Hieronymus Florentinus Quehl

Hieronymus Florentinus Quehl (born May 11, 1694 in Zella , † March 27, 1739 in Fürth ) was a German composer and organist .

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Quehl was born in 1694 as the son of a parish clerk who worked in Graefenhain , Mehlis and most recently in Zella . His musical talent caused a stir early on. In contemporary documents it is noted that Quehl "applied himself to music in the 10th year of his age and perfected himself in it in different places like Hamburg , Amsterdam , Leyden , Haag , etc." (from "CVs", St. Michael Fürth ). However, he learned the art of organ mainly from the conductor Christian Friedrich Witt in Gotha .

From the autumn of 1714 Quehl worked as an organist at the main church St. Marien in Suhl . In 1718 he married the second daughter of the main church pastor Johann Caspar Werner. Six out of eight children did not survive the first few years of life. Johann Sebastian Bach , Kapellmeister at the court in Köthen at the time , was the godfather of the third son. From 1732 to 1733 Quehl was the teacher of the organist and composer Johann Peter Kellner .

In the summer of 1730 Quehl was appointed organist and cantor at the Nikolaikirche in Marktbreit am Main, where he succeeded the deceased cantor Johann Friedrich Schüttwürfel.

In 1735 Quehl entered the “cathedral priest school service” in Fürth , and until his death in March 1739 he worked as “cathedral priest cantor and organist” at St. Michael in Fürth. Elsewhere his activity is also described as "Capelldirektor". Quehl's successor was Caspar Christian Keller from Suhl. Whether this was a son or another relative of Johann Peter Kellner, who, according to MGG, also called himself “Keller”, has not been established.

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Quehl's compositional work has only been handed down in gaps and needs to be discovered and researched. The fact that Johann Peter Kellner took composition and typesetting lessons with Quehl from 1732 to 1733 suggests that Quehl was already recognized as an organist and composer at that time. Looking back, Kellner writes: “At that time there was still a man living in the neighborhood who was no less praised for being an excellent musician and a particularly good composer. This man was what I was looking for. That was the organist Quehl in Suhla. His skill and other musical qualities tempted me to give it a try. The man promised to do his best on me, and I made the basis for the art of typesetting. ”(Collections of the description of the church and school state of Gotha). The performance of a cantata on Psalm 84, 2-4 in Marktbreit am Main has been handed down on December 17, 1730 . In 1734 Quehl presented the first part of his work under the title “The first musical attempt aimed at promoting divine honor and encouraging the clergy of Zion. Consists of two chorales. With differentiated, partly figured, partly on two pianos and obbligato pedals, on three lines arranged variations. ”The publication is linked to a reference to a second work that has not yet been verified.

literature

• Gotthold Frotscher: History of organ playing and organ composition. Danzig 1934, 2nd edition Berlin 1959.
• Music in the past and present (MGG) . Encyclopedia. Göttingen 1954ff.
• Church records main church St. Marien Suhl, St. Michael Fürth
• Ferdinand Werther: Chronicle of the city of Suhl in the prince graffschaft Henneberg. 2 vol. Suhl 1847. Reprint Verlag Buchhaus Suhl 1995.
• Hans Michael: About the church history of Suhl . 36 articles in the Thüringer Tageblatt from April 13, 1991 to January 11, 1992.

Individual references / comments

1. ↑ The job title "Dompröbstlicher Kantor" throws a spotlight on a dispute between the Dompropstei Bamberg , the Margraviate Brandenburg-Ansbach and the imperial city of Nuremberg , who at that time were fighting over the administrative sovereignty over the city of Fürth.

Web links

• Works by and about Hieronymus Florentinus Quehl in the catalog of the German National Library
• Sheet music and audio files by Hieronymus Florentinus Quehl in the International Music Score Library Project