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.
William Boyce (1711-1779)
- Symphony in d from 'Eight symphonys in eight parts, six for
violins, hoboys, or german flutes, and two for violins, french horns and
trumpets, with a bass for the violoncello and harpsicord ... opera
seconda' (1760)
Performers: Festival Strings Lucerne; Rudolf Baumgartner (1917-2002,
conductor)
English composer and organist. His earliest musical education was as a
chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, after which he was a
student of Johann Pepusch and Maurice Greene. In 1734 he obtained his
first position as an organist at the Oxford Chapel, and in 1736 he
became a composer for the Chapel Royal. By 1755 he was well known for
his stage works, including the 1740 masque Peleus and Thetis and The
Chaplet, a favorite pastoral opera from 1749. In 1755 he was appointed
as master of the King’s Musick, and three years later organist of the
Chapel Royal. Shortly thereafter he was forced to retreat from official
duties owing to increasing deafness, and instead concentrated upon
finishing the compendium Cathedral Music begun by his teacher Greene.
This volume of Anglican Church services from all ages is still partially
in use. His other music includes eight symphonies derived from stage
works, 50 or more cantatas and odes, 60 anthems, 12 trio sonatas, 12
overtures or small symphonies, five complete Anglican services, two
oratorios (including David’s Lamentation over Saul and Jonathan from
1736), and a host of incidental music and keyboard voluntaries.
Spanish organist and composer. The son of Manuel Ferreñac (1740-1803), a
bassoonist, organ tuner, and teacher at the College of Choirboys at the
Basílica del Pilar, he received his musical training at the college,
starting his career as Chapel Master and organist of Huesca Cathedral.
His fame led to his appointment as Substitute Organist of the Basílica
del Pilar in 1785. By leveraging an offer to become Chapel Master of
Jaén Cathedral in 1786, the Pilar chapter offered him the more
prestigious post and stipend of First Organist, recognizing him as an
"organist of relevant merit." Ferreñac, who also assessed the organ of
San Pablo in Zaragoza and inaugurated the one at Calahorra Cathedral, is
considered by Hilarión Eslava to be the founder of a "prestigious organ
school in Zaragoza" and authored the treatise, 'Método teórico-práctico
para aprender a acompañar con el bajo numerado y sin numerar'. His
work, reflecting extensive academic training and largely preserved in
the Zaragoza Cathedrals’ Music Archive (including a 278-page autograph
manuscript), is divided into two main groups: one in a traditional,
severe Baroque style (partidos, versos, passos, and llenos), and a
second fully incorporated into the Classical movement, featuring modern
formal and melodic structures. This latter group includes his 'Sonatas
de Quatro Manos' (unique in their genre, inspired by popular regional
airs, and structured like Classical symphonies) and pieces for two
organs. He also composed religious works for voices and orchestra, such
as the Misa Pastorela, Alleluia Beatus Vir, and Miserere mei Deus.
Dutch organist and composer. Born Benedictus Buns, he entered the
Carmelite Monastery in Geldern in 1659. He took his vows in 1660 and was
ordained a priest in 1666. Sometime before 1671, he was transferred to
the Carmelite Monastery in Boxmeer, where he spent most of his life and
career. He served as sub-prior during the periods 1671-1674, 1677-1683,
and 1692-1701. From 1679 until his death, he held the position of
organist in Boxmeer, succeeding Hubertus à Sancto Joanne Vlaminck.
Beginning in 1699, he was also employed there as a private composer,
conductor, and organist for Count Oswaldo van den Bergh. He was also a
recognized organ expert and consultant, serving as a key advisor in the
construction of an organ in Boxmeer, where he was highly regarded. He is
considered one of the most important Dutch composers of the latter half
of the 17th century, known primarily for his extensive output of
religious vocal and instrumental compositions.
