Gallus Zeiler (1705-1755)
- Magnificat à 4 (1737)
Performers: Erika Rüggeberger (soprano); Julia Falk (alto); Albert
Gassner (tenor); Carlo Schmid (bass); Chor der Her-Jesu-Kirche München;
Kammerorchester Musica Bavarica; Josef Schmidhuber (leitung)
Further info: Musik aus bayerischen Klöstern
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German composer. He was educated at the monastery schools at
Ochsenhausen and Ottobeuren (though there is no evidence that he sang in
the choir of either) and at Innsbruck University. In 1721 he entered
the Benedictine house of St Mang at Füssen, where his activities were by
no means confined to music. As well as being organist for seven years,
he taught Latin and Greek in the school, served a nearby parish and
administered the monastery's vineyard. After being elected abbot in
1750, he arranged for the building of a new organ in the abbey church.
Despite Zeiler's other occupations, he found time to compose a great
deal of church music in the simple style, suitable for parish choirs,
which was current at the time. From 1732 to 1740 he seems to have
published almost one volume a year, though not all are extant. Unlike
most of his contemporaries he does not seem to have written masses or
sets of vesper psalms, preferring to set less usual texts: he published a
set of 20 Benedictions for the Corpus Christi week, and another of
responses to the Holy Week Lamentations. In four-voice pieces and in
solo arias his music is typical of the simple, tuneful style of the
period; his instrumental writing is unusual, however, in that his viola
parts are obligatory (most church music required only two violins and
continuo). Zeiler does not seem to have been one of the most popular
church composers of his day, presumably because of the comparatively
limited liturgical usefulness and non-standard scoring of much of his
music; Marianus Königsperger, himself a skilful composer, regarded
Zeiler as the best church composer of his generation.
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