Friedrich Schneider (composer)

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Friedrich Schneider, steel engraving around 1855 by L. Sichling after a portrait by G. Völkerling (1852)

Friedrich Schneider , whose full name was Johann Christian Friedrich Schneider (born January 3, 1786 in Altwaltersdorf , †  November 23, 1853 in Dessau ) was a German composer , organist and Hofkapellmeister of the Ducal Anhalt-Dessau court .

Life

Early years: 1786–1804

Friedrich Schneider's birthplace in Waltersdorf (Großschönau)
Memorial plaque on Friedrich Schneider's birthplace in Waltersdorf (Großschönau) '
Monument in Waltersdorf by Hermann Schubert (1888)

Johann Christian Friedrich Schneider was born on January 3, 1786 in Altwaltersdorf near Zittau as the first of three sons of the school teacher and organist Johann Gottlob Schneider senior (1753-1840), during whom he also received his first general education and instruction in instrumental playing (including piano, organ , Violin, violoncello and various wind instruments). Already during his time at the Zittau grammar school , which he attended since 1798, he developed remarkable talent for composing. He quickly rose to become a tenor soloist as a member of the school choir there and held the position of prefect between April 1804 and July 1805.

Leipzig years: 1805–1821

In 1805 he began studying the "Humaniora" in Leipzig and deepened his musical knowledge with August Eberhard Müller and Johann Gottfriedschicht ; and Johann Friedrich Rochlitz , the founder of the Leipzig Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung , encouraged him. Within a short period of time he held a variety of musical offices and functions - u. a. From 1810 he was music director of the Seconda'schen Operngesellschaft, in 1813 he became organist at the Thomaskirche , took over the management of the Singakademie in 1816 and worked as music director of the city theater from 1817 - which gradually made him one of the most influential personalities in Leipzig's musical life.

As a soloist in the first brilliant performance of Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto in the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 1811, he demonstrated his abilities as an outstanding concert pianist. In 1812 he married the singer Elisa Geibel, who died of a stillbirth the following year. On January 3, 1815, he married her sister Katharina Maria. This marriage resulted in four boys and four girls.

Although he devoted himself to a wide variety of musical genres during his Leipzig years, he was still little known as a composer before 1820. The breakthrough came with the unexpected success of his second oratorio The Last Judgment , which was premiered on March 6, 1820 in the Leipzig Gewandhaus. The triumphant advance of the work continued in a large number of other performances and brought Schneider national fame and lasting recognition. He established his reputation as a composer, court music director, conductor, pianist, organist, teacher and organizer of numerous music festivals.

Court conductor at Anhalt-Dessau: 1822–1853

Monument in the Dessau City Park by Hermann Schubert (1893)
Friedrich Schneider's tomb in the historic cemetery in Dessau. In 2017 the medallion with the portrait of the composer was stolen by strangers and has been lost ever since.

In the following year he succeeded Leopold Carl Reinicke, who died in 1820, as the Ducal-Anhalt-Dessau court conductor and led Dessau's musical life to a new bloom. Immediately after taking up his duties, he reorganized the court orchestra and after a short time had formed a powerful, widely recognized orchestra. As early as 1822, based on the Leipzig model, he organized regular subscription concerts, founded a singing academy and, together with the poet Wilhelm Müller, brought the "Dessau Liedertafel" into being. With the specially organized high school choir and the men's choir of the teachers' college, Schneider introduced regular church music in the three churches of the city. In the course of the founding of the German Conservatory, he opened a music school in 1829, from which more than 120 graduates emerged before it closed in 1844.

His supraregional reputation was also strengthened by the fact that Schneider, in addition to his work as a conductor, regularly appeared as a conductor at numerous music festivals. This type of engagement he carried out into old age. During his time in Dessau he mainly wrote oratorios and other sacred works as well as compositions for male choirs. From around 1830 he composed less and less and increasingly withdrew to Zerbst in order to devote himself to his predilection for garden literature and astronomy. At that time Schneider belonged to more than 25 musical associations.

Among the numerous honors that he received throughout his life, the two honorary doctorates from the Universities of Halle and Leipzig, awarded in 1830 , as well as honorary memberships in the New York Philharmonic Society (1853), the Vienna Society of Friends of Music and the Royal Music Academy in Stockholm stand out .

Schneider owes his importance and recognition as a composer mainly to the success of his Last Judgment. Schneider's success was also favored by the fact that he knew how to serve the concerns of the music festivals that were emerging everywhere (for example for compositions with a large number of easy-to-sing choirs) and the flourishing choral singing. In the contemporary press he was even referred to as the “Handel of our time”. In addition, his other oratorios and works of other genres were appreciated and appreciated by audiences and critics. Through his commitment as a conductor, organizer and composer, he exerted a significant influence on the development of the music festival. The "Elbmusikfeste", which has been taking place since 1826, were inextricably linked with his name. He also gained great esteem among contemporaries as a choir and orchestra teacher and as a promoter of male choirs . In addition to his masses and operas, Schneider's songs and choirs also met with a benevolent response from recipients. He was considered an extremely creative composer. In 1807 he was accepted into the Leipzig Masonic Lodge Balduin zur Linde .

On October 22nd, 1845, a celebration took place in Berlin for Schneider's 25th anniversary "of his becoming known and his naturalization in Berlin", where his work The Last Judgment was performed with a choir of around 500 people and almost 3000 spectators. During the festival he received from King Frederick William IV. , Who on this occasion personally from Potsdam had arrived, the Red Eagle awarded third class for his achievements.

Compositions

His musical oeuvre consists of 16 oratorios , including Die Totenfeier (premiere: 1821, Berlin), Die Sündfluth (1824, Cologne), Das verlorene Paradies (1825, Magdeburg) and Christ the Masters (1828, Nuremberg) as well as other sacred vocal compositions, but also six operas and a whole series of instrumental music works together. These include 23 handwritten symphonies , around 20 overtures , two piano concertos and a large number of chamber music compositions . He wrote u. a. ten string quartets , a number of two- and four-handed piano sonatas , dances and variations as well as numerous piano reductions and other arrangements of operas and instrumental works by Beethoven, Cherubini , Mozart, Spontini and others. a. as well as songs and around 400 choral works.

His most famous work is the oratorio Das Weltgericht in 3 parts for soloists, choir and orchestra (1821). The Leipziger Pfefferkorn Musikverlag presented a source-critical Urtext edition for the first time. Schneider's estate is kept in the Anhalt State Library in Dessau .

Works (selection)

Oratorios

  • The Messiah's journey into hell, 1810 Leipzig
  • Das Weltgericht op. 46, 1819 Leipzig - Critical Urtext edition 2011, Pfefferkorn Musikverlag Leipzig
  • The funeral ceremony, 1821 Leipzig
  • The Flood, 1823 Dessau
  • Paradise lost, 1824 Dessau
  • Jesus birth, 1825 Dessau
  • Christ the Master, 1827 Dessau
  • Pharaoh, 1828 Dessau
  • Christ the Child, 1829 Dessau
  • Gideon, 1829 Dessau
  • Absalon, 1830 Dessau
  • The liberated Jerusalem, 1835 Dessau
  • Salomonis' temple building, 1836 Dessau (unfinished)
  • Bonifacius, 1837 Dessau (unfinished)
  • Gethsemane and Golgatha op.96 , 1838 Dessau (Critical Urtext edition 2012, Pfefferkorn Musikverlag Leipzig)
  • Christ the Redeemer, 1838 Dessau