German town bandsman and composer. He probably attended the Gymnasium in
Bautzen, and possibly travelled widely before taking up a musical
appointment. He was made 4th Kunstgeiger in the Leipzig town band in
1664, and in 1670 he was promoted to Stadtpfeifer, the equivalent to
being named ‘Master’ of his particular craft. He was apparently
dissatisfied with his musical position and made attempts to improve it,
applying at one stage for the post of Kantor at the Thomaskirche,
Leipzig, a position his experience as a Stadtpfeifer in no way qualified
him to fill. He applied also to be a member of the Dresden Ratsmusiken
corps. Because of the plague, he left Leipzig in 1681 for Bautzen, where
he remained until his death. As a composer, he published several
collections but the works for which he is remembered are contained in
his two important collections for the five-part cornett and trombone
ensembles that were characteristic of the Ratsmusiken. The two
collections are 'Hora decima musicorum' (Leipzig, 1670) and
'Fünff-stimmigte blasende Music' (Frankfurt, 1685).
German composer and instrumentalist. Possibly of French origin, he
secured a position as a cornettist at the Bavarian electoral court in
Munich on October 9, 1669, initially earning 250 florins annually, which
rose to 400 florins by 1670. His status increased significantly when he
was granted the title of Kammerdiener in 1683, leading to an annual
salary of 600 florins. He was subsequently appointed director of the
court orchestra (1687) and electoral councillor (1690), holding both
positions until his death. His peak annual earnings of 1073 florins
(1699) were dramatically cut to 400 florins in 1700 due to the Austrian
occupation of Bavaria. His compositional output, much of it lost,
primarily consisted of ballet music, notably for operas by Agostino
Steffani and Giuseppe Antonio Bernabei.
Italian composer. Following violin study with Francesco Antonio
Vallotti, he became a pupil of Giovanni Battista Martini in 1739, being
elected to the Accademia filarmonica in 1743. In 1748 he was appointed
as musical director of the Faenza cathedral, only to resign a few years
later to concentrate on opera following the success of his 'Il re
pastore'. In 1753 he joined the Mingotti troupe as Christoph Willibald
von Gluck’s successor, traveling to northern Europe. He was subsequently
appointed as hovkapelmester at the court of Frederick V in Copenhagen
and spent the next 15 years there writing Danish Syngespile and seria.
In 1769 he left for London but was unable to make a success there,
eventually winning in 1770 a post as maestro di capella first at the
Conservatorio dell’Ospedale in Venice and in 1776 at the Milan
cathedral. In 1784 he was called to St. Petersburg by Catherine II,
traveling via Vienna, where his opera 'Fra i due litiganti' was an
enormous success. Although he was equally as successful in Russia, he
sometimes ran into political difficulties, spending large amounts of
time over the next two decades in Moscow or at the Golovin estate in
Ukraine. In 1802 he received a pension and attempted to return home to
Italy, only to pass away as he traveled through Berlin. As a composer,
his works include 75 operas; 12 large secular cantatas; four Masses and
numerous Mass movements; five Requiems; three Magnificats; three
Misereres; seven Te Deums; two complete Russian Orthodox liturgies;
seven oratorios; many motets, Psalms, and miscellaneous sacred works; 25
symphonies; three concertones; four sonatas for violin/flute; 13
keyboard sonatas; and numerous other smaller chamber works. He can be
considered one of the best known international figures of the 18th
century. His Italian operas (both seria and buffa) were performed
throughout Europe with great success, and he made significant
contributions to the development of music in both Denmark and Russia.
His Syngespil 'Soliman II' was considered the model upon which all
subsequent Danish works were to imitate. In Russia he not only composed
Russian opera, such as 'The Early Reign of Oleg' (to a text by Catherine
II), but also explored church music, writing oratorios using Old Church
Slavonic Orthodox melodies, as well as a spectacular Te Deum to
celebrate the victory at Ochakov, which uses a church carillon, a
Russian horn choir, and even cannon. He also wrote treatises on general
bass and harmony. His most important student was Luigi Cherubini, whom
he taught in Milan.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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)
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.
Bohemian violinist and composer, son of Jan Jiří Benda (1686-1757). His
autobiography, written in 1763, presents details of his early training
and the musicians with whom he associated during his long career; the
documentation of his own activities and references to his associates
make this one of the most frequently cited documents of the era. In his
youth Benda was a chorister in Prague and afterward in the Chapel Royal
at Dresden. At the same time he began to study the violin, and soon
joined a company of strolling musicians who attended fetes, fairs, etc.
