August Todt

August Todt (born July 29, 1833 in Düsterort near Ueckermünde ; † October 26, 1900 ; full name Johann August Wilhelm Todt ) was a German organist and composer . He worked in Stettin from 1863 , initially as an organist at the Peter and Paul Church , and from 1875 as a freelance.

Life

Todt was born as the son of a school teacher and organist in Düsterort near Ueckermünde . He first attended the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Realschule in Stettin , then the Realschule in Treptow an der Rega and then went to the Stettin teacher training college in order - like his father - to take up the profession of school teacher. After completing the seminar, he taught in Stettin from 1853 to 1856.

But then he decided to become a full-time musician. To this end, he attended the Institute for Church Music in Berlin from 1857 to 1859 . After teaching in Pyritz and cantor in Küstrin , Todt came to the Peter and Paul Church in Stettin as an organist in 1863 . In 1868 he moved to Stettin as cantor and organist at St. John's Church . From 1875 he worked as a freelance organist and composer in Stettin. He died in 1900 and was buried in the Nemitz cemetery near Stettin.

As a composer, Todt published 79 works. In some compositions he referred to the Szczecin composer Carl Loewe ; he also performed works by Loewe in Stettin. In memory of Carl Loewe, he composed a piece for the text The organ still sounds away by Ludwig Giesebrecht , teacher at the Marienstiftsgymnasium in Szczecin.

Todt was considered one of the most important organists of his time in contemporary dictionaries. His compositions, however, have largely been forgotten after his death.

literature

• Michael Wilfert, Eckhard Wendt: Johann August Wilhelm Todt (1833–1900) from Stettin was one of the best organists of his time. In: Pomerania. Journal of Culture and History. Issue 3/2013, ISSN  0032-4167 , pp. 21-23.

Web links

• Portrait in the Manskopf portrait collection of the Frankfurt University Library