Masses, Te Deum

  • 1. Mass (C major) for 4 voices and orchestra, 1803
  • 2. Mass (D major) for 4 voices and orchestra, 1803
  • 3rd Mass (E flat major) for 4 voices and orchestra, 1804
  • 4. Mass (C major) for 4 voices and orchestra, 1805
  • 5th Mass (E flat major) for 4 voices and orchestra, 1807
  • 6. Mass for 3 voices and piano (organ), 1810
  • 7th Mass (F major) op.39 for solos, choir and orchestra, 1815
  • 8th Mass (A minor) double choir a cappella, 1815 (first print of the Urtext edition, 2014 Pfefferkorn Musikverlag, Leipzig)
  • 9th Mass (G major) for solos, choir and orchestra, 1816
  • 10th Mass (E flat major) for double choir a cappella, 1817
  • 11. Mass for five voices a cappella, 1817
  • 12. Mass (C major) op.55 for solos, choir and orchestra, 1819
  • 13th Mass (F major) for solos, choir and orchestra, 1826
  • 14th Mass “Organ Mass”, 1832
  • Gloria (D major) for 4 male voices, 1825
  • Te Deum for the University of Leipzig, 1830

Cantatas, hymns, psalms

  • 1. Cantata “Heilig, Heilig!”, 1800
  • 2. Cantata “As the Wind blows”, 1800
  • 3. Cantata “Der Tod”, 1801
  • 4. Cantata “Great are the works of the Lord”, 1801
  • 5. Cantata “Every work shows your greatness”, 1801
  • 6. Cantata “Heilig”, 1802
  • 7th cantata, 1810
  • 8. Cantata “Farewell Cantata”, 1811
  • 9. Cantata aria with choir, 1817
  • 10th cantata, 1808
  • 11. Cantata for the church consecration in Gersdorf, 1810
  • 12. Cantata “Ariadne's Apotheosis”, 1810
  • 13. Cantata “Trauungskantate”, 1811
  • 14. Cantata “Hochzeitskantate”, 1817
  • 15. Cantata “Easter Cantata” based on words from the Holy Scriptures, 1817
  • 16. Cantata for the dedication of the George Church in Dessau, 1821
  • 17th cantata “Pentecost cantata”, 1822
  • 18. Cantata “Christmas Cantata”, 1823
  • 19. Cantata “Easter Cantata”. 1824
  • 20. Cantata for the consecration of the organ in the Schlosskirche Dessau, 1824
  • 21. Cantata for the Day of Repentance and Prayer, 1824
  • 22. Cantata “Good Friday Cantata”, 1826
  • 23. Cantata for the Duchess [von Anhalt-Dessau] going to church, 1831
  • 24. Cantata “Die Seefahrt”, 1836
  • 25th cantata for the inauguration of St. John's Church in Zittau, 1836
  • 1. Hymn "The Great Alleluia", 1804
  • 2. Hymn for 3 choirs, 1804
  • 3. Hymn “The Godhead”, 1808
  • 4. Hymn for male voices a cappella, 1834
  • 5. Hymn for male voices a cappella, 1848
  • Psalm (without number) for male voices a cappella, 1835
  • The 130th Psalm, 1810
  • The 146th Psalm, 1821
  • The 24th Psalm (Jehovah is the earth and its abundance), 1822
  • The 29th Psalm, 1823
  • The 21st Psalm for three male voices and wind instruments, 1843
  • The 67th Psalm for 2 male choirs a cappella, 1843
  • Psalm "Our Father" for 8 male voices a cappella, 1845
  • The 4th Psalm, 1848
  • The 5th Psalm, 1848
  • The 123rd Psalm, 1848
  • The 121st Psalm, 1851

Motets, choral songs and religious chants

  • 1. Motet “Christ ist erehen”, 1803
  • 2. Motet “The Lord is God”, 1804
  • 3. Motet "Milder Regen", 1804
  • 4. Motet “God, our Father”, 1804
  • 5th motet, 1804
  • 6. Motet with wind accompaniment, 1805
  • 7. Motet "To the high, good father", 1807
  • 8. Motet “To the marriage of the Miss Shift”, 1813
  • 26 choruses, 1804
  • Ave Maria (E flat major), 1817
  • Ave Maria (D major), 1818
  • 6 religious chants for 4 voices (1st issue 1820, 2nd issue 1821, 3rd issue 1825)
  • Salve regina for male voices a cappella, 1825