At eighteen years of age Benda abandoned this wandering life and
returned to Prague, going to Vienna, where he pursued his study of the
violin under Johann Gottlieb Graun, a pupil of Tartini. After two years
he was appointed chapel master at Warsaw. In 1732, he entered the
service of Frederick the Great, then crown prince of Prussia, with whom
he remained the rest of his life. He was a member of the crown prince's
orchestra, and later became concertmaster to the king.[1] He played
about 50,000 concertos over a period of forty years. At Benda's request,
Frederick allowed his parents and siblings to move to Potsdam when, as
Protestants, they suffered religious persecution in Bohemia. Benda was a
master of all the difficulties of violin playing, and the rapidity of
his execution and the mellow sweetness of his highest notes were
unequalled. He had many pupils and wrote a number of works, chiefly
exercises and studies for the violin. Benda died in the Nowawes, a small
colony near Potsdam set up by Frederick the Great to house Protestant
refugees fleeing religious persecution in Bohemia. Of his six children
who survived infancy, four became musicians: Maria Carolina Benda
(1742-1820), Friedrich Benda (1745-1814), Karl Hermann Heinrich Benda
(1748-1836) and Juliane Benda (1752-1783).
Antonín Mašát (1692-1747)
- Offertorium 'Jubilate apparenti Domino' a Canto, Alto, Tenore,
Basso,
Violinis 2, Clarinis 2, Tympanis et Fondamento
Performers: Hana Blazikova (soprano); Petra Noskaiova (mezzosoprano);
Ondrej Smid (tenor); Vojtech Safarik (bass); Pueri Gaudentes; Capella
Regia Praha; Robert Hugo (conductor)
Bohemian composer and scholar. He received his education within the
Piarist system, completing his studies in philosophy and theology at the
order's schools. As a member of the Piarist Order, he was obligated to
teach. He excelled not only in music but also in scientific and
scholarly pursuits, which was characteristic of the Piarist educational
tradition. He is known to have published works on optics and related
sciences, demonstrating a broad intellectual scope typical of
Baroque-era priest-scholars. His musical activities were primarily
centered around the institutions of his order in Bohemia and Moravia,
including schools and churches. He used the Latinized pseudonym Antonín
Maschat (or Remigius Maschat) for some of his work, which has sometimes
led to confusion with other contemporary composers. His extant works are
entirely sacred, including one Requiem, the Missa 'Sancti Attalae
Abbat', litanies, and offertories.
German abbot and composer. He was the son of Michael Müller and
Magdalena Höltschi. At the age of 12, he joined the school of Einsiedeln
Abbey, which he entered as a novice on January 20, 1742. A year later,
he took his vows, and in 1748, he was ordained as a priest. It was
likely while studying in Milan and during his time in Bellinzona that he
became acquainted with the practice of playing on several organs. In
1763, he was recalled to Einsiedeln to take up the office of Subprior.
Concurrently, starting in 1771, he reorganized the abbey's archive. On
August 11, 1773, he was elected Abbot of Einsiedeln, a post he held for
the rest of his life. As a composer, he wrote several sacred songs as
well as masses, hymns, psalms, and motets. He also left behind
one-movement pieces for organ intended for specific liturgical
celebrations.
Spanish composer. Baptized in the Santa Maria del Mar parish in
Barcelona, he began his musical studies as a choirboy at the Escolania
de Montserrat. In 1778 he was appointed 'maestro de capilla' at Seu
d'Urgell Cathedral. After his ordination as a priest in 1780, he secured
the post of 'maestro de capilla' at Girona Cathedral in 1781,
succeeding Francesc Juncà, and in a post he held until 1785. In that
year he transferred to Córdoba to assume this magisterium, a position he
retained until his death, with one brief interruption between 1787 to
1789 to assume the post of 'maestro de capilla' of the Royal Convent of
La Encarnación in Madrid. As a composer, his legacy is exceptionally
prolific, with a corpus that exceeds 900 cataloged compositions, mainly
sacred. His style is rooted in the classicism of the Viennese school.
