Ferdinand Tobias Richter
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand Tobias Richter (22 July 1651 in Würzburg
- 3 November 1711 in Vienna
) was an
Austria
n Baroque
composer
and organist
.
From 1675 to 1679 Richter served as organist at Heiligenkreuz Abbey
in southern Austria. In 1683 he moved to Vienna
to become court and chamber organist at the imperial court. In 1690 he was named first organist in the court chapel. He worked there until his death.
Richter's compositions include several toccata
s, five suite
s and other pieces for keyboard. He also wrote music for a number of Jesuit school plays, opera
s and oratorio
s. His music shows a decided flair for the dramatic.
In 1699 Johann Pachelbel
dedicated Hexachordum Apollinis
, a collection including his famous Aria Sebaldina in F minor, to Dietrich Buxtehude and to his friend in Vienna, Ferdinand Tobias Richter.
His son Anton Karl Richter (1690-1763) was also court organist, serving from 1718 to 1751.
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
- 3 November 1711 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) was an
Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
.
From 1675 to 1679 Richter served as organist at Heiligenkreuz Abbey
Heiligenkreuz Abbey
Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna woods, c. 13 km north-west of Baden in Lower Austria...
in southern Austria. In 1683 he moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to become court and chamber organist at the imperial court. In 1690 he was named first organist in the court chapel. He worked there until his death.
Richter's compositions include several toccata
Toccata
Toccata is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtuosic passages or sections, with or without imitative or fugal interludes, generally emphasizing the dexterity of the performer's fingers...
s, five suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
s and other pieces for keyboard. He also wrote music for a number of Jesuit school plays, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s and oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s. His music shows a decided flair for the dramatic.
In 1699 Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most...
dedicated Hexachordum Apollinis
Hexachordum Apollinis
Hexachordum Apollinis is a collection of keyboard music by Johann Pachelbel, published in 1699. It comprises six arias with variations, on original themes, and is generally regarded as one of the pinnacles of Pachelbel's oeuvre...
, a collection including his famous Aria Sebaldina in F minor, to Dietrich Buxtehude and to his friend in Vienna, Ferdinand Tobias Richter.
His son Anton Karl Richter (1690-1763) was also court organist, serving from 1718 to 1751.
External links
- Entry in Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, Oxford University Press, 1994, through Gramophone.com
- Entry in Aeiou, the Austrian cultural information system of the Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture