Gottfried Scheidt
Encyclopedia
Gottfried Scheidt was a German composer
and organist
.
Born in Halle
, he moved to Amsterdam
in 1611 to study with Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
, returning home in 1615 to further study with his older brother Samuel Scheidt
and others. He was appointed organist to the Altenburg
court in 1617, and held the post until his retirement on 5 May 1658. He was successful and respected, and aside from playing the organ, directed the newly-founded Hofkapelle, despite the strictures of the Thirty Years' War
. He was unsuccessful in his application, in 1622/1623, for the post of principal organist of the Marienkirche, Danzig, which his brother had refused and which eventually went to Paul Siefert
.
His only known organ compositions are in a set of variations
on Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr made collaboratively in 1614 by Sweelinck and others; the six variations include three by Scheidt and three anonymous, which may be by him; this work belongs to the tradition of the North German school. Modern editions are found by H.J. Moser (Kassel, 1953), and G. Gerdes, in 46 Choräle für Orgel von J.P. Sweelinck und seinen deutschen Schülern (Mainz, 1957).
His other compositions are all occasional vocal works: Pia vota et hortulanae devotionis amicor, a wedding
aria
(1646); Selig sind die Toten
, funeral
music for Sophie Elisabeth, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg
(Leipzig, 1650); another funeral work (1620), in S. Scheidt: Gesamtausgabe IV, ed. G. Harms (Klecken, 1933); and two works in Cantionale sacrum III (Gotha, 1648), in Schatz des liturgischen Chor- und Gemeindegesangs III, ed. L. Schoeberlein (Göttingen, 1872).
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 organist
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
.
Born in Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, he moved to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in 1611 to study with Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was a Dutch composer, organist, and pedagogue whose work straddled the end of the Renaissance and beginning of the Baroque eras. He was among the first major keyboard composers of Europe, and his work as a teacher helped establish the north German organ...
, returning home in 1615 to further study with his older brother Samuel Scheidt
Samuel Scheidt
Samuel Scheidt was a German composer, organist and teacher of the early Baroque era.-Biography:...
and others. He was appointed organist to the Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
court in 1617, and held the post until his retirement on 5 May 1658. He was successful and respected, and aside from playing the organ, directed the newly-founded Hofkapelle, despite the strictures of the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. He was unsuccessful in his application, in 1622/1623, for the post of principal organist of the Marienkirche, Danzig, which his brother had refused and which eventually went to Paul Siefert
Paul Siefert
Paul Siefert was a German composer and organist associated with the North German school.-Biography:...
.
His only known organ compositions are in a set of variations
Variation (music)
In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
on Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr made collaboratively in 1614 by Sweelinck and others; the six variations include three by Scheidt and three anonymous, which may be by him; this work belongs to the tradition of the North German school. Modern editions are found by H.J. Moser (Kassel, 1953), and G. Gerdes, in 46 Choräle für Orgel von J.P. Sweelinck und seinen deutschen Schülern (Mainz, 1957).
His other compositions are all occasional vocal works: Pia vota et hortulanae devotionis amicor, a wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
(1646); Selig sind die Toten
Selig sind die Toten
Selig sind die Toten , is a line from the Bible frequently used in funeral music of German-speaking composers.The text begins in Revelation 14:13, in the Luther Bible Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben von nun an, in English begins Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord, from...
, funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
music for Sophie Elisabeth, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
(Leipzig, 1650); another funeral work (1620), in S. Scheidt: Gesamtausgabe IV, ed. G. Harms (Klecken, 1933); and two works in Cantionale sacrum III (Gotha, 1648), in Schatz des liturgischen Chor- und Gemeindegesangs III, ed. L. Schoeberlein (Göttingen, 1872).
Sources
- Nigel FortuneNigel FortuneNigel Cameron Fortune was an English musicologist and political activist. Along with Thurston Dart, Oliver Neighbour, and Stanley Sadie he was one of Britain's leading musicologists of the post-World War II generation...
, 'Scheidt, Gottfried', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 2007-06-08), http://www.grovemusic.com/ - C. Mahrenholz: Samuel Scheidt: sein Leben und Werk (Leipzig, 1924)