Johann Gottfried Walther
Johann Gottfried Walther ( born September 18, 1684 Erfurt, † March 23, 1748 in Weimar ) was a German organist, conductor, composer and musicologist.
Life
His education was in Erfurt Walther et al Johann Bernhard Bach, but also in various less significant cantors and organists. The lessons from Johann Heinrich Buttstedt he later painted out to be unpleasant and not very useful.
Walther 1702 was organist at Erfurt Thomas Church. In 1704 he met Andreas Werckmeister in Halberstadt know. 1707, with only 23, he was elected organist at the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Weimar, where he was befriended by Johann Sebastian Bach. Walther and Bach were distant cousins (his grandmother was a half-sister of Bach's mother). Shortly thereafter, he became a music teacher of Prince Johann Ernst, son of Duke Johann Ernst III. appointed of Saxe- Weimar and his step-sister, which gave him a high reputation.
His son Johann Christoph Walther (1715-1771) 1751 was organist at the Minster.
Work
Both the South and the North German organ music influenced Walther factory. As for Bach was for him the acquaintance of the concertos by Italian masters leading the way, which he edited for several keyboard instruments. From Walthers hand many copies have survived, which occasionally have as his own works rich ornaments in the French style. He also wrote choral works.
Walthers 1732 published in Leipzig Musicalisches Lexicon is the first in German language and the first encyclopedic music lexicon - summarizes the items, personal items and literature - at all.