Johann Jakob Froberger

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Autograph by Froberger (dated 1649)
Memorial stone for Froberger in front of Héricourt Castle

Johann Jakob Froberger (born May 18, 1616 in Stuttgart ; † May 6 ( 7 ), 1667 at Héricourt Castle near Montbéliard , France) was a German composer and organist of the Baroque era .

Life

His family came from Halle (Saale) . His father Basilius was born here in 1575, moved to Stuttgart and became Kapellmeister of the Stuttgart court orchestra in 1621 . With his siblings, four of whom were also employed at the Stuttgart court orchestra, Johann Jakob Froberger spent his youth in the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War and lost both parents in 1637 as a result of a plague epidemic.

At the age of 21 Froberger got his first job as organist at the Viennese court. A few months later, in November 1637, he went on a three and a half year study trip to Italy to see Girolamo Frescobaldi . In Rome he became friends with his classmates Athanasius Kircher and Michelangelo Rossi . It was probably during this time that Froberger also converted to Catholicism. From April 1641 to October 1645 he resumed service at the Viennese court.

The time between 1645 and 1653 is hardly documented; it is certain that he made a second trip to Italy before 1649 and visited Giacomo Carissimi and Athanasius Kircher there. The latter gave him a self-constructed "composition machine" which he called Organum mathematicum . Froberger's return trip led via Florence , Mantua and Regensburg to Dresden. Johann Mattheson reports on a competition with the Dresden court organist Matthias Weckmann of the same age in Dresden. Although Froberger won a gold chain as the winner, he paid the opponent the greatest respect and an intense friendship developed. At the funeral of Empress Maria Leopoldine in August 1649, Froberger met William Swann, the ambassador of the Prince of Orange. He described Froberger in a letter to Constantijn Huygens , the prince's secretary, and a friendship developed between Froberger and Huygens. Further trips took the composer to Utrecht , Brussels in 1650 and to Paris in 1652. In a press release of September 26, 1652 about a concert by Froberger in Paris, he was described as a “German fat bag” and “mediocre personality”. During this time Froberger maintained good contacts with Louis Couperin and Denis Gaultier . In a letter to Kircher dated February 9, 1654, Froberger mentions his travels in Germany, the Netherlands, England and France.

In April 1653 Froberger returned to Vienna as court organist. After taking office in 1657, the new emperor Leopold I reduced the staff of the Vienna court music band , and Froberger's position at the Viennese court was canceled. Since the appearance of an extensive manuscript of Froberger's late work in November 2006, it has been known that Froberger may have traveled to Madrid while working for the music-loving Duchess von Württemberg-Mömpelgard . From around 1662 he lived in the Duchess' widow's residence, Héricourt Castle in the Württemberg county of Mömpelgard . Froberger died in the refectory of Héricourt Castle from complications from a stroke. The circumstances of his death are described in a letter from the Duchess to Huygens.

Froberger created almost exclusively instrumental works, he developed the suite form further. The collection of works has not yet been finally secured, since his musical legacy passed into the possession of the House of Württemberg and has been lost since then. New manuscript finds lead to a constant expansion of the complete edition at Bärenreiter-Verlag, the autograph that appeared in 2006 has not been accessible since its auction and has not been evaluated. His toccatas, capriccios, ricercare, fantasies, canzons, suites and suite sets can be played on organ, harpsichord and clavichord, with most of them having a range of C – C 3 with a short octave (= 45 keys), sometimes only 38 keys (FGA -G 2 a 2 ). Since there are no conflicts with the twos ties of a tied clavichord , it can be assumed that its main instrument was a tied clavichord with a short octave .

With the use of different stylistic elements of European character, he had a lasting effect on the composers Dietrich Buxtehude , Georg Muffat and Johann Pachelbel . His works were also known to Johann Sebastian Bach .

Works (selection)

  • 30 suites for harpsichord
  • Toccata da Sonarsi alla Leuatione, FbWV 106
  • Toccata, FbWV 107
  • Toccata, FbWV 109
  • Toccata, FbWV 110
  • Toccata, FbWV 112
  • Toccata quinti toni, FbWV 116a
  • Toccata, FbWV 130
  • Fantasia sopra Ut.Re.Mi.Fa.Sol.La, FbWV 201
  • Fuga, FbWV 307
  • Ricercare for organ, FbWV 405
  • Ricercare for organ, FbWV 407
  • Canzona No. 1 for organ, FbWV 301
  • Canzona No. 2 for organ, FbWV 302
  • Canzona No. 3 for organ, FbWV 303
  • Canzona No. 4 for organ, FbWV 304
  • Canzona No. 5 for organ, FbWV 305
  • Capriccio , FbWV 502
  • Capriccio, FbWV 503
  • Capriccio, FbWV 507
  • Capriccio, FbWV 508
  • Capriccio, FbWV 519
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 605
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 618a
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 638
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 639
  • Sarabande (work for harpsichord), FbWV 640
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 641
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 642
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 643
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 644
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 645
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 646
  • Partita dolorosa (Suite), FbWV 648
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 649
  • Allemande for harpsichord, FbWV 650
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 651
  • Partita (Suite), FbWV 652

Sheet music sample

Johann Jakob Froberger: Méditation faist sur ma Mort future laquelle se joue avec discretion.

