Johann Walter

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johann Walter (alias Johann Blanckenmüller , also Johannes Walter , Johann Walther ; * 1496 in Kahla ; † April 10, 1570 in Torgau ) was a composer , cantor and editor of the first Protestant choral hymn book ( Geistliches Gesangbüchlein , 1524).

Life

Christ was in death bonds in Walter's choir booklet , 1524

Johann Walter was born in 1496 as the son of his father of the same name in Kahla, Ernestine . Since his father ran the Blanckenmühle, the family was also called Blanckenmüller. Due to poor eyesight, the son was taken in and raised by a Kahla relative, also named Walter.

After attending school in Kahla and Rochlitz as well as having started university studies in Leipzig , he joined the Electoral Saxon court orchestra as a singer and composer in 1525 after applying to the Ernestine court as a composer with his Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn | Geistliche Gesangbüchlein from 1524 Torgau . Unfortunately, the Elector Friedrich the Wise , who was keen on lavish court music, died that same year. His successor, Elector Johann the Constant placed no value on figural music and dissolved the court choir in 1526 after Walter had initiated the reform of the “ German Mass ” in Wittenberg together with Martin Luther in the fall of 1525 .

In order to be able to continue to be musically active, Walter founded the Stadtkantorei in 1526, a group of adult Torgau citizens who enjoyed singing, with whom he (together with the choir students) rehearsed the new church music and performed it in the Marienkirche . This created a new structure for bourgeois Protestant music-making, which quickly spread to other parishes, advanced to a completely new institution, the Protestant chantry system, and still lives on today in the parish choirs. That is why Johann Walter is considered to be the "original cantor" of the Protestant Church .

In 1530 a special school cantorate was set up for Johann Walter, which provided for the instruction of the students in music. One of his Torgau students was Georg Otto (1550–1618), who in turn became the teacher of Heinrich Schütz . In the same year he composed the two passions (St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion), which became the benchmark for the German "Protestant" Passions (and continued to be used in the liturgy for Palm Sunday and Good Friday in Leipzig well into the 18th and beginning of the year 19th century). Several electoral donations topped up the scarce school salary, so that Walter was even able to buy a house in 1532.

Ten years after it was founded, the Stadtkantorei was finally financed: Since 1536 it has received an annual donation from the new Elector Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous, as well as additional funds from the city's common box, which could be used to purchase music books, some of which Walter produced himself. Walter's greatest wish, however - his participation in the court services - remained with him for a long time. The city choir was only allowed to participate on the occasion of a great princely wedding in 1542, and only after the consecration of the Protestant palace chapel in 1544 did the services at the court, which were remunerated through salaries and school allowances, become regular.

Unfortunately, this condition, ideal for Walter, did not last long either, because as a result of the Schmalkaldic War , Torgau came into Albertine possession. Elector Moritz appointed Walter Kapellmeister of the Hofkantorei, which was newly founded in 1548, but Walter did not hold this high post for long due to ecclesiastical and musical conflicts ( Leipzig interim , engagement of foreign musicians). After the Kantorei had only moved to Dresden in 1550/52 due to extensive construction work on Dresden Castle , Walter retired in 1554 and went back to Torgau. At least he was able to help shape the consecration of the new Dresden palace chapel, which had been in use since 1554 .

Walter's last years were marked by compositions and poems that he dedicated to his former sovereigns. Just as he began his career as a composer at the Ernestine court, he ended his musical work with great gratitude to the Ernestine princes. When Johann Walter died in 1570 at the age of 74, he looked back on 45 years that he had spent in Torgau.

Johann Walter's work

Some songs (texts, melodies and song sets) by Johann Walter are still included in the Evangelical Hymnal .

