Johann Vogel (composer)
Encyclopedia
Johann Christoph Vogel (18 March 1756 Nuremberg
-28 June 1788 Paris
) was a German
composer
. He spent most of his life working in France
. He moved to Paris in 1776, and entered the service of the Duke of Montmorency
and then of the Count of Valentinois
as a horn player. He composed a great number of orchestral and chamber works
but is best remember for his oratorio Jephté, performed at the Concert Spirituel
in September 1781, and for his two operas. Although his music was received favourably, his works never became extremely popular because they were deemed as ‘too complicated and baroque
’.
Vogel was an enthusiast for the operas of Gluck, and his first opera, La toison d’or, is dedicated to the composer as ‘législateur de la musique’. In places it appears to be a faithful stylistic imitation of Gluck’s two Iphigenia operas, but with a fuller orchestration and a greater lyricism in the arias. The opera was written in 1781 but was not performed at the Opéra National de Paris until 5 September 1786. It played for only 12 performances in all and was met with limited success since it seemed old-fashioned and contained no ballet
. Philippe Desriaux, for many years the secretary of Baron von Tschudi, wrote the librettos for both La toison d’or and Vogel’s second opera, Démophon. Its posthumous première (at the Opéra on 22 September 1789) was given only after the première of Cherubini’s opera on the same subject. Among the musical qualities of this work are the variety of recitative forms, the treatment of the woodwind as solo instruments and the harmonic colour of the choruses
. The overture
, composed in monothematic sonata
form, remained popular into the early 19th century, and was incorporated into Pierre Gardel
’s ballet-pantomime Psyché
(1790), which had more than 1000 performances at the Opéra National de Paris between its première and 1829.
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
-28 June 1788 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...
) was a German
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...
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...
. He spent most of his life working in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He moved to Paris in 1776, and entered the service of the Duke of Montmorency
Duke of Montmorency
The title of Duke of Montmorency was created several times for members of the Montmorency family, who were lords of Montmorency, near Paris.The first creation was in 1551 for Anne of Montmorency, Constable of France...
and then of the Count of Valentinois
Count of Valentinois
Count of Valentinois , is an extinct title in the French peerage. It later became the Duke of Valentinois. It originally indicated administrative control of the County of Valentinois ....
as a horn player. He composed a great number of orchestral and chamber works
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
but is best remember for his oratorio Jephté, performed at the Concert Spirituel
Concert Spirituel
The Concert Spirituel was one of the first public concert series in existence. The concerts began in Paris in 1725 and ended in 1790; later, concerts or series of concerts of the same name occurred in Paris, Vienna, London and elsewhere...
in September 1781, and for his two operas. Although his music was received favourably, his works never became extremely popular because they were deemed as ‘too complicated and baroque
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...
’.
Vogel was an enthusiast for the operas of Gluck, and his first opera, La toison d’or, is dedicated to the composer as ‘législateur de la musique’. In places it appears to be a faithful stylistic imitation of Gluck’s two Iphigenia operas, but with a fuller orchestration and a greater lyricism in the arias. The opera was written in 1781 but was not performed at the Opéra National de Paris until 5 September 1786. It played for only 12 performances in all and was met with limited success since it seemed old-fashioned and contained no ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
. Philippe Desriaux, for many years the secretary of Baron von Tschudi, wrote the librettos for both La toison d’or and Vogel’s second opera, Démophon. Its posthumous première (at the Opéra on 22 September 1789) was given only after the première of Cherubini’s opera on the same subject. Among the musical qualities of this work are the variety of recitative forms, the treatment of the woodwind as solo instruments and the harmonic colour of the choruses
Strophic form
Strophic form is the simplest and most durable of musical forms, elaborating a piece of music by repetition of a single formal section. This may be analyzed as "A A A..."...
. The overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
, composed in monothematic 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...
form, remained popular into the early 19th century, and was incorporated into Pierre Gardel
Pierre Gardel
Pierre-Gabriel Gardel was a French ballet dancer and ballet master. He was the brother of Maximilien Gardel....
’s ballet-pantomime Psyché
Psyché
Psyché is an opera in a prologue and five acts composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully to a libretto by Thomas Corneille adapted from Molière's original play for which Lully had composed the intermèdes...
(1790), which had more than 1000 performances at the Opéra National de Paris between its première and 1829.
Sources
- Arnold Jacobshagen. The New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
, edited by Stanley Sadie (1992). ISBN 0-333-73432-7 and ISBN 1-56159-228-5