German composer, pianist and conductor. Sister of Felix Mendelssohn
(1809-1847), she was the eldest of four children born into a
post-Enlightenment, cultured Jewish family. She enjoyed an excellent
general and musical education throughout her childhood, but while he was
encouraged to pursue music professionally, she was prevented from doing
so by her father. Nevertheless, music remained centrally important to
her within private spaces such as the salon. She received her earliest
musical instruction from her mother, Lea Salomon (1777-1842), who taught
her the piano (she is reputed to have noted her daughter’s ‘Bach
fingers’ at birth). She then studied the piano with Ludwig Berger, and
in 1816 with Marie Bigot in Paris. A few years later she embarked on
theory and composition with Carl Friedrich Zelter, a conservative
musician and early champion of Johann Sebastian Bach. Her first
composition dates from December 1819, a lied in honour of her father’s
birthday. In 1820 she enrolled at the newly opened Berlin Sing-Akademie.
During the next few years Mendelssohn produced many lieder and piano
pieces; such works were to be the mainstay of her output of about 500
compositions. In 1825, the Mendelssohns moved to Leipziger Straße 3, a
large property which allowed the family to establish one of the most
impressive musical salons of the century. In 1829, she married the
painter Wilhelm Hensel (1794-1861), whose active support of her gifts
meant that, exceptionally, marriage and motherhood did not spell the end
of her compositional life. She collaborated closely with her husband in
a purpose-built studio, Hensel responding to her music with drawings,
and she composing songs to his poetry. Beginning in the early 1830s, she
became the central figure in a flourishing salon, for which she created
most of her compositions and where she performed on the piano and
conducted. Two trips to Italy, in 1839-40 and 1845, were among the
highpoints of her life. In Rome she formed a close relationship with
Charles Gounod, who later noted Fanny’s influence on his budding musical
career. Her impressions of the first Italian trip are inscribed in 'Das
Jahr', a set of 12 character-pieces that combine musical and
autobiographical motifs. Her last composition, the lied 'Bergeslust',
was written on 13 May 1847, a day before her sudden death from a stroke.
Italian violinist and composer. Born in the center of the Italian violin
makers at Cremona, he received his earliest training on the violin from
his father and, subsequently, from Giacomo Civeri and Carlo Ricci. An
invitation from Antonio Caldara, who had met him while passing through
Casalmaggiore, took him to Vienna, where he became a well-known virtuoso
and teacher without, however, obtaining an official position in the
service of the imperial court. In 1736, however, he returned to
Casalmaggiore on the death of his mentor, remaining there as a performer
and teacher. He died in a carriage accident on the way to Mantua. His
works are mostly in the style of Antonio Vivaldi, including the 12
violin concertos and the 18 trio sonatas (six of which were published in
1727). His set of six symphonies published in 1729, however, reflect
the styles and structures of Milanese works by Antonio Brioschi and
Giovanni Battista Sammartini.
German composer. He began organ studies with local organist Johann
Philipp Pitzler, with whom he traveled. In 1710 he met Johann David
Heinichen in Weissenfels, who at the time was working as a lawyer. With
Heinichen, he took lessons in general bass and also began studying
composition. When Heinichen went to Italy, Förster moved to Merseburg
where he continued his studies with the Kapellmeister and court organist
Georg Friedrich Kaufmann. Later, in 1717 he was employed as a chamber
musician in the Sachsen-Merseburg Hofkapelle where he played second
violin to Johann Gottlieb Graun, whom he later superseded as
Konzertmeister. In 1723, Förster traveled to Prague with his employer
for the coronation of Charles VII of Bohemia. In Prague, he made the
acquaintance of the Viennese court musicians Fux, Caldara, Conti and
Piani and also took part in a performance of Fux's Constanza e Fortezza
and performed in a concert as a harpsichord soloist and violinist for a
Dutch ambassador. He continued to serve at his post in Merseburg until
the Hofkapelle was dissolved in 1738 following the death of the Duke
Moritz Wilhelm. At the birthday of Frederick Anton, Prince of
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt he played as a soloist under the leadership of
Kapellmeister Johann Graf. Still without a fixed position, he applied
for the position of vice-kapellmeister in Rudolstadt which he received
on 3 May 1743 without a fixed salary. He died there two years later in
1745. Throughout his life, Förster maintained numerous contacts with
other musicians. Most notably, he is known to have subscribed to two of
Telemann's publications of the 1730s; Tafelmusik and the Paris quartets.
It was Telemann who published Förster's Sei Duetti, Op. 1 in Paris in
1737. Förster was proficient in the Italian style of composition, which
he learned from Heinichen and from his subsequent trips to Leipzig and
Dresden (1719), and then Prague (1723). This is evident in his wealth of
orchestral and chamber music, much of which was probably composed for
performance at the Merseburg court. During his time in Merseburg he was
also required to compose Italian cantatas, and purportedly also learned
Italian for this purpose. Although there are several Italian cantatas
listed in Breitkopf's thematic catalogue, few, if any, of these pieces
have survived.
Brazilian singer, composer, and conductor. In 1752, he joined the
Brotherhood of São José dos Homens Pardos, where he served as a tenor
until the end of his life, and also as a 'regente'
(conductor/choirmaster) starting in 1792. He assumed the same post at
the Church of Nossa Senhora das Mercês de Baixo from 1776 to 1782. He
was also an organist and worked for the Senado da Câmara of Vila Rica,
often performing as a tenor using the falsetto tradition of the time,
following the Spanish and Portuguese style, rather than the Italian
castrato tradition. As a composer, a significant portion of his musical
output has been lost. Among the extant works, a Salve Regina, mass
settings, a Ladainha (1789), the Ofício para os Funerais do Rei D. Pedro
III, and the Oratório ao Menino Deus Para a Noite de Natal.
Italian composer, flautist, and violinist. Little is known about his
early life or training, although he may have received education at one
of the Neapolitan conservatories. He first appears as a composer of
opera buffa in 1738, when his 'Lo secretista' was premiered successfully
in Naples. His opera 'La tavernola abentorosa' was censured in 1741 due
to its satirical portrayal of monastic life, even though it was
apparently written for a monastic audience. During this period he
attained a reputation as an excellent contrapuntist and chamber
musician. His main instrument was the violin, but he probably also
played the flute, due to the focus of his music on that instrument. In
addition to three operas, he wrote 25 duets for two flutes, concertos
for one and two flutes, a mandolin concerto, and a double concerto for
flute and violin. His style typifies the lyrical Neapolitan opera, with
clear tunes and stable formal structures (mostly ritornello or binary).
German-born Norwegian organist, composer and polymath. Born in a port
city on the eastern Baltic (today in Lithuania), he was trained in music
by his father, Heinrich Berlin, before finishing his studies in
Copenhagen with Andreas Berg. In 1737 he was appointed as city musician
in Trondheim, and three years later became organist at the cathedral as
well. His duties included playing at all the services as well as
assisting the cantor’s rehearsals of hymns and choral music at the Latin
school. In 1751 he assumed responsibility for the organist post at Vor
Frue church and would often engage his sons as deputies. He also found
time to continue the theoretical and pedagogical research that he had
embarked on in Copenhagen. Besides his work in music as a theorist,
composer, and instrument builder, he was also in charge of the city
waterworks and fire brigades, as well as writing treatises on astronomy
and meteorology. As a composer, his works include three symphonies and
nine concertos (six for harpsichord, and others for violin and bass
viol), as well as two cantatas and a host of smaller dance and
occasional works for the keyboard. His musical style tends toward the
North German Empfindsamkeit. His theoretical works include 'Musikalske
Elementer (1744), the first music text in Norwegian, and 'Anleitung zur
Tonometrie' (1767), an early work exploring the physics of the art form.
His son Johan Henrich Berlin (1741-1807) was also organist and
composer, mainly active in Trondheim.
French composer, organist and writer. Almost nothing is known about his
life before 1690. The only reliable information about him is given on
the title-page of his harpsichord book and in a few archival documents
at Perpignan. He is generally believed to have been a pupil of the
composer and organist Nicolas Lebègue. He served as the titular organist
of the church of Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet in Paris, likely holding
this prestigious position until around 1690. At some point then he moved
from Paris to the southern city of Perpignan where he became the
organist at the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste in a post he held until
his death. The reason for his departure from a prominent Parisian post
for the provincial city of Perpignan is unknown, especially considering
the prestige of his previous position. His surviving music, though
limited in volume, is highly regarded for its systematic and
harmonically progressive nature. A single collection of his harpsichord
pieces survives in manuscript form, titled 'Livre des pièces de clavecin
de tous les tons naturels et transposéz'. This collection contains 255
pieces and is considered, alongside the works of François Couperin and
Jean-François Dandrieu, one of the most important contributions to
French Baroque harpsichord music. According to some scholars, it is the
largest collection of 17th-century French harpsichord music. The
collection is unique for European music of the late 17th century because
the pieces are systematically organized, exploring all major and minor
keys. His music is noted for its extreme chromaticism and striking
exploration of the expressive possibilities of harmonic variation.
Italian composer. He was born into a musical family, the eldest of seven
children of Rosario Bellini (1776-1840) and Agata Ferlito (1779-1842),
and niece of the organist and composer Vincenzo Tobia Bellini
(1744-1829). He received his first musical instruction from his father
and grandfather, and soon revealed a fine gift of melody. The Duke and
Duchess of San Martino e Montalbo took interest in him and in 1819
arranged to have him enter the Real Collegio di Musica di San Sebastiano
in Naples, where he studied harmony and accompaniment with Giovanni
Furno and counterpoint with Giacomo Tritto. He further studied the vocal
arts with Girolamo Crescentini and composition with Nicola Zingarelli.
Under their guidance, he made a detailed study of the works of
Pergolesi, Jommelli, Paisiello, and Cimarosa, as well as those of the
German classics. While still in school, he wrote several sinfonias, two
masses, and the cantata 'Ismene' (1824). His first opera, 'Adelson e
Salvini', was given at the Collegio in 1825; it was followed by the
premiere at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples of his second opera, 'Bianca e
Gernando' (1826). In 1827 he went to Milan, where he was commissioned
by the impresario Barbaja to write an opera seria for the famous Teatro
alla Scala; it was 'Il Pirata', which obtained fine success at its
premiere on 1827; it was also given in Vienna in 1828. It was followed
by another opera, 'La Straniera' (1829). He was then commissioned to
write a new opera for the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, on a Shakespearean
libretto; it was I Capuleti e i Montecchi; first performed on 1830, it
had a decisive success. Even more successful was his next opera, 'La
Sonnambula', which was premiered in Milan on 1831, with the celebrated
prima donna Giuditta Pasta as Amina. Pasta also appeared in the title
role of Bellini's most famous opera, 'Norma', first given at La Scala on
26 December 1831, which at its repeated productions established
Bellini's reputation as a young master of the Italian operatic bel
canto. He then had an opportunity to go to London and Paris, and it was
in Paris that he brought out his last opera, 'I Puritani' (1835), which
fully justified the expectations of his admirers. He was on his way to
fame and universal artistic recognition when he was stricken with a
fatal affliction of amebiasis, and died six weeks before his 34th
birthday. His remains were reverently removed to his native Catania in
1876. Bellini's music represents the Italian operatic school at its most
glorious melodiousness, truly reflected by the term 'bel canto'. In his
writing, the words, the rhythm, the melody, the harmony, and the
instrumental accompaniment unite in mutual perfection. The lyric flow
and dramatic expressiveness of his music provide a natural medium for
singers in the Italian language, with the result that his greatest
masterpieces, 'La Sonnambula' and 'Norma', remain in the active
repertoire of opera houses of the entire world, repeatedly performed by
touring Italian opera companies and by native forces everywhere.
