Friedrich Heinrich Florian Guhr

Friedrich Heinrich Florian Guhr (born April 17, 1791 in Militsch ; † 1841 ibid) was a Silesian musician, composer, cantor and music director.

family

He came from a family of musicians. His father was Carl Christoph Guhr, a cantor at the Protestant Gnadenkirche in Militsch / Militschau (today Polish Milicz ), about 55 km north of Wroclaw / Silesia with at that time about 3300 mainly Protestant inhabitants. This church was one of the six Silesian grace churches that the Austrian Emperor had to grant to the Silesian Lutherans in 1709. In 1797/98 Count Joachim Carl von Maltzan in Militsch, who for many years was Frederick the Great's envoy to the courts of Vienna, London and Petersburg, had a new palace built by Carl Gottfried Geißler in the classical style. Until 1810, the count maintained a small palace chapel with permanently paid musicians, including his father Carl Christoph Guhr. His older brother Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand Guhr (born October 27, 1787 in Militsch in Silesia; † July 23, 1848 Frankfurt am Main ) was a gifted violin player, composer and from 1821 until his untimely death a recognized theater conductor in Frankfurt am Main.

education

He received his first musical lessons from his father Carl Christoph Guhr. He revealed his musical talent at an early age and was already considered a good violin, piano and organ player in his youth. Since 1807 he had an engagement at the Count von Maltzahn's castle chapel. When the chapel was closed in 1810, he was allowed to attend the Breslau school teacher seminar. Here he developed his musical skills and knowledge through extensive studies and numerous concert visits. In 1811 he was appointed the future successor of his father as cantor at the Protestant Gnadenkirche in Militsch / Militschau (today Polish Milicz). Although there was no longer a real court orchestra in Militsch, a few private and public associations had formed where he could perform his musical skills. The art-loving deputy district administrator von Heydebrand founded and directed a standing quartet that played twice a week for twelve years, but dissolved in 1824 when the founder left.

Career

Friedrich Heinrich Florian Guhr was appointed music director and conductor of the palace orchestra by the music-loving imperial count Joachim Kasimir Alexander von Maltzan, who took over the inheritance of his deceased father on September 10, 1817, and has now performed weekly palace concerts in Militsch and the neighboring ones Localities for charity. These so-called “concerts for amateurs” found increasing recognition and attention. He was appointed cantor and school colleague and married the eldest daughter of the district school inspector and pastor Primarius Richter in Militsch. Guhr initiated the establishment of the Militschen Musikverein, which performed five notable concerts and one oratorio each year. In addition to Guhr and his wife, the participants were mostly musically trained cantors, organists and school teachers from the area. The income from these concerts was distributed to poor people or used to buy books for schools. The good development of church music and singing lessons in the schools in the city and in the country make it possible that under Guhr's direction 400 to 500 children could be performed publicly four times a year by Haydn's and Rink's cantatas. As a guide for teaching in schools, Friedrich Heinrich Florian Guhr wrote a collection of his own compositions for the children's choir and instrumental compositions. This collection of religious songs was published in Militsch in 1828 with the title “Singing Catechism”.

Honors

The King of Prussia awarded Friedrich Heinrich Florian Guhr with an order of the “Red Eagle” in recognition of his services.

Friedrich Heinrich Florian Guhr was buried in the crypt of the Gnadenkirche von Militsch, near the sacristy.

literature

• The clay artists of Silesia. A contribution to the art history of Silesia from the years 960 to 1830, written and edited by Carl Julius Adolph Hofmann, choir director at the Catholic. City parish church and teacher of singing at the Royal High School in Opole, Wroclaw 1830

• Patriotic images in a history and description of the old castle festivals and knight castles of Prussia by KU Müller, first part. The castle festivals and knight castles of Silesia, Glogau 1837

Web links

• History of the Divine Mercy Church in Militsch (today Polish Milicz)