Melodies to texts by Luther:

  • The unwise mouth speaks well (with the text Lord, be highly praised for your word by David Denicke , EG 196)
  • In the middle of life we ​​are surrounded by death (EG 518), for which Johann Walter edited an older model from Salzburg
  • A solid castle is our God (EG 362), the melody was created at least with the help of Johann Walter or even comes mainly from him

Other melodies:

  • The Lord is my faithful shepherd (EG 274)
  • Every morning is fresh and new, the grace of the Lord and great faithfulness (EG 440)

Texts:

  • I am warmly pleased (EG 148)
  • I want to build my reason and faith solely on God's word (EG 195)

Text and melody:

Commemorations and honors

The grammar school in Torgau, which was first mentioned in 1371, bears his name. The choir is also named after him. The choir of the Evangelical Lutheran parish in Walter's birthplace Kahla has also been called "Johann-Walter-Kantorei" since 1956, and the children's and youth choir there since 2015 "Johann-Walter-Kurrende". In 2006 an asteroid was named after Johann Walter: (120481) Johannwalter .

Remembrance day

Johann Walter plaque

The Johann Walter plaque honors personalities who have made special contributions to maintaining the musical tradition and musical life in Saxony. This award has been given every two years by the Saxon Music Council since 2002. The plaque (a sine curve in combination with a church window arch) was designed by the Torgau sculptor Torsten Freche.

literature

  • Matthias Herrmann (Hrsg.): Johann Walter, Torgau and the Protestant church music . With contributions by Uwe Schirmer, Joachim Stalmann, Friedhelm Brusniak , Erich Siptitz, Jürgen Herzog, Christa Maria Richter and a foreword by Christian Thielemann . Verlag Klaus-Jürgen Kamprad, Altenburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-930550-94-4 .
  • Christa Maria Richter: Johann Walter from the point of view of the newly discovered text documents . In: Matthias Herrmann (Ed.): Johann Walter, Torgau and the Protestant church music . Altenburg 2013; Pp. 127-164
  • Christa Maria Richter: Walter documents . In: Matthias Herrmann (Ed.): Johann Walter, Torgau and the Protestant church music . Altenburg 2013; Pp. 166-317
  • Christa Maria Richter: Johann Walter (1496–1570) - founder of Protestant church music. Life and work. Writings of the Torgauer Geschichtsverein, vol. 13. Sax Verlag, Beucha / Markkleeberg 2020
  • Siegmar Keil: "Music is a heavenly art": The cantor and Lutheran Johann Walter (1496–1570) . In: Central German Yearbook for Culture and History, Vol. 17, Bonn 2010; Pp. 38-49.
  • Walter Blankenburg : Johann Walter. Life and work. Schneider, Tutzing 1991, ISBN 3-7952-0618-9 .
  • Paul Gerhard Aring:  WALTER, Johann (es) alias J. Blankenmüller. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 13, Bautz, Herzberg 1998, ISBN 3-88309-072-7 , Sp. 239-240.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  • Herbert von Hintzenstern: Johann Walter (1496-1570). The first Lutheran cantor and composer . In: »Laudate Dominum«: Eighteen articles on the history of the Church in Thuringia. Ceremony for the 70th birthday of Regional Bishop D. Ingo Braecklein . Thuringian Church Studies; Vol. 3, Berlin 1976, pp. 91-97. PDF file
  • Martin Bender: Alone on God's word. Johann Walter - Cantor of the Reformation. Evangelical Publishing House, Berlin 1971.
  • Robert Eitner :  Walther, Johann . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 41, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1896, pp. 110-113.
  • Hans-Joachim Böttcher : "Walter (alias Blankenmüller), Johann (es)", in: Important historical personalities of the Düben Heath, AMF - No. 237, 2012, p. 103.

Web links

Commons : Johann Walter (1496–1570)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ In older literature (e.g. ADB, BBKL, probably at Hintzenstern ) the date of his death is given as March 25, 1570.
  2. ↑ Christa Maria Richter: Johann Walter (1496–1570) - founder of Protestant church music. Life and work. In: Writings of the Torgauer Geschichtsverein . tape 13 . Sax Verlag, Beucha / Markkleeberg 2020.
  3. ↑ Johann Walter (also: Johann Blankenmüller) in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
  4. ^ Sächsischer Musikrat e. V .: The Johann Walter plaque ( memento of the original from April 29, 2014 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.saechsischer-musikrat.de
personal data
SURNAME Walter, Johann
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blanckenmüller, Johann; Walter, Johannes; Walther, Johann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German cantor and hymn composer
DATE OF BIRTH 1496
PLACE OF BIRTH Kahla , Thuringia
DATE OF DEATH April 10, 1570
Place of death Torgau