Italian composer and violinist. He was born into a family of musicians
and artists. His grandfather was one of the first violinists of
Florence; his uncle Antonio Veracini (1659-1733) was that and a fine
composer as well. He studied violin with his uncle, with whom he
appeared in concerts in Florence, and also received instruction from
Giovanni Maria Casini and Francesco Feroci, and from Giuseppe Antonio
Bernabei in Germany (1715). In 1711 he went to Venice, where he appeared
as a soloist at the Christmas masses at San Marco; in 1714 he gave a
series of benefit concerts in London, and in 1716 entered the private
service of the Elector of Saxony; in 1717 he went to Dresden and entered
the court service. In 1723 he returned to Florence, where he was active
as a performer and composer of sacred works; he also gave private
concerts. In 1733 he returned to London, where he played for the Opera
of the Nobility, a rival to Handel's opera company; he also composed
operas during his London years. In 1745 he returned to Italy, where from
1755 until his death he was maestro di cappella for the Vallambrosian
fathers at the church of S. Pancrazio in Florence; he also held that
position for the Teatini fathers at the church of S. Michele
agl'Antinori there (from 1758). He acquired a reputation as an
eccentric, and some considered him mad. Nonetheless he was esteemed as a
violinist and composer. Charles Burney remarked that ‘by travelling all
over Europe he formed a style of playing peculiar to himself’.
Performers: Maria Mrazova (alto); Miroslav Svejda (tenor); Maîtrise
d'enfants de Brno; Chœur féminin du Conservatoire de Prague, Chœur
d'hommes Moravan; Orchestre Radiosymphonique de Bratislava;
Bohemian organist and composer. His musical training began at the Jesuit
Gymnasium Jičín (1711-1717). Though he briefly studied law at Prague
University, he soon abandoned it for music, becoming the organist at the
Týn Church. His major breakthrough came in 1720 with the success of his
works for the annual 'musica navalis', the St. John’s Eve festivities
on the Vltava River. This success secured him a lucrative commission to
compose the music for these festivals every year from 1722 to 1729. He
later served as a music teacher and organist at St. Martin's school,
rising to choirmaster at St. Martin's in 1727. As a composer, his output
include 34 extant works, among them, several masses, settings of the Te
Deum and the Magnificat, litanies, offertories and motets; one school
comedy is known, 'Cancet preambulans'. His compositions are in the
Venetian style represented by Johann Joseph Fux and Antonio Caldara,
with some elements of Czech folk music. His style is marked by full
instrumentation and a preference for brass. He handled contrapuntal
texture skilfully, and in homophonic passages often made use of
concertato interplay between soloists and chorus. His son František
Xaver Brixi (1732-1771) was also organist and composer.
German composer and violinist. Brother of August Friedrich Graun
(c.1698-1765) and Carl Heinrich Graun (1704-1759), he received his
earliest education at the Kreuzschule in Dresden before enrolling in
music at Leipzig University. In 1723 he studied with violinist Giuseppe
Tartini in Prague before obtaining the post as concertmaster in
Merseburg in 1726. In 1728 he relocated to Arolsen to serve in the court
of Prince von Waldeck, before joining the private orchestra of Crown
Prince Frederick of Prussia in Ruppin and Rheinsburg in 1732. There he
was concertmaster at the opera until his death. Along with his brother
Carl Heinrich Graun, he was one of the principal figures in the musical
circles of the Berlin court, and although he concentrated his own
efforts toward writing instrumental works, he was adept at vocal genres
as well. Among the latter can be counted an oratorio, La Passione di
Gesù Cristo; several sacred works; six Lieder; and seven Italian secular
cantatas. He was a prolific composer of the former, however, in many
cases defining the emerging North German empfindsamer Stil
(Empfindsamkeit). He composed no fewer than 54 symphonies, 13
two-movement overtures, 62 trios (mostly for flutes/violins and basso),
36 sonatas for violin, four sonatas for flute, and 62 concertos (48 for
violin, five for two violins, three for oboe, two for bassoon, two for
violin/viola, and one each for viola da gamba and viola da
gamba/cembalo). The scope of his compositions has yet to be determined,
given that many works, particularly chamber music, are attributed only
to 'Graun'. He was held in high regard by his contemporaries, especially
as an orchestral trainer and instrumental composer.
Austrian violinist and composer. The son of an impoverished painter, he
showed talent as a violinist at an early age. He was a pupil of Joseph
Suche in 1797 and of Anton Wranitzky from 1798. Encouraged by Ignaz
Schuppanzigh, he made his first public appearance with brilliant success
at a morning concert in the Augarten in 1800. In 1802 he began piano
and composition lessons with Emanuel Aloys Förster. In 1810 he was
appointed leader of the Hoftheater orchestra in Vienna, soloist at the
Hofkapelle (1816) and later soloist to the emperor (1835) and musical
director of the Hofkapelle (1836). He never went on tours and rarely
gave concerts, yet he was a finished virtuoso, admired even by Niccolò
Paganini. In Vienna he was very successful as a teacher. He was awarded
the Salvator medal (1811), the freedom of Vienna (1817) and the Order of
Franz Joseph (1862), and was an honorary member of several musical
academies. As a composer, his works include 3 violin concertos, a Mass
(1848), 5 string quintets, 8 string quartets, trios, and solo violin
pieces. Most of these are conservative in style and were intended
primarily for his own performance.
Austrian composer and violinist. Born to Paul Ditters, costumier at the
imperial court and theatre in Vienna, and his wife Anna (née Vandelin),
he received his earliest education at the Jesuit school in Vienna, where
he displayed a precocious talent as a violinist, enough so that in 1751
he was performing with local court orchestras. Here he came to the
attention of Giueseppe Bonno and Christoph Willibald von Gluck, the
latter of whom took him with him to Italy in 1763. There Ditters
achieved success as a virtuoso, and by 1765 he had been hired by
Archbishop Adam Patachich as Michael Haydn’s successor at Großwerdein
(now Oradea, Romania). He improved the quality of the ensemble, but in
1769 it was dissolved and Ditters relieved of his duties. He found other
employment with the Archbishop of Breslau, Count Philipp Gotthard von
Schaffgotsch as a state administrative functionary at Schloss
Johannesberg (now Janský vrch, Poland), and in 1773 he was appointed as
chief forester at nearby Javernig (Javornik). This appointment required
aristocratic rank, and Ditters was ennobled as von Dittersdorf at
Freiwaldau (Jeseník). In 1784 he returned to Vienna where he
participated actively in the musical life of the city. His rank allowed
him access to all levels of the court society, and his abilities earned
him the friendship of colleagues such as Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, with whom he performed in a string quartet (the cellist
was his student Jan Křtitel Vanhal). In 1790, however, he returned to
music as Kapellmeister to Duke Carl Christian Erdmann zu
Württemberg-Oels, a post that also included governmental administrative
duties. He moved to Oels (Olésnice) and then Karlsruhe in Upper Silesia.
A reversal of fortune caused him to retire in 1796, and he moved to the
small town of Neuhof (Červená Lhota), where he died only a couple of
days after completing his autobiography. He was a prolific and
progressive composer, particularly with respect to his use of the
characteristic symphony, sometimes based upon Classical stories. He was
conventional in terms of his harmony, but his skill in contrasting
instruments (as well as writing for unusual timbres and combinations)
demonstrates a good sense of color. His formal structures are often
conventional, and his textures mainly homophonic, but he was considered
one of the foremost composers of Vienna during his day. He can be
considered one of the most popular composers of Singspiels of his day,
with one work, Doktor und Apotheker, achieving international success.
The number of works composed demonstrates an almost inexhaustible
creativity and includes: 127 symphonies (with another 90 likely, making
him the most prolific composer in the genre of all time, if true), 18
violin concertos, five viola concertos, eight oboe concertos, four
keyboard concertos, nine other concertos (for oboe d’amore, harp,
contrabass, cello, flute, and two violins), four sinfonia concertantes
(including two for string quartet and orchestra, one for viola,
contrabass, and orchestra, and another for 11 solo instruments), four
serenades, five cassations, 16 divertimentos, 18 string trios, seven
string quartets, six horn quintets, six string quintets, 35 partitas, 72
preludes, 31 keyboard sonatas, 136 solo keyboard works, 16 violin
sonatas, 32 operas, three concert arias, 16 secular cantatas, 16 Masses,
a Requiem, four oratorios, 11 offertories, eight litanies, and 170
smaller sacred works such as Psalms, motets, and so forth.
