Franz Xaver Witt

Franz Xaver Witt ( born February 9, 1834 in forest Erbach, † December 2, 1888 in Landshut ) was a German church musician.

Life

Witt was born as the eldest son of the teacher Johann Baptist Witt in forest Erbach. After graduation Witt studied at the Lyceum Regensburg theology and philosophy. In 1856 he was ordained a priest, was appointed in 1859 as a teacher of choral singing, Homiletics and Catechetics ans Klerikalseminar Regensburg. With the 1865 published writing the state of the Catholic church music, he turned against the many church music ills of his time and was the publication of the " Flying Sheets for Church Music " (from 1 January 1866), which still exists today " Musica Sacra " (founded on 1 January 1868) and his keynote address at the Catholics meeting in Innsbruck became the spokesman of the mainly in and around Regensburg forming reform movement.

This movement organized themselves in an association founded in Bamberg by Witt on September 1, 1868 for Catholic church music, the Caecilienverein, the Witt board 20 years with a short break as Praeses.

In forest Erbach a street, a primary school and the Town Hall are named after him.

Works (selection)

• The state of the Catholic church music first in Old Bavaria, Regensburg 1865
• Selected Essays on Church Music, ed. v. K. G. Fellerer, Cologne 1934