Wilhelm Rust

Wilhelm Rust ( born August 15, 1822 in Dessau, † May 2, 1892 in Leipzig ) was a German composer, musicologist, Bach researchers and 1880-1892 Thomas cantor.

Life

Rust, grandson of the composer Friedrich Wilhelm Rust, studied from 1840 to 1843 at the Academy of Music in Dessau, was a pupil of Friedrich Schneider and his uncle Karl Wilhelm Rust and lived thereafter as a private tutor to a noble family in Hungary. In 1849 he returned to Berlin, where he worked as piano, voice and composition teacher. In 1857 he became a member of the Sing- Akademie zu Berlin and founded by Georg Vierling Bach Society. In 1861 he took over the position of organist at the Church of St. Luke in 1862 and director of the choir of the Bach Society. In 1868 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of the University of Marburg. Since 1870 he also taught at the Stern Conservatory.

The Leipzig Bach Society joined Rust in the founding year 1850. Since 1853 he collaborated on the publication of the complete Bach edition, which he headed from 1858. He turned it, new for its time, the methods of classical antiquity to the Edition of musical resources. Leading the way were his prefaces to the different volumes of output. As editor of the old Bach Society, he has published a large number of works by Bach exemplary and was regarded by his contemporaries as the best Kenner Bach alongside Philipp Spitta and Johannes Brahms.

In 1878 he became organist at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, and after the death of Ernst Friedrich Richter his successor as cantor of St. Thomas School. At the same time he was a lecturer in theory, composition and organ at the Leipzig Conservatory. He composed mainly church music.

Discount

A partial estate of Rust auctioned 2008, the University and Regional Library of Saxony -Anhalt in Halle ( Saale). In its review of a previously unknown copy of Rust's a chorale fantasy of Johann Sebastian Bach came to light, from which up to then only the first five cycles were detected.

Works (selection)

Piano Music:

• C major Sonata
• B major fantasy
• Different Nocturnes
• Beethoven. Tone poem for piano

Vocal music:

• The hundertdreißigste Psalm. Out of the depths I cry, Lord unto you! Motet for solo voices and eight-voice choir.
• Deux Caprices pour Piano, Op 2 No. 1 in E major [ and ] No. 2 in B flat major, F.E.C. Leuckart, Wroclaw.