Philipp Heinrich Erlebach

Philipp Heinrich Erlebach ( born July 25, 1657 Esen / Ostfriesland, † April 17, 1714 in Rudolstadt ( Thuringia) ) was a Baroque composer.

Life

Philipp Heinrich Erlebach was baptized in his birthplace Esen, the son of former musician at the court of Count Ulrich II of East Frisia and later bailiff Johann Philipp Erlebach (* 1604, † 1660). He was educated probably at the East Frisian farm in Aurich.

Already in 1681 Erlebach is determined by Count Albert Anton for Capell Director. In his certificate of appointment to him in his future duties and obligations are described in detail. Here it states that he had " ... the ordinary musical respects, both in the churches as for the panel how and where we will enact it, fleißigst to do, but wobey frey is him, either his own or other Compositiones after his well -being to use ".

The kinship of the dynasty Cirksenas to the Thuringian residences may have helped him to a position at the court of Count Albert Anton of Schwarzburg- Rudolstadt, where he had worked for 35 years. During his creative life, he developed the small residential town into a center musical life. His reputation went far beyond the country's borders. In the well-known at this time, music theorist and writer Wolfgang Caspar Printz it says in one of his most famous writings: " From thence I And arrived tions Rudolstadt / da is Mr. Erlebach bey the counts of Schwarzburg Capellmeister, which among the Teutonic composer gives the most Satisfaction / and excellently produced does ... "

During his lifetime, Erlebach was first known for his instrumental works.

As important for the history of the German song is also his 1704 printed in Rudolstadt song collection " Gottgeheiligte Sing- hour " with the lyrics of the Rudolstädter Count Informators Christoph helmet. This is at the same time to the earliest surviving Rudolstädter note printing.

In October 1705 Erlebach accompanied his master Count Albert Anton to Mühlhausen, where it accepted the Hereditary Homage of the imperial city solemnly commissioned by Emperor Joseph I.. On this occasion, the Count had commissioned his Kapellmeister to write the music and hard to bring to the ceremonial performance. These " Musicalia at the Actu Homagiali " heard the vocal concert " Exultemus, gaudeamus ", a serenade and a march. In addition to the works mentioned so far Erlebach wrote to all the major church festivals oratorios and motets. At the court as the secular music became more care importance, followed operas, the 1693 work listed in Braunschweig " The Pleiades ". In addition, he composed called Pastourelle ( Schäfer pieces ), ballet music, and numerous cantatas.

For song writing Erlebach noted the musicologist and former conductor of the theater orchestra Rudolstädter Peter Gülke: "The works reflect the wide variety of what summed up the 17th century, the term of the song. The limits for the solo cantata as the aria are fluid. Erlebach's collections are the last of their kind - certainly not accidental, because in the historical context can be considered the Rudolstadt court as a " safe haven " that lives atmosphere, without which, especially since the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, is not to think about the song production of the 17th century. "

Works

His compositions include not only the cantatas and songs orchestral and chamber music, operas and oratorios. Most of his works (over 1000 compositions) were destroyed in 1735 in a palace fire in Rudolstadt, which Erlebach almost fell musically into oblivion. His legacy is maintained today mainly in his birthplace of Esen and its site of action Rudolstadt. Get some few compositions ( around 70 were not destroyed in the fire ), but sometimes only in handwritten form.