Jan Josef Ignác Brentner
Encyclopedia
Jan Josef Ignác Brentner (Johann Joseph Ignaz, surname also spelled Brenntner, Brendner, Brendtner, or Prentner) (November 3, 1689 – June 28, 1742), was a Czech composer of the baroque
era.
in Western Bohemia
. What we know about him comes mostly from time he spent in Prague, from 1717 to about 1720, where he published at least three major volumes of music. Brentner's opus 1 is a collection of 12 sacred arias for voice, strings, and continuo, Harmonica duodecatometria ecclesiastica seu (1717), popular enough to demand a second printing in the 1720s. In addition, Brentner published a collection of six offertories for chorus, strings, and continuo entitled Offertoria solenniora (1717) as his opus 2 and a collection of six church sonatas, Horae pomeridianae seu Concertus cammerales (1720) as his opus 4. If Brentner published an "opus 3," it has never been accounted for. Brentner's patron was Raymond Wilfert, abbot of the Premonstratensian (Nobertine) monastery in Teplá
, located in Bohemia but administrated out of Austria. Scholars agree that most of Brentner's music was first performed in Teplá under Wilfert's direction, excepting his funeral motets, which were written specifically for the Brotherhood of St. Nicholas Church in Prague
. Brentner died in his home town of Dobřany.
Although a great many of Brentner's works are known lost, a scattering of manuscript copies survive throughout the Czechia and a large number of them are located in the Music Archive of the Bendiktinerstift in Göttweig, Austria. Still others have turned up, in modified versions, in Bolivia; no one knows how Brentner's music managed to travel to South America
. Registries of lost collections belonging to provincial churches in Eastern Europe bear witness to Brentner works that are no longer extant; however, the library at Teplá cathedral—the second largest historical library in Czechia—may contain music by Brentner as yet undiscovered, as its store of music manuscripts remain uninvestigated.
Brentner's music fuses a simple and direct melodic component, reminiscent of contemporary Moravian practices, with a complex and highly ornamented instrumental accompaniment more typical of Bohemian musicians. Although Brentner has never been a famous name, his music has proved enduring—it was still being performed in Prague in the mid-nineteenth century, and they have never stopped playing it in Bolivia
.
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
era.
Biography
Jan Josef Ignác Brentner was born into the family of the mayor of the small town of DobřanyDobrany (Plzen-South District)
Dobřany is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Radbuza River, some to the south-west from the region capital of Pilsen....
in Western Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
. What we know about him comes mostly from time he spent in Prague, from 1717 to about 1720, where he published at least three major volumes of music. Brentner's opus 1 is a collection of 12 sacred arias for voice, strings, and continuo, Harmonica duodecatometria ecclesiastica seu (1717), popular enough to demand a second printing in the 1720s. In addition, Brentner published a collection of six offertories for chorus, strings, and continuo entitled Offertoria solenniora (1717) as his opus 2 and a collection of six church sonatas, Horae pomeridianae seu Concertus cammerales (1720) as his opus 4. If Brentner published an "opus 3," it has never been accounted for. Brentner's patron was Raymond Wilfert, abbot of the Premonstratensian (Nobertine) monastery in Teplá
Teplá
Teplá is a town in the western Czech Republic....
, located in Bohemia but administrated out of Austria. Scholars agree that most of Brentner's music was first performed in Teplá under Wilfert's direction, excepting his funeral motets, which were written specifically for the Brotherhood of St. Nicholas Church in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. Brentner died in his home town of Dobřany.
Although a great many of Brentner's works are known lost, a scattering of manuscript copies survive throughout the Czechia and a large number of them are located in the Music Archive of the Bendiktinerstift in Göttweig, Austria. Still others have turned up, in modified versions, in Bolivia; no one knows how Brentner's music managed to travel to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Registries of lost collections belonging to provincial churches in Eastern Europe bear witness to Brentner works that are no longer extant; however, the library at Teplá cathedral—the second largest historical library in Czechia—may contain music by Brentner as yet undiscovered, as its store of music manuscripts remain uninvestigated.
Brentner's music fuses a simple and direct melodic component, reminiscent of contemporary Moravian practices, with a complex and highly ornamented instrumental accompaniment more typical of Bohemian musicians. Although Brentner has never been a famous name, his music has proved enduring—it was still being performed in Prague in the mid-nineteenth century, and they have never stopped playing it in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
.
Compositions
- Harmonica duodecatomeria ecclesiastica op. 1 (Prague 1716)
- Offertoria solenniora op. 2 (Prague 1717)
- Hymnodia divina op. 3 (Prague 1718)
- Horae pomeridianae, Concertus cammerales 6, op. 4 (Praha 1720)
- Laudes matutinae (lost)
External links
- Jan Josef Ignác Brentner - Concertos and Arias CD at Supraphon
- Václav Kapsa: Harmonica duodecatomeria ecclesiastica a Hymnodia divina. Dvě sbírky árií Jana Josefa Ignáce Brentnera
- Průvodní text ke koncertu z Brentnerova díla
- Průvodní text k nahrávce: Offertoria solenniora op. 2, moteta, árie ze sbírky Harmonica duodecatomeria ecclesiastica op. 1
- Průvodní text k nahrávce: Vesperae, árie ze sbírky Hymnodia divina op. 3
- Václav Kapsa: Missing music? The Baroque Concerto in Bohemia. In: Czech Music 2009, č. 3, s. 30-41, online available at The Free Library