Bernhard Joachim Hagen
Encyclopedia
Bernhard Joachim Hagen was a German composer, violinist and lutenist. He was the last important composer
of lute music in 18th century Germany.
, learned to play the lute
and organ
, and was an organist in Rotterdam
. There are several transcriptions of Geminiani's violin works for lute by J.B. Hagen extant.
The younger Bernhard Joachim Hagen must have learned to play lute and violin
early too, for in 1737 he was already employed as an assistant to Bayreuth violin virtuoso and Kapellmeister
Johann Pfeiffer; later he was listed officially as a court violinist. He kept this position at the Bayreuth and since 1769 the Ansbach court until his death. Adam Falckenhagen
and Charles Durant (Carol Duranowski), also called to the Bayreuth court by Wilhelmine of Bayreuth
, may have further trained him in playing the lute.
In 1745, Hagen married Anna Fikentscher (born in Bayreuth; died May 22, 1789 in Ansbach). During 1760/1761 he visited his brother in Rotterdam
and there gave five concerts from November till March.
, and far more important than his teachers Falckenhagen and Durant. His style is shaped by the Empfindsamkeit
and the beginning of the Sturm und Drang
period. There is a clearly discernible influence of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach in Hagen's music.
Through margravine Wilhelmine's efforts, lute music flourished in the eighteenth century one last time before being rediscovered in the 20th century.
There are thirty-three known compositions by Bernhard Joachim Hagen found in the Staats- und Stadtbibliothek Augsburg:
The facsimile editions of Hagen's solo lute sonatas (1983) and chamber works (1984) have been published by Joachim Domning for the Roman Trekel Musikverlag.
There are two excellent CD recording of Hagen's sonatas by the lutenist Robert Barto
:
Some of Hagen's works listed in the 1769 Breitkopf
catalog (these have no concordances in Augsburg
manuscripts) are presumed missing.
(a contemporary lutenist-composer) were written in homage to Hagen.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of lute music in 18th century Germany.
Life
Little is known about his youth, but he obviously grew up in a musical family: his brother Peter Albrecht Hagen (also called Peter Albert van Hagen, 1714 - September 12, 1777) studied the violin with Francesco GeminianiFrancesco Geminiani
thumb|230px|Francesco Geminiani.Francesco Saverio Geminiani was an Italian violinist, composer, and music theorist.-Biography:...
, learned to play the lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, and was an organist in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. There are several transcriptions of Geminiani's violin works for lute by J.B. Hagen extant.
The younger Bernhard Joachim Hagen must have learned to play lute and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
early too, for in 1737 he was already employed as an assistant to Bayreuth violin virtuoso and Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
Johann Pfeiffer; later he was listed officially as a court violinist. He kept this position at the Bayreuth and since 1769 the Ansbach court until his death. Adam Falckenhagen
Adam Falckenhagen
Adam Falckenhagen was a German lutenist and composer of the Baroque period.He was born in Groß-Dölzig, near Leipzig in Saxony, but spent the later part of his life in Bayreuth. He wrote tuneful music which is still played today on lute and guitar...
and Charles Durant (Carol Duranowski), also called to the Bayreuth court by Wilhelmine of Bayreuth
Wilhelmine of Bayreuth
Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia was a German noblewoman and composer. She was the eldest daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. In 1731, she married Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth...
, may have further trained him in playing the lute.
In 1745, Hagen married Anna Fikentscher (born in Bayreuth; died May 22, 1789 in Ansbach). During 1760/1761 he visited his brother in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and there gave five concerts from November till March.
Works
Although Hagen was employed at the Bayreuth court as a violinist, his virtuoso lute performances and his compositions for lute were known and appreciated. He is one of the most important composers for lute in the era following Sylvius Leopold WeissSylvius Leopold Weiss
Silvius Leopold Weiss was a German composer and lutenist.Born in Grottkau near Breslau, the son of Johann Jacob Weiss, also a lutenist, he served at courts in Breslau, Rome, and Dresden, where he died...
, and far more important than his teachers Falckenhagen and Durant. His style is shaped by the Empfindsamkeit
Sensitive style
The Empfindsamer Stil is a style of musical composition developed in 18th century Germany, intended to express "true and natural" feelings, and featuring sudden contrasts of mood. It was developed as a contrast to the Baroque Affektenlehre The Empfindsamer Stil (literally sensitive style) is a...
and the beginning of the Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang is a proto-Romantic movement in German literature and music taking place from the late 1760s through the early 1780s, in which individual subjectivity and, in particular, extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism...
period. There is a clearly discernible influence of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach in Hagen's music.
Through margravine Wilhelmine's efforts, lute music flourished in the eighteenth century one last time before being rediscovered in the 20th century.
There are thirty-three known compositions by Bernhard Joachim Hagen found in the Staats- und Stadtbibliothek Augsburg:
- 12 Sonatas for Lute solo
- 6 Trios for Lute, Violin and Violoncello
- 2 Lute concerti
- 1 Duo for two Lutes
- 1 Duo for Lute und Violin
- Many Lute arrangements of compositions by Geminiani, LocatelliLocatelliLocatelli may refer to:* Locatelli is the trademark of a popular brand of Pecorino Romano cheese * Gabriele Moreno Locatelli, an Italian pacifist...
, Arne, and others.
The facsimile editions of Hagen's solo lute sonatas (1983) and chamber works (1984) have been published by Joachim Domning for the Roman Trekel Musikverlag.
There are two excellent CD recording of Hagen's sonatas by the lutenist Robert Barto
Robert Barto
Robert Barto is an American lutenist specializing in the music of the Baroque and Empfindsamkeit periods, in particular the oeuvres of Sylvius Leopold Weiss and Bernhard Joachim Hagen. He is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, having majored in historical lute performance...
:
- Joachim Bernhard Hagen, Solo Works for Lute: Five Sonatas, Locatelli Variations (Naxos 8.554200)
- Bernhard Joachim Hagen, Sonate à Liuto solo (Symphonia Sy98164)
Some of Hagen's works listed in the 1769 Breitkopf
Breitkopf & Härtel
Breitkopf & Härtel is the world's oldest music publishing house. The firm was founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf . The catalogue currently contains over 1000 composers, 8000 works and 15,000 music editions or books on music. The name "Härtel" was added when Gottfried...
catalog (these have no concordances in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
manuscripts) are presumed missing.
Influence
The lute sonatas of Roman Turovsky-SavchukRoman Turovsky-Savchuk
Roman Turovsky-Savchuk is an American painter and lutenist-composer born in Ukraine.-Biography:Turovsky was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1961, when it was part of the Soviet Union. He studied art from an early age under his father, the painter Mikhail Turovsky and at the Shevchenko State Art School...
(a contemporary lutenist-composer) were written in homage to Hagen.
Literature & Sources
- Ernst Ludwig Gerber: Historisch-biographisches Lexicon der Tonkünstler, Teil 1. (1790)
- Rainer Trübsbach: Geschichte der Stadt Bayreuth. Druckhaus Bayreuth (1993)
- Robert Barto: Bernhard Joachim Hagen, Sonate à Liuto solo CD Booklet (1999)
- Per Kjetil Farstad: Bernhard Joachim Hagen (1720-87): Some New Biographical Information, in: The Lute. Journal of the Lute Society, Vol. 40 (2000), p. 1-11.