\ version "2.18.2" \ header {tagline = ## f} upper = \ relative c '{\ clef treble \ key d \ major \ time 4/4 \ tempo 4 = 38 \ set Staff.midiInstrument = # "harpsichord "%% Froberger - Meditation \ partial 4 cis16 d8 e16 << {fis2 ~ fis8 [fis32 g a16] cis, 8 c! 32 ccc} \\ {a2 a4} \\ {d2} >> << {c8 d16 c b8. a16 b16. g'32 d16 eb [d ~ de]} \\ {s2. s8 \ stemDown g, 8} \\ {\ stemDown a4 s2 b4} >> << {e8 e ~ e8. e16 fis16. d'32 a16 b f sharp a ~ ab} \\ {r16 a, 8._ ~ a4 d4 r8 d8 ~} \\ {cis4 ~ cis8. ~ cis16} >> << {gis'4 ~ gis8 a ~ aa ~ a ~ a32 cba ~} \\ {d, 16 edeb [d] cis [a] r8 r16 b16 ~ b4} \\ {e4. } >> << {a16 a8. ~ a16 a g sharp8 ~ g sharp4 a sharp8. ais16} \\ {r8 r16 c, 32 b ~ b4} \\ {r8 e8 ~ e4_ ~ e8. e16 e4 ~} >> << {b'4 ~ [b16 [cis] b16 cis32 d ~] d4 ~ d16 [e ~ e16. d32]} \\ {e, 8 d ~ d4 s4 s8 e8} \\ {\ stemDown s4. b'8_ ~ b4 b8. b16} >> << {cis2 ~ cis4 ~ cis16 ba gis} \\ {e2 r2} >> << {a8 fis de ~ e4 r8 r16 fis16} \\ {r16 e fis cis db ~ bb cis4 r8 b8 ~} >> << {g'4 ~ g r8 c8 ~ c [a]} \\ {\ mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn b, 8. b16 e4 r8 r16 e16 f sharp8. cis16} \\ {\ mergeDifferentlyDottedOn s2. f sharp4} >> << {dc8 e ~ e8. dis16 eis8 [eis16 fis32 gis] fis8. eis16} \\ {r16 b8. ~ b4 b2} >> << {fis'2 ~ fis} \\ {r4 ais, 4 ~ ais2} \\ {r8 r16 cis16 ~ cis4 ~ cis2} >> \ bar ": |. " } lower = \ relative c {\ clef bass \ key d \ major \ time 4/4 \ set Staff.midiInstrument = # "harpsichord" r4 << {r4 r8 a8 d4 <ge> 4} \\ {d, 2 d } >> << {d'2 d16 g8. ~ g8} \\ {d, 2 g} >> << {s2 a'4 s4} \\ {g, 2 f sharp4 f sharp8. d16} >> e2 d << {s2 r8 e'4. } \\ {e, 4 e'8. d16 c sharp2} >> << {f sharp2} \\ {b, 2} >> << {r8 e4. } \\ {g, 2} >> << {r8 e'8 f sharp8. g sharp16 a2} \\ {a, 1 ~} >> << {r2 r16 g sharp'16 a8 ~ a16 a8. } \\ {a, 2 ~ a4 dis} >> << {g4 r16 e16 f sharp16. g32 r4 a4} \\ {e4 s4 a, 2} >> << {a'8. g16 fis4 gis2 r4 r8 r16 cis, 16 fis2} \\ {b, 2 gis fis ~ fis} >>} \ header {piece = ""} \ score {\ new PianoStaff << \ new Staff = "upper" \ upper \ new Staff = "lower" \ lower >> \ layout {\ context {\ Score \ remove "Metronome_mark_engraver"}} \ midi {}}

literature

  • Willi Kahl:  Froberger, Johann Jakob. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 5, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1961, ISBN 3-428-00186-9 , p. 642 f. ( Digitized version ).
  • Denis Morrier: Johann Jakob Froberger 1616–1667: une odyssée musicale. In: Diapason. No. 651, November 2016, pp. 27–33.
  • Siegbert Rampe : Foreword to the “New Froberger Edition”. Bärenreiter, Kassel etc. 1993ff.
  • Siegbert Rampe: Froberger. In: Music in past and present (MGG2), 2002, personal part vol. 7 / 172ff.
  • Wolfgang Sander: Death and Transfiguration: Johann Jakob Froberger's musical thoughts on the afterlife. In: FAZ , November 25, 2006.
  • Bob van Asperen : "Three Toccats" in the handwriting Chigi Q.IV.25. In: Concerto , 224, Cologne 2009, pp. 34–41.
  • Philipp Spitta:  Froberger, Johann Jakob . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 8, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1878, p. 128 f.
  • Pieter Dirksen : Johann Jacob Froberger in Dresden. In: Schütz yearbook. 39 (2017), pp. 20-28.
  • Andreas Vejvar, Markus Grassl (eds.): "Avec discrétion". Rethinking Froberger. Böhlau, Vienna / Cologne / Weimar 2018 (= Viennese publications on music history, 14). [Articles in German and English]

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Froberger, Johann Jakob
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German composer and organist of the Baroque
DATE OF BIRTH May 18, 1616
PLACE OF BIRTH Stuttgart
DATE OF DEATH May 6, 1667 or May 7, 1667
Place of death Héricourt Montbéliard