Ernst Anschütz

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Ernst Gebhard Salomon Anschütz (born October 28, 1780 in Goldlauter , † December 18, 1861 in Leipzig ) was a German teacher , organist , poet and composer who wrote the texts and melodies of numerous popular folk and children's songs . His most famous song is O Tannenbaum .

Ernst Anschütz

Life

Anschütz was born in 1780 in Goldlauter near Suhl ( Electorate of Saxony ) as the son of the local pastor Johann Heinrich Friedrich Christian Anschütz. He spent his childhood in the rectory , where he was tutored by his father and a tutor. He then attended grammar school in Schleusingen from 1795 to 1798 . At the father's request, he studied theology in Leipzig , but Anschütz received his doctorate in philosophy in 1802 . As early as 1799 he took up his first position at Johann Wendler's Wendler Free School in Leipzig. In 1806 he switched to the citizen school at the Moritzbastei .

When his father died in 1806, the parish wanted his son to be his successor. The pastor's position was kept free for him for a year and the later “book murderer” Johann Georg Tinius looked after the parish from October 1806 to April 1807. The pastor's position was only refilled when Anschütz had made a different decision and stayed in Leipzig.

Anschütz played the piano, organ, violin, cello and clarinet excellently and also gave private lessons on these instruments. He himself studied figured bass for a few years with Johann Gottfriedschicht and took a great part in the musical life of Leipzig.

In 1809 he became a member of the Freemason Lodge Apollo , to which he dedicated "a large part of the activity of his life" in his own words. Presumably for this reason he was denied the intended director's position at the Zittau Citizens' School . He had repeated difficulties in feeding his wife and seven children. Nevertheless, he waived large fees for the publication of his books in order to keep them affordable for the children in school. In 1819 he also took over the position as cantor and organist at the Leipzig New Church at (later Matthäikirche). In spite of his poverty, Anschütz enjoyed respect and recognition in Leipzig's wealthy merchants and booksellers. B. in the friendship relationships with Anton Philipp Reclam and musicians of the Gewandhaus expressed.

He worked as a teacher and organist in Leipzig for 50 years, during which time he intensively collected folk and children's songs and wrote texts and melodies. Anschütz reworked many older songs to make them suitable for children. His most famous song O Tannenbaum was originally a song by August Zarnack about a disappointed lover, until Anschütz rewrote it as a Christmas carol in 1824 by keeping the first stanza and adding two new stanzas.

Anschütz published the musical school hymn book, which was groundbreaking for school singing in Germany (Reclam, Leipzig, 3 volumes: 1824, 1828 and 1830). For 55 years from 1807 to 1861 he conscientiously kept diaries, some of which were also printed, but most of them were lost in 1953. He held u. a. the execution of Johann Christian Woyzeck , which took place on August 27, 1824 on the market square in Leipzig.

Ernst Anschütz died on December 18, 1861 in his adopted home Leipzig. He was buried in the New Johannis Cemetery. A street in Goldlauter was named after him.

Works

Songs

Anschütz created a large number of well-known songs, including

Anschütz is also the librettist of the Singspiel Johann von Nepomuk , music: Carl Loewe .

Publications

  • Musical school hymn book: according to a precise sequence from easy to difficult in three books
    • First [!] Issue. Reclam, Leipzig 1824 ( digitized in the Herzog August Library Wolfenbüttel).
    • 2nd issue. Reclam, Leipzig 1828.
    • 3rd booklet: Selected chants with accompaniment of the pianoforte. Reclam, Leipzig 1830.
  • Cheerful songs for happy child-like singers with 24 easy melodies. Schlosser, Augsburg 1849.
  • The Leipzig battle. Diary entries. Hedrich, Leipzig 1924.

Web links

Commons : Ernst Anschütz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Ernst Anschütz  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Now the Hennebergisches Gymnasium "Georg Ernst" ( website of the school )
  2. ↑ Peter Arfmann: Personalities of the place - Dr. Ernst Anschütz (1780–1861). In: goldlauter-heidersbach.de. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 (article from Freie Wort ).
personal data
SURNAME Anschütz, Ernst
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Anschütz, Ernst Gebhard Salomon (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German theologian, educator and author of many folk and children's songs
DATE OF BIRTH October 28, 1780
PLACE OF BIRTH Goldlauter near Suhl
DATE OF DEATH December 18, 1861
Place of death Leipzig