Johann Fischer (composer)
Encyclopedia
Johann Fischer was a German
violinist
, keyboardist
and composer
of the baroque era
. His name is not to be confused with another composer named Johann Fischer, born in Lübeck
and listed by Johannes Moller
in Cimbria literata (v. I, p. 176). He is mentioned as a good clavier
and violin player, who is said to have especially loved the return of the strings and, in this way, he mainly composed for the violin and also the viola, which he sought to write for in his overtures. In any case, his works are of historical interest since they are likely to betray the influence of the then French instrumental music.
, in Swabia
, as the son of town piper Jonas Fischer and Maria, née Mayr. He had music lessons with his father as well as with cantor
Tobias Kriegsdorfer (1608-1686). From 1661 to 1664 he was then further instructed in music in the orchestra at the Württemberg
court in Stuttgart
by Kapellmeister
Samuel Capricornus
. After his death in 1665, he worked for five years in Paris
where he was a scribe for Jean-Baptiste Lully
, the Kapellmeister of Louis XIV.
In 1673 he was back in the Stuttgart court orchestra, and a year later he became a church musician at the Barfüßerkirche in Augsburg
, where he was employed until 1677. During his time, about 60 pieces of church music were composed. He then got married to Antonia Sybilla who gave him between 1675-1681 five children, but his life was in music and so he returned to his home town. In 1683 he had a job for three years as a violinist, teacher and composer in the court orchestra of the Duke of Ansbach
who was very much fond of French music. From 1686 Fischer took over as head director of the chapel, but after the death of Margrave
Johann Friedrich, Fischer was released of his duties that same year. His successor, Margrave George Friedrich was then fond of a more Italian direction.
From 1690 to 1697 he held a similar position in Jelgava
(Jelgava today in Lithuania
), in the court of the Duke of Courland
Frederick Casimir Kettler
, and after the dissolution of the chapel, he lived for a time in Riga
. In the late 1690s he developed a lively fishing habit which took him all across Europe. In 1700 he found a position in Lüneburg
, and in 1701 he played in Poland vor Ihro Maj. dem Könige von Polen zu dero hoher Zufriedenheit. In 1702 he became Kapellmeister in the chapel of Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In 1704 he went on a disappointing trip to Copenhagen
where he had hoped for a job in the royal court orchestra. Fischer was in Bayreuth in 1707, after which he lived in Stralsund
, Stockholm
and Szczecin
. In his last years he was Kapellmeister to Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, but of a rather flighty disposition, he soon gave this post up and moved around between Copenhagen
, Stralsund and Stockholm. Finally, he became Kapellmeister to the Margrave of Schwedt
, where he died at the age of seventy years.
s and Lieders. His melodies are original and his harmonies and rhythms varied. In his work, scordatura
is often required for the viola. He also wrote instrumental works. Johann Mattheson
writes that Fischer's music was highly praised and frequently played, although his extensive work on church music, consisting of numerous cantatas and motets, is still little explored. His works are listed by Ernst Ludwig Gerber
in his Lexikon der Tonkünstler (v. II, p. 133).
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...
violinist
Violinist
Violinist may refer to:*A person who plays the violin**List of violinists*Violinist *The Violinist, by Chagall...
, keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
and 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...
of the baroque era
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...
. His name is not to be confused with another composer named Johann Fischer, born in Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
and listed by Johannes Moller
Johannes Moller
Johannes Moller was a German Pietist, headmaster of Flensburg's Latin School, and author of a noted biography of North German scientists „Cimbria literata".-References:...
in Cimbria literata (v. I, p. 176). He is mentioned as a good clavier
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
and violin player, who is said to have especially loved the return of the strings and, in this way, he mainly composed for the violin and also the viola, which he sought to write for in his overtures. In any case, his works are of historical interest since they are likely to betray the influence of the then French instrumental music.
Biography
Johann Fischer was born in AugsburgAugsburg
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...
, in Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
, as the son of town piper Jonas Fischer and Maria, née Mayr. He had music lessons with his father as well as with cantor
Cantor
Cantor is surname of:* Andrés Cantor , Spanish-language soccer announcer* Anthony Cantor , British diplomat* Arthur Cantor , American theatrical producer* Aviva Cantor , American journalist, lecturer and author...
Tobias Kriegsdorfer (1608-1686). From 1661 to 1664 he was then further instructed in music in the orchestra at the Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
court in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
by 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...
Samuel Capricornus
Samuel Capricornus
Samuel Friedrich Capricornus, born Samuel Friedrich Bockshorn was a Czech composer.-Works, editions and recordings:...
. After his death in 1665, he worked for five years in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he was a scribe for Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French Baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in...
, the Kapellmeister of Louis XIV.
In 1673 he was back in the Stuttgart court orchestra, and a year later he became a church musician at the Barfüßerkirche 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...
