Franz Xaver Murschhauser
Encyclopedia
Franz Xaver Murschhauser (1 July 1663 – 6 January 1738) was a German
composer
and theorist
.
He was born in Saverne
, Alsace
, but he is first mentioned as a singer
and instrumentalist at St Peter’s School in Munich
, in 1676. He studied music with the Kantor
, Siegmund Auer and, from 1683 to his death in 1693, Johann Caspar Kerll. He was appointed music director of the Munich Frauenkirche
in 1691, where he remained until his death.
He published two collections of organ music in the tradition of the South German school, intended for use with the Catholic liturgy
; these consist of toccata
s, fantasies
and fugue
s written using the psalm tones and plainchant melodies
. The first collection is entitled Octi-tonium novum organicum, octo tonis ecclesiasticis, ad Psalmos, & magnificat(Augsburg, 1696), and contains eighty-nine pieces]. The second collection is in two parts of 34 pieces each, entitled Prototypon longo-breve organicum; (part I, Nuremberg, 1703; part II, Nuremberg, 1707). Both may be found in Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern XXX, Jg.xviii (1917). There are other keyboard works in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna
, and the Berlin Singakademie
. A surviving accompanied vocal work, Vespertinus latriae et hyperduliae cultus (Ulm, 1700), contains ten psalms and one laudate.
He also published two works on the subject of music theory
, designed for instruction in the art of composition
: Fundamentalische kurz- und bequeme Handleitung sowohl zur Figural als Choral Music (Munich, 1707), and Academia musico-poetica bipartita, oder Hohe Schul der musicalischen Compositions, part I [there is no part II] (Nuremberg, 1721). These treatises are conservative and distinctly 'old-fashioned' in their treatment of the subject, and were strongly attacked by Johann Mattheson
in his Critica musica due to their firmly being founded on the contrapuntal practice of late-16th century
sacred music, while Mattheson was in favour of the 'modern', Italian opera-influenced style
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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 theorist
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
.
He was born in Saverne
Saverne
Saverne is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a pass over the Vosges Mountains, and 45 km N.W...
, Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, but he is first mentioned as a singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and instrumentalist at St Peter’s School in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, in 1676. He studied music with the Kantor
Kantor
People named Kantor include:* Isaiah Kantor , mathematician* Istvan Kantor, Hungarian-born Canadian performance artist* Jodi Kantor, New York Times journalist* MacKinlay Kantor, American novelist and screen writer...
, Siegmund Auer and, from 1683 to his death in 1693, Johann Caspar Kerll. He was appointed music director of the Munich Frauenkirche
Munich Frauenkirche
The Frauenkirche is a church in the Bavarian city of Munich that serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop. It is a landmark and is considered a symbol of the Bavarian capital city.The church towers are widely visible because of local height...
in 1691, where he remained until his death.
He published two collections of organ music in the tradition of the South German school, intended for use with the Catholic liturgy
Catholic liturgy
The Catholic Church is fundamentally liturgical and sacramental in its public life of worship.-Liturgical principles:As explained in greater detail in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its shorter Compendium, the liturgy is something that "the whole Christ", Head and Body, celebrates —...
; these consist of 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, fantasies
Fantasia (music)
The fantasia is a musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation. Because of this, it seldom approximates the textbook rules of any strict musical form ....
and fugue
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
s written using the psalm tones and plainchant melodies
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
. The first collection is entitled Octi-tonium novum organicum, octo tonis ecclesiasticis, ad Psalmos, & magnificat(Augsburg, 1696), and contains eighty-nine pieces]. The second collection is in two parts of 34 pieces each, entitled Prototypon longo-breve organicum; (part I, Nuremberg, 1703; part II, Nuremberg, 1707). Both may be found in Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern XXX, Jg.xviii (1917). There are other keyboard works in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, 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...
, and the Berlin Singakademie
Berlin Singakademie
The Sing-Akademie zu Berlin is a musical society founded in Berlin in 1791 by Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, harpsichordist to the court of Prussia, on the model of the 18th century London Academy of Ancient Music.-Early history:...
. A surviving accompanied vocal work, Vespertinus latriae et hyperduliae cultus (Ulm, 1700), contains ten psalms and one laudate.
He also published two works on the subject of music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
, designed for instruction in the art of composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
: Fundamentalische kurz- und bequeme Handleitung sowohl zur Figural als Choral Music (Munich, 1707), and Academia musico-poetica bipartita, oder Hohe Schul der musicalischen Compositions, part I [there is no part II] (Nuremberg, 1721). These treatises are conservative and distinctly 'old-fashioned' in their treatment of the subject, and were strongly attacked by Johann Mattheson
Johann Mattheson
Johann Mattheson was a German composer, writer, lexicographer, diplomat and music theorist.Mattheson was born and died in Hamburg. He was a close friend of George Frideric Handel, although he nearly killed him in a sudden quarrel, during a performance of Mattheson's opera Cleopatra in 1704...
in his Critica musica due to their firmly being founded on the contrapuntal practice of late-16th century
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
sacred music, while Mattheson was in favour of the 'modern', Italian opera-influenced style
Galant
In music, Galant was a term referring to a style, principally occurring in the third quarter of the 18th century, which featured a return to classical simplicity after the complexity of the late Baroque era...
.
Media
Sources
- George J. Buelow, 'Murschhauser, Franz Xaver', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 2007-06-10), http://www.grovemusic.com/