Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel

Gottfried Heinrich Stolzel ( born January 13, 1690 in Grunstadtel, † November 27, 1749 in Gotha ) was a German conductor, composer and music theorist.

Life

Stolzel was born as the second of nine children in the Erzgebirge Grunstadtel. His father Henry had taken over from his father in 1687 the office of schoolmaster and organist and married in the same year, the judges daughter Katharina Lange. Together, the family lived in the school house in the village.

From his father Gottfried Heinrich learned to play the piano and sang in the children's choir of the church. At the age of 13, he learned at the Lyceum in Schneeberg, where he received music lessons from Christian Umblaufft, a student of Thomas cantor Johann Schelle. In 1705 he moved to the High School in Gera, where he received music lessons from Count Kapelldirektor Emanuel cone. He then took in 1707 in Leipzig to study theology on. One of his teachers was there Melchior Hoffmann, sponsored by compositional instruction and performances of his works. During this period personal acquaintance with Johann Friedrich Fasch and Johann Georg Pisendel. After a brief period of study in Italy he lived in Prague. In 1710 he was in Breslau noble families music lessons and began work on several compositions. In the Breslau his first opera Narcissus was born. In 1713 he went again to Italy, where he came into contact with Francesco Gasparini, Antonio Vivaldi and Giovanni Bononcini and thus found the entry in the international music world.

In 1717 he followed the bicentennial of the Reformation to a call to Bayreuth for the making of church music. From 1 January 1718 to the September 30, 1719, he assumed the position of Kapellmeister at the court in Gera, were associated with the extensive obligations. This included working as a music teacher at the high school. In 1719 he took Christiane Dorothea ( 1694-1750 ), the daughter of Hofdiakonus Magister Johann Knauer, to wife. From the marriage ten children were born. Even in 1719 the couple moved to Gotha, where Gottfried Heinrich was appointed by Duke Frederick II court orchestra. He has also worked as a music teacher, wrote several music-theoretical writings and also worked as a writer. Stolzel used in all musical genres of his time and led the court orchestra to new heights. He has created works for the courts in Gera, special Hausen and Zerbst. In 1739 he became a member of Correspondierenden Societät musica metallic sciences.

Works

Since the thirties of the 18th century Stolzel took numerous commissions for compositions for the court in special Hausen. In addition to works on the occasion of solemn events of the royal family, it was all about sacred music.

Stolzel was an extraordinarily prolific composer. His outstanding reputation surpassed temporarily his contemporaries Johann Sebastian Bach. His compositional output includes not only numerous orchestral works, chamber music, oratorios and masses, motets and secular cantatas passions. A large part of his work, however, is missing.

In 1725 he created a version of the Passion oratorio The tortured and dying for the sins of the world JESUS ​​by Barthold Heinrich Brockes ( Brockes - Passion), which was performed on Good Friday in the castle church of Castle peace stone. 1735 Stolzel sent a copy of the Passion according to special Hausen, where it was performed several times, obtained by chance and stayed first time in 1997 rang again. He wrote a German Mass, a Lutheran Mass ( Kyrie, and Gloria ) in German language, for four-part choir, strings and basso continuo. As Stölzels important work applies the Christmas Oratorio. This is a ten-part cantata cycle, which was first performed in 1736 between Christmas and Epiphany in 1737.

Stölzels Passion oratorio A lamb goes and is to blame, which was created in 1720 in Gotha, was heard on April 23, 1734 (Good Friday ) under the direction of Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig's St. Thomas Church. The aria "Thy Cross, O bridegroom of my soul " from this oratory was of Bach in 1740, " I will confess his name " to the Aria ( BWV 200) is converted into a profound machining process.

Stölzels cantata cycle The String Game of the heart was 1735/36 listed by Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig.

The most famous work Stölzels is the aria " Are you with me," which was long attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach ( BWV 508), since it is included at no composer specification in Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach of 1725. The aria comes from Stölzels opera Diomedes or the triumphant innocence, which was performed on November 16, 1718 in Bayreuth and their score is lost. A copy of the aria existed in the archive of the Sing- Akademie zu Berlin and was considered lost in the war until it was rediscovered in 2000 in the Kiev Conservatory. The continuo part of BWV 508 is changed in the voice leading towards the Stolzel aria. Who wrote it, is uncertain since the entry has the handwriting of Anna Magdalena.