpsichord or piano forte with an accompaniment for a violoncello' (c.1780)

Performers: John Mеtz (fortepiano); Barbara Bailеy-Mеtz (cello)

Drawing: Joseph Adolf Schmetterling (1751-1828) - Musicerend paar in interieur (1782)

Further info: Six Sonatas

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Raynor (Rayner) Taylor

(London, 27 November 1747 - Philadelphia, 17 August 1825)

English organist, teacher, composer and singer active in the USA. He began his career as a chorister in the Chapel Royal, where anecdotal evidence suggests that he sang at the funeral for George Frederick Handel, allegedly falling into that composer’s grave. His main teacher was Samuel Arnold, under whose patronage he became director at the Sadler’s Wells theatre and at the Marlyebone concerts. He also held the post of organist at the church in Chelmsford. In 1792 he followed his pupil Alexander Reinagle to the United States, where he settled in Baltimore and Annapolis before moving to Philadelphia in 1795. There he obtained the post of organist at St. Peter’s Church, although he also contributed to the public concerts and the Chestnut Street theatre productions. He helped found the Musical Fund Society in 1820 and served as one of its directors. As a performer he was noted for his organ improvisations as well as for his renditions of comic theatre songs. His works include 26 operas, at least three symphonies, and a number of keyboard works, including a divertimento. He was noted for his facile abilities to create memorable melodies.

SCHEIDLER, Johann Christian Gottlieb (1747-1829) - Duo pour guitarre et clarinet

Johann Christian Gottlieb Scheidler (1747-1829) - Duo (sonata in D-Dur) pour guitarre et clarinet, Op. 21

Performers: Dimitri Ashkеnаzy (clarinet); Jean-Paul Grеub (guitar)

Painting: Emil Bærentzen (1799-1868) - Det Scramske familiebillede

Further info: Ottocento

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Johann Christian Gottlieb Scheidler

(Aken, 26 November 1747 - Mainz, 15 August 1829)

German lutenist, guitarist and composer. Little is known about the early stages of his career. He was initially employed as a cellist and bassoonist in various royal courts, but he gained greater recognition for his exceptional skill on the lute and the guitar. The historical-biographical lexicon by Ernst Ludwig Gerber, Tonkünstler (1792), incorrectly listed him under the name "Schindler" but already mentioned his reputation as a cellist, lutenist, and composer since 1768. From 1778 to 1812, he was employed as a court lutenist and cellist in the court of the Elector of Mainz. Scheidler's work in Mainz was interrupted in early 1794 when he fled to Frankfurt am Main during the French siege of the city. He spent a significant period in Frankfurt, where he was highly appreciated as a guitar teacher. From 1808 to 1814, he also held a position in the Frankfurt theatre band. After 1814, Scheidler returned to Mainz, where he lived until his death in 1829. As a composer, he was a prolific composer, particularly for his principal instruments. He composed several concertos for the lute, guitar sonatas, duets, and other works for guitar and violin. He was primarily celebrated as one of the last masters of the lute and an important early performer on the guitar and he was known to perform on the 7-string guitar and stood out as a true virtuoso of the instrument. His contemporaries held him in high regard, particularly for his abilities as an improviser on these plucked instruments. Among his students were Maria Belli-Gontard and Marianne von Willemer. Johann Christian Gottlieb Scheidler was not related to the Scheidler family of musicians from Gotha (including Johann David Scheidler). It remains unknown whether he authored the guitar method 'Nouvelle Methode', which appeared around 1803 under the similar name J.F. Scheidler.

CHILCOT, Thomas (1707-1766) - Concerto for the harpsichord (1756)

Thomas Chilcot (1707-1766) - Concerto for the harpsichord from 'Six concertos [C, A, F, D, G, C] for the harpsichord, accompanied with four violins, viola, violoncello, and basso-ripieno' (1756)

Performers: Andrеw Wilson-Dickson (harpsichord); Wеlsh Baroque Orchestra

Painting: Vincenzo Vita (fl. 1770-1782) - A Musical Party

Further info: Thomas Chilcot (1707-1766) - Organ Concerto in D, No.3 (1765)

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Thomas Chilcot

(Bath?, 1707 - Bath, 24 November 1766)

English composer and organist. A pupil of Josiah Priest, he succeeded his teacher as organist at the main church in Bath in 1725. In 1728, when his apprenticeship was due to end, his appointment was confirmed, and he remained in the post until his death, rarely travelling far from Bath. Throughout the remainder of his life he was a successful musician and active participant in the musical life of the city. He married Elizabeth Mills of Bath in 1729 and had seven children, of whom four survived. Following Elizabeth's death, he married Anne Wrey, a member of a prominent West Country family, in 1749. As a teacher, his most important student was Thomas Linley Sr. As composer, his music consists of four anthems, two collections of keyboard concertos, 12 English songs, and six Lessons for keyboard. His music reflects the influences of George Frederick Handel but also looks forward to the galant in some of the movements.

PITTRICH, Benedictus (1757-1827) - Te Deum Laudamus

Benedictus Pittrich (1757-1827) - Te Deum Laudamus in D, a Canto, Alto, Tenore, Basso, Violino 1mo & 2do, Viola, Flauto 1mo et 2do, Cornu 1mo & 2do in D, G, Clarino 1mo et 2do in D, Tympano e Organo.

Performers: Barbara Fleckenstein (soprano); Gabriele Weinfurter (alto); Klaus Donaubauer (tenor); Rudolf Hillebrand (bass); Motettenchor und Orchester Fürstenfeld; Roland Muhr (1948-2015, conductor)

Painting: Mariano Rossi (1731-1807) - Caserta, la reggia

Further info: Benedictus Pittrich (1757-1827) - Divertimento D-Dur

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Benedictus (Franz Xaver) Pittrich

(Murnau, 4 March 1757 - Landsberg am Lech, 23 November 1827)

German Regens chori and composer. Nothing is known about his early life. Around 1783 he joined the Cistercian Abbey Fürstenfeld, on 24 October 1784 professed the religious vows and he was ordained a priest on 17 May 1788. His tenure at the Abbey was interrupted by the dramatic political changes of the time. The Bavarian secularization of 1803 led to the dissolution of the monastery. Following this event, he was forced to leave monastic life. He relocated to Landsberg am Lech, where he continued his duties as a curate and remained musically active for the rest of his life. As a composer, his extant works are mainly religious and it comprises two masses, a Requiem, some minor sacred works as well as symphonies and other instrumental music. Due to his monastic connection, many of his original musical manuscripts are now preserved in historical music collections, notably in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich.