Johann Ernst von Sachsen-Weimar (1696-1715)
- Sonate (D-Dur) für Trompete (c.1715)
Performers: Ludwig Güttler (trumpet); Kammerorchester Berlin; Max Pommer (conductor)
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Was a German prince and composer. Despite his early death he is
remembered as a collector and commissioner of music and as a composer,
some of whose concertos were arranged for harpsichord or organ by Johann
Sebastian Bach, who was court organist in Weimar at the time. Johann
Ernst was born in Weimar, the fourth son and sixth child of Johann Ernst
III, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and second child of the Duke's second wife,
Charlotte Dorothea Sophia of Hesse-Homburg. As a young child the prince
took violin lessons from G.C. Eilenstein, who was a court musician. He
studied at the University of Utrecht between February 1711 and July
1713. It is thought that Johann Ernst furthered his understanding of
music at this time. From Utrecht, he could visit such centres as
Amsterdam and Düsseldorf and it is known that he had copies of Italian
music sent back to Weimar. In particular, it is thought that he might
have encountered Vivaldi's opus 3 set of violin concertos. The prince's
interest in collecting music was sufficiently well known that P. D.
Kräuter, when requesting leave of absence to study with Bach in Weimar,
mentioned the French and Italian music that the prince was expected to
introduce there. Kräuter also praised Johann Ernst's virtuosity as a
violinist. On his return from university, Johann Ernst took lessons in
composition with a focus on concertos from the local church organist
Johann Gottfried Walther, a cousin of Bach. Walther had previously given
the prince keyboard lessons and had given him his Praecepta der
musikalischen Composition. As well as influencing Bach, Johann Ernst
completed at least nineteen instrumental works of his own before his
death at age eighteen. These works show the influence of Italian music
more than that of German models such as Bach. Johann Ernst died in
Frankfurt after a long illness. Following his death, six of the prince's
concertos were sent to Telemann, who edited and published them in 1718.
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