Johann Ernst Eberlin
Encyclopedia
Johann Ernst Eberlin was a German
composer and organist
whose works bridge the baroque
and classical eras. He was a prolific composer, chiefly of church organ and choral
music. Marpurg claims he wrote as much and as rapidly as Alessandro Scarlatti
and Georg Philipp Telemann
, a claim also repeated by Leopold Mozart
- though ultimately Eberlin did not live to the great age of those two composers.
Eberlin's first musical training began in 1712 at the Jesuit Gymnasium
of St. Salvator in Augsburg
. His teachers there were Georg Egger and Balthasar Siberer
, who taught him how to play the organ. He began his university education in 1721 at the Benedictine University in Salzburg
where he studied law, but then dropped out of university in 1723.
His first breakthrough was in 1727 when he became the organist for Count Leopold von Firmian
(then Archbishop of Salzburg). He reached the peak of his career when he was the organist for Archbishop Andreas Jakob von Dietrichstein. By 1749 he held the posts of Hof- und Domkapellmeister (Court and Cathedral chapel master) simultaneously, an acheivement which his successors Michael Haydn
, Leopold Mozart
, and Mozart himself were not to match. Despite Mozart's father Leopold's great opinion of Eberlin, and having set the young Mozart some of Eberlin's best known works, his keyboard pieces, the young Mozart later tired of them, writing in a letter of April 20, 1782 that Eberlin's works were "far too trivial to deserve a place beside Handel and Bach."
Eberlin was greatly respected while he lived, composing industriously and playing at church concerts. After his death however his strict choral pieces in the stile antico
faded from popularity and only his keyboard works were remembered.
His contemporaries included Anton Cajetan Adlgasser
.
Recordings
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 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...
whose works bridge the baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
and classical eras. He was a prolific composer, chiefly of church organ and choral
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
music. Marpurg claims he wrote as much and as rapidly as Alessandro Scarlatti
Alessandro Scarlatti
Alessandro Scarlatti was an Italian Baroque composer especially famous for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the founder of the Neapolitan school of opera. He was the father of two other composers, Domenico Scarlatti and Pietro Filippo Scarlatti.-Life:Scarlatti was born in...
and Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually...
, a claim also repeated by Leopold Mozart
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
- though ultimately Eberlin did not live to the great age of those two composers.
Eberlin's first musical training began in 1712 at the Jesuit Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
of St. Salvator in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
. His teachers there were Georg Egger and Balthasar Siberer
Balthasar Siberer
Balthasar Siberer was an Austrian-born German gymnasium teacher, known for having been an early organ instructor of both Johann Ernst Eberlin and Leopold Mozart....
, who taught him how to play the organ. He began his university education in 1721 at the Benedictine University in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
where he studied law, but then dropped out of university in 1723.
His first breakthrough was in 1727 when he became the organist for Count Leopold von Firmian
Leopold Anton Freiherr von Firmian
Leopold Anton Freiherr von Firmian or Leopold Anton Eleutherius von Firmian was Catholic Bishop of Lavant 1718-1724, Bishop of Seckau 1724-1727 and Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1727 until his death.-Family:...
(then Archbishop of Salzburg). He reached the peak of his career when he was the organist for Archbishop Andreas Jakob von Dietrichstein. By 1749 he held the posts of Hof- und Domkapellmeister (Court and Cathedral chapel master) simultaneously, an acheivement which his successors Michael Haydn
Michael Haydn
Johann Michael Haydn was an Austrian composer of the classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn.-Life:...
, Leopold Mozart
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
, and Mozart himself were not to match. Despite Mozart's father Leopold's great opinion of Eberlin, and having set the young Mozart some of Eberlin's best known works, his keyboard pieces, the young Mozart later tired of them, writing in a letter of April 20, 1782 that Eberlin's works were "far too trivial to deserve a place beside Handel and Bach."
Eberlin was greatly respected while he lived, composing industriously and playing at church concerts. After his death however his strict choral pieces in the stile antico
Stile antico
Stile antico, literally "ancient style", is a term describing music from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. It refers to a manner of composition which is historically conscious, as opposed to stile moderno...
faded from popularity and only his keyboard works were remembered.
His contemporaries included Anton Cajetan Adlgasser
Anton Cajetan Adlgasser
Anton Cajetan Adlgasser was a German organist and composer at Salzburg Cathedral and at court, and composed a good deal of liturgical music as well as oratorios and orchestral and keyboard works.Born in Inzell, Bavaria, he moved to Salzburg, where he studied under Johann Ernst Eberlin...
.
Works, editions, recordings
Editions- Johann Ernst Eberlin: Te Deum, Dixit Dominus, and Magnificat Reinhard G Pauly. 1971
Recordings
- Sacred Choral Music - Rodolfus Choir dir. Christopher Whitton. ASV 2000.
- The 9 Toccatas & Fugues - David Titterington. ASV 1998.
External links
- Johann Ernst Eberlin (Composer) bach-cantatas.com