Conrad Rein

Conrad Rein (also Conradt Rain or Cunradus Reyn , * around 1475 in Arnstadt , Thuringia (uncertain), † late autumn 1522 in Copenhagen ) was a German priest , composer , singer and Latin school rector of the Renaissance .

Live and act

Music historical research has not yet been able to make any statements about the early days and training of Conrad Rein. The first documented news about him is that a Cunradus Reyn from aranstat (Arnstadt) was employed by the city of Nuremberg on April 14, 1502 as the "schoolmaster" of the local Heilig-Geist-Spital . Rein worked there from September 1502 to February 1515 as priest and principal of the Latin school; His primary school was here on August 8, 1507. With the choir singers from the hospital school, he built up an efficient choir . Two of his students here were Hans Sachs and Hector Poemer. The latter was a Nuremberg patrician and trained musician who later became the prior at the Church of St. Lorenz . Rein had choral singing and polyphonic music to Heiliggeist in his care, and he also helped as a musician at the parish churches of St. Sebald and St. Lorenz.

Bishop Gottschalk von Ahlefeldt von Schleswig (then part of the Kingdom of Denmark) was on his way to Linz in 1514 to pick up the bride Isabella (1501–1526) from King Christian II of Denmark (1481–1559), and made it Station in Nuremberg. Here he was shown the imperial regalia and "imperial sanctuaries". During this time he made the acquaintance of Conrad Rein, and he succeeded in winning the composer over to build up the court choir in Copenhagen, so that Rein gave up his previous positions in 1515. From 1519 he was listed as "Her Conradt bassist" ( bass singer ) in the payrolls of the Copenhagen royal family with a salary of 50 guilders (source: Reichsarchiv Copenhagen). This salary was considerably higher than that of the other singers in the choir. Conrad Rein can thus be regarded as the first director of the Danish court choir. The composer stayed in Copenhagen until the end of his life; he died there between October 17th and December 3rd, 1522.

meaning

Conrad Rein is one of the German composers around 1500, whose life path can only be seen in outline so far. Together with other composers he is recognized by Andreas Ornitoparchus in the work Musice active micrologus , Volume II (Leipzig 1517) in Chapter 8. Here Rein is placed in a row with Johannes Ockeghem , Jacob Obrecht , Josquin , Pierre de la Rue , Heinrich Isaac , Heinrich Finck and others, with the remark that his works are "an ideal balance between feeling and reason ( sensus et ratio )" would have realized. Rein's masses and motets , which have been handed down in early Reformation manuscripts and prints, not only attest to him as a composer of functional church music, but also prove his ability to produce original works. An analysis of his Missa super "Accessit" (Rein's most important work) shows that the method of the reciprocal, so to speak tropical interpretation of cantus firmus sections and sections of the mass text seems to be just as rare as the strict execution of the psalm tone in his piece " Confitemini Domino ”. There are around 20 secured works by Conrad Rein; Copies and adaptations of these works can still be found in sources from the late 16th century.

Works

Conrad Rein's works are exclusively vocal music with Latin text.

• “Inclina Domine” (Psalm 85) to four votes
• “In pace in idipsum” to four votes
• “Confitemini Domino” (Psalm 134) for four voices
• Introit “Resurrexi et adhuc tecum sum” with four voices
• Gradual “Haec dies” to four votes
• Hallelujah "Alleluia - Pascha nostrum II. Epulemur" to four voices
• Communio “Pascha nostrum: Immolatus est” with four votes
• “Crucifixus” to two voices
• “Agnus Dei” to two voices
• Missa super "Accessit" to five voices
• Missa super "Kyrie Paschale" with four voices (Credo by Loyset Compère )
• “Paschale Sanctus” to four votes
• “Agnus Dei” to four voices
• Introit “Puer natus es” to four voices
• Hallelujah "Alleluia. Dominus dixit ad me ”to four votes
• Antiphon “Benedicta sit. Sancta Trinitas II. Benedicamus patrem III. Cum sancto spiritu “to four votes
• Hallelujah "Alleluia. Benedictus es Domine ”to four votes
• Magnificat IV. Toni to four votes
• Magnificat VIII. Toni to four votes
• Te Deum paraphrase "O Trinitas / Beatam Trinitatem II. Miserere" for four voices
• Missa for four voices (doubtful, Rein's authorship uncertain)

Literature (selection)

• R. Wagner: Wilhelm Breitengraser and the Nuremberg church and school music of his time , in: Die Musikforschung No. 2, 1949, pp. 141–177
• Friedhelm Brusniak: Conrad Rein (approx. 1475–1522) - schoolmaster and composer , Wiesbaden 1980
• Friedhelm Brusniak: New aspects of the composition of the mass and the transmission of works by Conrad Reins , in: Augsburger Jahrbuch für Musikwissenschaft No. 1, 1984, pp. 25–59
• A. Brinzing: An unknown music manuscript from the Landesbücherei Dessau and the so-called “Zerbster Lutherfund” , in: Archive for Musicology No. 51, 1994, pp. 110–130
• Friedhelm Brusniak: To identify Conrad Rein as head of the court choir of King Christian II of Denmark , in: New Musicological Yearbook No. 8, 1999, pp. 107–113
• O. Kongsted: Nyt lys over Det Kongelige Kapels oeldste historie , in: Collectanea historiae musicae - nyt. Meddelelser fra Center for Historisk Musik 23 No. 6, 2000, pp. 4-9

Web links

• Literature by and about Conrad Rein in the catalog of the German National Library
• Sheet music and audio files by Conrad Rein in the International Music Score Library Project

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Friedhelm Brusniak: Rein, Conrad , in: Ludwig Finscher (Ed.), The Music in Past and Present , second edition, personal section, Volume 13 (Pal-Rib), Bärenreiter / Metzler, Kassel et al. 2005, ISBN 3-7618- 1133-0 , columns 1499-1500
2. ^ The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , edited by Stanley Sadie, 2nd Edition, Volume 21, McMillan Publishers, London 2001, ISBN 0-333-60800-3
3. ↑ N. Schiørring: Musikkens history i Danmark , Volume 1, Copenhagen 1977, p 125