Symphonies

  • 1st Symphony (D major), 1798
  • 2nd Symphony (D major), 1800
  • 3rd Symphony (B flat major), 1802
  • 4th Symphony (D minor), 1802
  • 5th Symphony (C major), 1803
  • 6th Symphony (D major), 1805
  • 7th Symphony (E flat major), 1806
  • 8th Symphony (C major), 1807
  • 9th Symphony (D minor), 1807
  • 10th Symphony (E flat major), 1807
  • 11th Symphony (B flat major), 1808
  • 12th Symphony (C minor), 1809
  • 13th Symphony (G major), 1810
  • 14th Symphony (E flat major), 1810
  • 15th Symphony (D major), 1816
  • 16th Symphony (A major), 1818 (first print of the Urtext edition 2017, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden)
  • 17th Symphony (C minor), 1822 (first print of the Urtext edition 2012, Pfefferkorn Musikverlag Leipzig)
  • 18th Symphony (F major), 1825
  • 19th Symphony (E minor), 1831
  • 20th Symphony (B flat major), 1832
  • 21st Symphony (B minor), 1834
  • 22nd Symphony (F minor), 1847
  • 23rd Symphony (G major), 1847

Operas

  • The fortune teller (2 acts), 1805
  • Claudine of Villabella (3 acts), 1805
  • Andromeda (3 acts), 1807
  • Alvin's Disenchantment (3 acts), 1808
  • The note carrier (1 act), 1809
  • The scissors grinder (1 act), 1811
  • Schwanhilde (3 acts; only 1st and 2nd act completed), 1827

Overtures

  • 1. Overture in C major, 1804
  • 2. Overture in D minor, 1804
  • 3rd Overture, 1805
  • 4. Overture “Tragic” in C minor op. 45. 1805
  • 5th Overture, 1805
  • 6. Overture, op.11, 1806
  • 7. Overture “The Bride of Messina” op. 42, 1817
  • 8. Overture “Polish”, 1818
  • 9. Overture "God save the King" op. 43,
  • 10. Overture, 1820
  • 11th Overture, 1820
  • 12. Overture “Dessau March” op. 50, 1822
  • 13. Overture “Hunting Overture No. 1” op. 66, 1826
  • 14. Overture “Hunting Overture No. 2” op. 67, 1826
  • 15. Overture “Academic” op. 84, 1829
  • 16. Overture “Festival Overture”, 1848

plus 6 overtures to his operas

Piano works (with and without accompaniment)

  • 60 piano sonatas *)
  • 7 piano concerts
  • 3 piano quartets
  • several piano trios
  • 12 rondos
  • Schneider himself also referred to works that are known today as sonatas for solo instrument and piano (e.g. the sonatas for flute and piano, sonata for violoncello and piano etc.) as piano sonatas

Miscellaneous, occasional works, sketches, etc. a.

  • several concerts for solo instruments and orchestra (violin, clarinet, bassoon)
  • Variations and dances (including) for clarinet, bassoon, horn and piano
  • 10 string quartets (2 of which are printed)
  • about 400 songs for male voices
  • about 200 songs for voice and piano
  • several dances of all kinds for piano or orchestra

Discography

  • In 2016, the classic label GENUIN published the piano trio in E flat major op. 38 with the TrioSono in collaboration with the MDR

student

Schneider's handwritten directory includes 125 students. Among them were (the year marks the beginning of the studies):

