Samuel Capricornus (1628-1665)
- Missa (II), Opus musicum (1655)
Performers: Musica Aeterna; Czech EnsembIe Baroque Choir; Tereza Válková
Further info: Samuel Capricornus (1628-1665) - Theatrum musicum
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German composer and teacher of Bohemian birth. While Capricornus was
still very young his family fled to Hungary to escape religious
persecution. He was an eager student and studied theology, languages and
philosophy in various places, including Silesia between 1643 and 1646.
His choice of a musical profession led him to the imperial court in
Vienna in 1649, where he came to know the music of Giovanni Valentini
and Antonio Bertali. He taught briefly at Reutlingen, and for two years
was private tutor to the children of a physician at Pressburg (now
Bratislava). In 1651 he became director of music to the churches there
and a master at the Gymnasium, but after a year he asked to be relieved
of the teaching. He became Kapellmeister to the Württemberg court at
Stuttgart on 6 May 1657. His tenure in Stuttgart was marked by bitter
contention with Philipp Friedrich Böddecker, organist of the collegiate
church. Böddecker, who had expected the Kapellmeister position,
criticized Capricornus’s compositions and stirred up the court musicians
against him. Capricornus wrote a petition to the duke in self-defense,
which provides detailed insight into his compositional process.
Capricornus’s years in Stuttgart were further marred by illness and
unhappiness in his marriage. Johann Fischer studied with him there from
1661 until his death. Capricornus was an important figure in the
development of German sacred music between Schütz and J.S. Bach. He was
ambitious – he sought and won the approbation of Schütz and Carissimi –
and prolific, being one of the few German composers of his time whose
works were widely distributed both in manuscripts and prints. Extant
inventories list over 400 works, although many of them are lost,
especially from his secular music, which included chamber music, ballets
and operas. His sacred music, which was still in use liturgically in
the early 18th century, includes large concerted works (Opus musicum)
and many small concertos, both with instruments (Geistliche Harmonien,
Theatrum musicum) and with only continuo accompaniment (Geistliche
Concerten). He showed a strong preference for Latin devotional texts,
which he set in a very expressive, Italianate manner. The attribution of
Carissimi’s oratorio Judicium Salomonis to Capricornus in the
posthumous print Continuatio theatri musici has raised questions about
the attributions in all of the posthumous prints. His music merits
further editing, performance and study.
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