Georg von Bertouch
Encyclopedia
Georg von Bertouch was a German
-born Baroque
composer
and military officer who dwelt during most of his adult life in Norway
.
as Georg Bertuch. At age fifteen he began studying violin
and composition
in Eisenach
. According to a letter he sent to Johann Mattheson
, his first teacher was Daniel Eberlin
(1647–1715).
From 1691 to 1693 Bertouch lived in Kiel
. In 1693 he took his doctorate in law with a dissertation entitled De eo quod justum est circa ludos scenicos operasque modernas. He entered military service in July 1693 and was to remain an officer of the Dano-Norwegian army for the rest of his life. He fought twenty-two battles and survived severe injuries. In 1719 he was appointed commander of Akershus Fortress
in Christiania (now Oslo
), where he continued to live until his death.
Bertouch corresponded with several composers in Germany
and elsewhere, e.g., Johann Sebastian Bach
and Antonio Lotti
. Mattheson dedicated his Das beschützte Orchestre to Bertouch and twelve other celebrities, including George Frideric Handel
.
Bertouch is remembered today for his collection of twenty-four sonata
s in each of the twenty-four keys, of which only eighteen survive in a fragmentary manuscript. Apart from these sonatas, three sacred cantata
s dating from the early 1690s have been preserved.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
composer
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...
and military officer who dwelt during most of his adult life in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Biography
Bertouch was born at Helmershausen in FranconiaFranconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
as Georg Bertuch. At age fifteen he began studying 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....
and composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
in Eisenach
Eisenach
Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...
. According to a letter he sent to Johann Mattheson
Johann Mattheson
Johann Mattheson was a German composer, writer, lexicographer, diplomat and music theorist.Mattheson was born and died in Hamburg. He was a close friend of George Frideric Handel, although he nearly killed him in a sudden quarrel, during a performance of Mattheson's opera Cleopatra in 1704...
, his first teacher was Daniel Eberlin
Daniel Eberlin
Daniel Eberlin was a German Baroque composer and Kapellmeister.Eberlin had a vagrant lifestyle. After a brief military career , he worked as a librarian in his hometown, Nuremberg. Later he became Kapellmeister at the Eisenach court...
(1647–1715).
From 1691 to 1693 Bertouch lived in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. In 1693 he took his doctorate in law with a dissertation entitled De eo quod justum est circa ludos scenicos operasque modernas. He entered military service in July 1693 and was to remain an officer of the Dano-Norwegian army for the rest of his life. He fought twenty-two battles and survived severe injuries. In 1719 he was appointed commander of Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison.- Construction :...
in Christiania (now Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
), where he continued to live until his death.
Bertouch corresponded with several composers in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and elsewhere, e.g., Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
and Antonio Lotti
Antonio Lotti
Antonio Lotti was an Italian composer of classical music.Lotti was born in Venice, although his father Matteo was Kapellmeister at Hanover at the time. In 1682, Lotti began studying with Lodovico Fuga and Giovanni Legrenzi, both of whom were employed at St Mark's Basilica, Venice's principal church...
. Mattheson dedicated his Das beschützte Orchestre to Bertouch and twelve other celebrities, including George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
.
Bertouch is remembered today for his collection of twenty-four sonata
Sonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
s in each of the twenty-four keys, of which only eighteen survive in a fragmentary manuscript. Apart from these sonatas, three sacred cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s dating from the early 1690s have been preserved.
Further reading
- Frode Thorsen, "Georg von Bertouch: Trio Sonatas with pieces from the music book of Jacob Mestmacher," liner notes to a CD, Georg von Bertouch, Trio Sonatas with pieces from the music book of Jacob Mestmacher, Bergen Barokk, Toccata Classics TOCC 0006 (2005).
- Claus Oefner, "Neues zur Lebens—und Familiengeschichte Daniel Eberlins," Die Musikforschung, Vol. 22, 1969, No. 4, pp. 464–475 (see p. 471).
- Michael Wilhelm Nordbakke, "Georg von Bertouch und die Cäcilienakademie in MechelnMechelenMechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
," Die Musikforschung, Vol. 60, 2007, No. 1, pp. 13–20.
Recordings
- Georg von Bertouch, Trio Sonatas with pieces from the music book of Jacob Mestmacher, Bergen Barokk, Toccata Classics TOCC 0006 (2005).