  • 1. Ferdinand Baake from Halberstadt (1821)
  • 2. Lindner from Dessau (1821)
  • 3. Plum from Aschersleben (1822)
  • 4. Eduard Thiele from Dessau (1827)
  • 5. Gustav wing from Nienburg ad S. (1827)
  • 6. Victor Klauß from Bernburg (1827)
  • August 7th Gathy from Liège (1828)
  • 8. Georg Dietrich Otten from Hamburg (1828)
  • August 9, Seelmann from Dessau (1828)
  • 10. Kahle from Mansfeld (1829)
  • 11. Julius Ruprecht from Egeln (1829)
  • 12. Fritsch from Eisleben (1829)
  • 13. Maizier from Burg (1829)
  • 14. Krüger from Dessau (1829)
  • 15. Fox from Raguhn (1829)
  • 16. Appel from Dessau (1829)
  • 17. Wood turner from Camenz (1829)
  • 18. Kolbe from Gröbzig (1829)
  • 19. Freudenthal from Breslau (1830)
  • 20. Reupsch from Bernburg (1830)
  • 21. Ruprecht Johannes Julius Dürner [sic!] From Ansbach (1830)
  • 26. Volkmann from Dessau (1831)
  • 34. Ms. Wilh. Stade from Halle (1833)
  • 41. Louis Kufferath from Mühlheim (1833)
  • 45. Friedrich Wilhelm Markul [sic!] From Elbing
  • 56. Derkum from Cologne (1834)
  • 58.B. Schneider (son of Fr. Schn.) (1835)
  • 59. Robert Franz from Halle (1835)
  • 60.David Hermann Engel from Neuruppin (1835)
  • 69. Gustav Rebling from Barby (1836)
  • 74. H. Schneider (son of Fr. Schn.) (1837)
  • 78. Theodor Uhlig from Wurzen (1837)
  • 80. Otto (?) Richter from Dessau (1838)
  • 86. Schneider from Hirschberg (nephew of Fr. Schn.) (1839)
  • 94. Friedrich Lux from Ruhla (1839)
  • 98. Eduard Bernsdorf from Dessau (1840)
  • 99. Louis Beate from Bernburg (1840)
  • 101.Wilhelm Rust from Dessau (1840)
  • 111th Julius Exchange from Dessau (1842)
  • 118 Th. Schneider (son of Fr. Schn.) (1843)
  • 125. Richard Faltin from Danzig (1851)

Students not listed on Schneider:

literature

Web links

Commons : Friedrich Schneider  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kempe (1859) 451-456.
  2. ↑ Augsburger Tagblatt . No. 299. Thursday, October 30, 1845, p. 1279. As a digital copy [1] , accessed on August 26, 2020, in it: "Mixed news. On October 22, an oratorio was performed in Berlin:" The Last Judgment "by the Kapellmeister Mrs. Schneider from Dessau, under the composer's own direction, took place. On this occasion, the work celebrated the 25th anniversary of its becoming known and naturalized in Berlin. The king had come to the performance especially from Potsdam, the audience was almost 3000; the choir was over 500. After the performance there was a banquet of 600 people. During the same time, Miss Tuczek wreathed Schneider's bust, with the beautiful, solemn saz [sic] of the angels' voices from the “Last Judgment” celebrated composers were presented by a young girl with the red order of the eagle, third class with the ribbon, awarded by the king, and the music director Julius Schneider received the same award had developed great activity in this and similar performances, the Order of the Red Eagle, fourth class. "
  3. ↑ Score on the publisher's homepage ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.pfefferkorn-verlag.com
  4. ↑ genuin.de: genuin.de - CD catalog / Genuin CD search. In: www.genuin.de. Retrieved January 9, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Kempe (1859) 451-456.
personal data
SURNAME Schneider, Friedrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schneider, Johann Christian Friedrich (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German composer, organist and Kapellmeister
DATE OF BIRTH January 3, 1786
PLACE OF BIRTH Altwaltersdorf near Zittau
DATE OF DEATH November 23, 1853
Place of death Dessau