, where he was employed until 1677. During his time, about 60 pieces of church music were composed. He then got married to Antonia Sybilla who gave him between 1675-1681 five children, but his life was in music and so he returned to his home town. In 1683 he had a job for three years as a violinist, teacher and composer in the court orchestra of the Duke of Ansbach
Ansbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
who was very much fond of French music. From 1686 Fischer took over as head director of the chapel, but after the death of Margrave
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
Johann Friedrich, Fischer was released of his duties that same year. His successor, Margrave George Friedrich was then fond of a more Italian direction.
From 1690 to 1697 he held a similar position in Jelgava
Jelgava
-Sports:The city's main football team, FK Jelgava, plays in the Latvian Higher League and won the 2009/2010 Latvian Football Cup.- Notable people :*August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein - linguist, folklorist, ethnographer...
(Jelgava today in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
), in the court of the Duke of Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
Frederick Casimir Kettler
Frederick Casimir Kettler
Frederick Casimir Kettler was Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1682 to 1698...
, and after the dissolution of the chapel, he lived for a time in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. In the late 1690s he developed a lively fishing habit which took him all across Europe. In 1700 he found a position in Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
, and in 1701 he played in Poland vor Ihro Maj. dem Könige von Polen zu dero hoher Zufriedenheit. In 1702 he became Kapellmeister in the chapel of Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In 1704 he went on a disappointing trip to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
where he had hoped for a job in the royal court orchestra. Fischer was in Bayreuth in 1707, after which he lived in Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
. In his last years he was Kapellmeister to Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, but of a rather flighty disposition, he soon gave this post up and moved around between Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Stralsund and Stockholm. Finally, he became Kapellmeister to the Margrave of Schwedt
Schwedt
Schwedt is a city in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the largest city of the district Uckermark near the Oder river on the border with Poland.-Overview:...
, where he died at the age of seventy years.
Musical works
Johann Fischer's compositions are similar to those by Johann Sigismund Kusser, as his traditional chamber music suggests. He wrote various collections of songs, the most important being a collection of fifty French songs and another collection of madrigalMadrigal
-Music:* Madrigal , a European musical form of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries** Madrigal dinner, a form of dinner theater incorporating comedy, madrigals, and a feast...
s and Lieders. His melodies are original and his harmonies and rhythms varied. In his work, scordatura
Scordatura
A scordatura , also called cross-tuning, is an alternative tuning used for the open strings of a string instrument, in which the notes indicated in the score would represent the finger position as if played in regular tuning, while the actual pitch is altered...
is often required for the viola. He also wrote instrumental works. 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...
writes that Fischer's music was highly praised and frequently played, although his extensive work on church music, consisting of numerous cantatas and motets, is still little explored. His works are listed by Ernst Ludwig Gerber
Ernst Ludwig Gerber
Ernst Ludwig Gerber was a German composer and author of a famous dictionary of musicians....
in his Lexikon der Tonkünstler (v. II, p. 133).
Compositions
- Musikalische Mayen-Lust, aOpus numberAn Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
7 (Augsburg, 1681) - So wünsch ich manche gute Nacht, Die Motette (Augsburg, 1681) (Dubious authorship)
- Himmlische Seelen-Lust for Violin and accompaniment (Nürenberg, 1686)
- Musicalisches Divertissement, a 2 (Dresden, 1699)
- Neuverfertigtes musicalisches Divertissement, a 4 (Augsburg, 1700)
- TafelMusik, a 3, 4 (Hamburg, 1702)
- Musicalische Fürsten Lust...., a 4 (Augsburg, 1706)
- Feld- und Heldenmusik (Augsburg, 1706)
- Ouverture (Suite) a 5 F-Dur for Oboe, 2 Violins, Viola (or Oboe, Violin, 2 Violas) and B.c.
- Vier Suiten für Blockflöte (Violin, Flute, Oboe, Viola) with Bass (CembaloHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
with Gamba, Cello, Lute, also Cembalo bzw. Cembalo only or Gamba, Cello and Lute) - Balletto a 4 in C minor (1690):
- SonatinaSonatinaA sonatina is literally a small sonata. As a musical term, sonatina has no single strict definition; it is rather a title applied by the composer to a piece that is in basic sonata form, but is shorter, lighter in character, or more elementary technically than a typical sonata...
- Allemanda
- Menuet
- Menuet
- BourréeBourréeThe bourrée is a dance of French origin common in Auvergne and Biscay in Spain in the 17th century. It is danced in quick double time, somewhat resembling the gavotte. The main difference between the two is the anacrusis, or upbeat; a bourrée starts on the last beat of a bar, creating a...
- SarabandeSarabandeIn music, the sarabande is a dance in triple metre. The second and third beats of each measure are often tied, giving the dance a distinctive rhythm of quarter notes and eighth notes in alternation...
in C minor for Violino, PiccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
discordato, Bass, Viola and Basso continuo (VioloneVioloneThe term violone can refer to several distinct large, bowed musical instruments which belong to either the viol or violin family. The violone is sometimes a fretted instrument, and may have six, five, four, or even only three strings. The violone is also not always a contrabass instrument...
, Harp and Cembalo)
- Sonatina
- Trost-Klang (Instrumental)
External links
- German Wikisource has original text related to this article: Fischer, Johann.
- Suite from TafelMusik Music Score at Icking Music Archive