Justin Heinrich Knecht

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Justin Heinrich Knecht, miniature around 1815

Justin Heinrich Knecht (born September 30, 1752 in Biberach an der Riss ; † December 1, 1817 ibid) was a German composer , organist , conductor , music teacher and music theorist .

Life

Justin Heinrich Knecht's father was a cantor and gave him lessons in piano, violin and singing in his hometown from an early age. Already in 1763 was his musical comedy to celebrate the Hubertusburg s listed. Christoph Martin Wieland, who lived in Biberach at the time, recognized Knecht's talent, encouraged him and introduced him to Warthausen Castle . After attending the Latin school in Biberach an der Riss, he went to Esslingen am Neckar , where he attended the Kollegiatstift from 1767 . Here he worked under the guidance of the local music director Georg David Schmid and his friend Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart with composition and organ playing. In 1771, at the age of only 19, he became music director in Biberach - this function included working as organist and music teacher as well as organizing performances and concerts. At the same time he mainly composed singing plays and operas and made a contribution to the development of musical life in Biberach.

In 1806 Knecht was appointed music director at the Stuttgart court, which he ended two years later. He returned to Biberach, where he died in 1817.

Knecht composed both secular and church music. His compositional work mainly includes symphonies , operas, singspiels, psalms and numerous works for choirs and organ . A large part of his works is considered lost. The traditional compositions show influences from the composers Johann Adam Hiller and Georg Joseph Vogler . As a church musician, he made a name for himself as the author of the chorale book for Württemberg . In addition, he wrote other music pedagogical and music theory writings.

Works (selection)

Compositions

Sacred and secular vocal works
  • Dixit Dominus , psalm setting for choir, soloists and orchestra
  • Magnificat , church music work for choir, soloists and orchestra
  • Te Deum , church music work for choir, soloists and orchestra
  • The sixth psalm of David. Text in translation by Moses Mendelssohn .
  • Religious chants
  • Singing to the Holy Trinity
  • Joshua (musical drama)
  • Cain and Abel (Singspiel)
  • The loyal Köhler (operetta)
  • The harvest wreath (opera)
  • The lame hussar (opera)
  • The aeolian harp or the triumph of music and love (opera)
Instrumental works
  • Le portrait musical de la nature, ou Grande symphonie [Pastoralsymphonie] (Speyer, 1785) for orchestra, ed. by Heinz W. Höhnen in The Symphony 1720-1840, Series C, XIII (New York, 1984). Recorded by the Hofkapelle Stuttgart under the direction of Frieder Bernius , published in 2012 by Carus Verlag in cooperation with SWR2 . In 2014 the work was published on the Naxos label with the Orchestra Filarmonica di Torino under the direction of Christian Benda . For the Beethoven year 2020, the work was published by the Berlin Academy of Ancient Music under the direction of the Bernhard Forck Academy at Harmonia Mundi . On the CD, it was compared to the 6th Symphony Pastorale by Ludwig van Beethoven.
  • The shepherd's delight, interrupted by a thunderstorm (Darmstadt, 1794), ed. by Heinz W. Höhnen (Wiesbaden, 1982) (organ)
  • Three easy duos for flutes
  • Four sonatinas for piano op.6

Fonts

  • Elementary work of harmony
  • Organ school for beginners and the more experienced
  • Proven method book for the first piano lesson
  • Theoretical-practical school for figured bass

expenditure

  • Complete collection of partly newly composed, partly improved, four-part chorale melodies for the new Wirtemberg country chant book. Excluding organ playing and auditions in all patriotic churches and schools, graciously decreed. In addition to an appropriate introduction; the register divided into ten sections; u. an appendix closely related to this work. Edited by [Johann Friedrich] Christmann and [Justin Heinrich] Knecht. With a sovereign, graciously granted privilege. At Gebrüder Mäntler'schen Verlage, Stuttgart 1799.
  • Complete Württemberg chorale book, which is graciously decreed, exclusive in all patriotic churches and schools. By Justin Heinrich Knecht, Royal Württemberg Music Director. Second part. Contains: a practical and a theoretical section applied to the practice; (composed of more than 130 main and sub-divisions) which, according to their connection, are inseparable from the first part (the chorale melodies) and indispensable as a guide to its actual use. With the well-taken portrait and the biography of the author; (the first by Mr. Hofkupferstecher d'Argent,) decorated. With the sovereign most gracious privilege. In the publishing house of the royal court and office printer Gebrüder Mäntler, Stuttgart 1816.
  • Cäcilia [,] a periodical work [,] which contains smaller and larger easily playable organ pieces of various kinds for aspiring and more experienced organ players. Second delivery [,] containing XXIV intonations from all major and minor keys, and XVI preludes through the most common major and minor keys [!] In the bound style of Justin Heinrich Knecht. In the Herderschen Buchhandlung, Freiburg im Breisgau [1829].

literature

  • August Bopp: The music life in the free imperial city of Biberach. With special consideration of the activities of Justin Heinrich Knecht and the catalog of the Kick'schen Notensammlung , Bärenreiter, Kassel 1930 (publications of the Music Institute of the University of Tübingen, Volume 7).
  • Robert Eitner :  Servant, Justin Heinrich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 16, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1882, p. 278 f.
  • Hermann Jung: Pleasure of the ear and touch of the heart. On the work and conception of the work of the Biberach composer Justin Heinrich Knecht (1752–1817) . In: Music in Baden-Württemberg (yearbook). 12th year 2005, pp. 93-114
  • Hermann Jung: Justin Heinrich Knecht (1752-1817). An Upper Swabian composer in the context of Viennese classical music . In: BC. Local history sheets for the Biberach district. 26th year 2003, issue 1, pp. 24-34
  • Hans-Josef Olszewsky:  Servant, Justin Heinrich. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 4, Bautz, Herzberg 1992, ISBN 3-88309-038-7 , Sp. 124-128.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  • Franz Schlegel: Justinus Heinrich Knecht. A composer from Biberach. Biography and catalog raisonné . (= Biberach studies; 3). City archive, Biberach an der Riß 1980 (76 pages)
  • Local history sheets for the Biberach district , 40 (2017), ed. from the Society for Home Care (Art and Antiquity Association) in the city and district of Biberach eV; contains essays from the Knecht Symposium on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the death of Justus Heinrich Knecht, Biberach 2017. ISSN 1430-9475.
  • Claudia Seidl: Justin Heinrich Knecht (1752-1817) . In: Rainer Bayreuther / Nikolai Ott (eds.): Choir composers in Württemberg , Esslingen a. a .: Helbling 2019, ISBN 9783862274185 , pp. 212–225.

Web links

Commons : Justin Heinrich Knecht  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Claudia Seidl: Foreword . In: Justin Heinrich Knecht - The sixth psalm of David . Carus Verlag, Stuttgart 2016, p. 3 .
personal data
SURNAME Servant, Justin Heinrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Servant, Justinus Henricus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German composer, organist, conductor, music teacher and music theorist
DATE OF BIRTH September 30, 1752
PLACE OF BIRTH Biberach an der Riss
DATE OF DEATH December 1, 1817
Place of death Biberach an der Riss