Gustav Reichardt
Encyclopedia
Gustav Reichardt, also Heinrich Wilhelm Ludwig Gustav Reichardt, (b. 13 November 1797 in Schmarsow; d. 18 October 1884 in Berlin
; was a 19th century German music teacher and composer.
and was a violinist in a local Chapel. In 1811 he attended grammar school and then he began studying theology at the University of Greifswald.
In 1818 he moved to the Berlin Academy, but decided to study music in 1819. He became a pupil of Bernhard Klein
in music theory and composition. As a member of the Berlin Singakademie
(1819-1832) he co-founded the Berliner Liedertafel
and soon attracted attention by his well-trained bass voice. He turned entirely to composition and developed a fruitful activity in this area. After a number of years he acted as a singing teacher with extraordinary success. Like this he began to have access to aristocratic circles and the royal family of Frederick William III of Prussia
. As a popular teacher, he taught singing, including the later Emperor Frederick III
. For his wedding in 1858, he composed a cantata festival. In 1850 he was appointed royal music director.
Reichardt's compositions number only thirty-six and they are mostly vocal popular songs, preferably for male choirs. Among them is the songs The image of the Rose. Artists such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and music enthusiasts met regularly at his home. During a visit to the Sněžka in 1825, he set to music the poem Des Deutschen Vaterland by Ernst Moritz Arndt
, thus becoming well known in the Prussian Berlin circles. The song became one of the hymns
of the German unification movement. In 1871 he published under Opus 36 his last work, a national anthem, with lyrics by Müller von der Werra
. His final resting place is located after on the southwestern alley of Stahnsdorf
cemetery.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
; was a 19th century German music teacher and composer.
Life and work
Gustav Reichardt received his first music lessons at the age of five from his father, the versatile educated countryside preacher Rev. Georg Gustav Zacharias Reichardt (1766-1852). Already, at the age of nine, he appeared on violin and piano. From 1809 to 1811, he received music lessons in NeustrelitzNeustrelitz
Neustrelitz is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the Zierker See in the Mecklenburg Lake District. From 1738 until 1918 it was the capital of the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz...
and was a violinist in a local Chapel. In 1811 he attended grammar school and then he began studying theology at the University of Greifswald.
In 1818 he moved to the Berlin Academy, but decided to study music in 1819. He became a pupil of Bernhard Klein
Bernhard Klein
Bernhard Klein was a German composer.Klein was born in Cologne. He married Lilly Parthey , who was the sister of Gustav Parthey and the granddaughter of Friedrich Nicolai...
in music theory and composition. As a member of 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:...
(1819-1832) he co-founded the Berliner Liedertafel
Berliner Liedertafel
Berliner Lierdertafel , as the name for a male-voice choir, was first used in December of 1808 by Carl Friedrich Zelter, who established the first north German prototype for such male-voice choirs...
and soon attracted attention by his well-trained bass voice. He turned entirely to composition and developed a fruitful activity in this area. After a number of years he acted as a singing teacher with extraordinary success. Like this he began to have access to aristocratic circles and the royal family of Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
. As a popular teacher, he taught singing, including the later Emperor Frederick III
Frederick III, German Emperor
Frederick III was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days in 1888, the Year of the Three Emperors. Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl known informally as Fritz, was the only son of Emperor William I and was raised in his family's tradition of military service...
. For his wedding in 1858, he composed a cantata festival. In 1850 he was appointed royal music director.
Reichardt's compositions number only thirty-six and they are mostly vocal popular songs, preferably for male choirs. Among them is the songs The image of the Rose. Artists such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and music enthusiasts met regularly at his home. During a visit to the Sněžka in 1825, he set to music the poem Des Deutschen Vaterland by Ernst Moritz Arndt
Ernst Moritz Arndt
Ernst Moritz Arndt was a German nationalistic and antisemitic author and poet. Early in his life, he fought for the abolition of serfdom, later against Napoleonic dominance over Germany, and had to flee to Sweden for some time due to his anti-French positions...
, thus becoming well known in the Prussian Berlin circles. The song became one of the hymns
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
of the German unification movement. In 1871 he published under Opus 36 his last work, a national anthem, with lyrics by Müller von der Werra
Friedrich Konrad Müller
Friedrich Konrad Müller was a German poet, journalist and physician. He called himself Müller von der Werra.-Life:Müller was the son of a farmer...
. His final resting place is located after on the southwestern alley of Stahnsdorf
Stahnsdorf
Stahnsdorf is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Geography:It is situated 20 km southwest of Berlin , and 12 km east of Potsdam.-History:...
cemetery.
Literature
- Hans Michael Schletterer: Reichardt, Gustav. In: Allgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche Biographie is one of the most important and most comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language....
(ADB). Volume 27, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1888, pp. 622-624. - Gustav Reichardt. In: Meyers Konversations-LexikonMeyers Konversations-LexikonMeyers Konversations-Lexikon or Meyers Lexikon was a major German encyclopedia that existed in various editions, and several titles, from 1839 until 1984, when it merged with the Brockhaus encyclopedia....
. 4th Edition. Vol. 13, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1885-1892, p. 674. - Gero von Wilcke: Gustav Reichardt, composer of the old German national anthem (for his 100th death anniversary). In: Archives for Genealogical Research. 51st Year, No. 98, June 1985, p. 95-96 and 98
External links
- Literature on Gustav Reichardt on the Landesbibliographie Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Gustav Reichardt Memorial - A Website dedicated to his birthplace in Schmarsow with image