Johann Christian Friedrich Haeffner (1759-1833) - Ouverture in Es-Dur (1822)
Performers: Orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera; Philip Brunelle (conductor)
Further info: Royal Swedish Court: Music from the 18th Century
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German organist and composer, active in Sweden. The son of a
schoolmaster and church organist in Klein-Schmalkalden, he received his
first musical education with the Schmalkalden organist Johann Gottfried
Vierling. He studied in Leipzig from 1776, and then worked as a music
conductor in theatres in Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg (1778-80). In
1781, he moved to Stockholm at the invitation of the German congregation
there (Tyska kyrkan) to assume the position of organist, which he held
until 1793. The same year, he was employed at the Royal Theatre in
Stockholm as well as conductor of the orchestra for the Stenborg
theatres. In 1786 he was appointed assistant conductor of the Royal
Orchestra (hovkapellet) and from 1795 to 1807 he held the post of
hovkapellmästare. He was also an instructor at Dramatens elevskola. He
was married twice, first to the Swedish actress and singer Elisabeth
Forsselius. Since king Gustaf IV Adolf closed the Royal Opera and its
orchestra in 1807, he moved to Uppsala, where he 1808 was appointed
Director musices of the university and simultaneously was employed as
organist of the cathedral. In Uppsala he organized the studentsång
(four-voice male choir singing). This practice rapidly spread to the
other Nordic universities and is still today a coveted tradition, not
only among university students, but for the last century also in many
male choirs all over Sweden. Hæffner's passion and work for this has
rendered him the name Studentsångens fader. As a composer, he wrote
three operas, among them the well-known 'Electra', theatre music, a
mass, one symphony (1795), three Overtures (c.1798-1823), keyboard and
chamber works, songs with piano accompaniment, and was responsible for
the new Swedish chorale book in 1819. Noteworthy is his oratorio
'Försonaren på Golgatha'. His music is heavily influenced by the German
Sturm und Drang.
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