Johann Christian Kittel

Johann Christian Kittel (* 1732 and baptized on 18 February 1732 in Erfurt, † April 17, 1809 ) was a German organist and composer.

Life

A Protestant family entstammend, he spent his school years at a school preacher, later on Ratsgymnasium Erfurt. Undocumented is a possibly later musical apprenticeship with Jacob Adlung in Erfurt.

At the age of 16, he went to Leipzig to become a pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach. This occupied him several times as his companion in performances. After Bach's death Kittel held a position as organist and teacher at a girls' school in Langensalza.

1756 he was appointed organist at the Franciscan Church in Erfurt, where he worked for six years. Then he took on the position of organist at the church preacher, where he became the successor of Johann Pachelbel, Johann Heinrich Buttstedt and his former teacher may Adlung.

As one of the last students of Bach he gained high reputation and taught many students in the tradition of Bach.

Admirer of his organ playing were among others Goethe, Johann Gottfried von Herder and Christoph Martin Wieland.

In 1800, Kittel undertook a concert tour to Hamburg, where he briefly settled on the occasion of the studies for his "New Choralbuch for Schleswig -Holstein".

When his most important pupil Johann Wilhelm Hassler, Karl Gottlieb Umbreit, Christian Heinrich Rinck and Michael Gotthard Fischer apply. The latter smock stepped successor as organist in Erfurt.

The importance of Johann Christian Kittel is seen especially in the maintenance and dissemination of the tradition of Bach and his works, especially as he is also known as the " last student ". Here he laid special emphasis on the musical arrangement of worship and the role of organ playing. His musical ambition, he devoted mainly to the development of a playable organ music.

In this context, a three-volume textbook of organ playing, which was one of his time to the most outstanding works of this kind arose.

In Johann Christian Kittel's compositions, suggestions of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whom he greatly admired personally show.

Works

  • The budding practical organist (Erfurt 1801, 1803, 1808). Reprint 1981 ISBN 90-6027-416-4 Frits Knuf.
441689
de