Johann Philipp Förtsch was a German baroque composer, statesman and doctor.

Life

Förtsch was born in Wertheim

Wertheim

Wertheim may refer to:* Wertheim vacuum cleaner, a brand of vacuum cleaner* Wertheim am Main, Baden-Württemberg, Germany* Wertheim , a chain of German department stores...

 and possibly received his musical education from Johann Philipp Krieger. Moving to Hamburg in 1674 to write librettos he then became in the 1680s one of the main composers in the heyday of the Hamburg Opera. In later life he returned to medicine.

Works

Operas (all lost)

• Das unmöglichste Ding (Lukas von Bostel, after Lope de Vega, 1684)
• Der hochmüthige, gestürzte und wieder erhabene Crösus (Lukas von Bostel, after Nicolò Minato
  Nicolò Minato
  Count Nicolò Minato was an Italian poet, librettist and impresario. His career can be divided into two parts: the years he spent at Venice, from 1650 to 1669, and the years at Vienna, from 1669 until his death....
  
  , 1684)
• Der Grosse Alexander in Sidon (Christian Heinrich Postel, after Aurelio Aureli, Hamburg 1688)
• Die Heilige Eugenia, or the Conversion of Alexandria to Christianity (Christian Heinrich Postel, probably after Girolamo Bartolommei, Hamburg 1688)
• Der im Christenthum biß in den Todt beständige Märtyrer Polyeuctes (Heinrich Elmenhorst, after Pierre Corneille
  Pierre Corneille
  Pierre Corneille was a French tragedian who was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine...
  
  , Hamburg 1688)
• Der mächtige Monarch der Perser, Xerxes, in Abidus (Christian Heinrich Postel after Nicolò Minato
  Nicolò Minato
  Count Nicolò Minato was an Italian poet, librettist and impresario. His career can be divided into two parts: the years he spent at Venice, from 1650 to 1669, and the years at Vienna, from 1669 until his death....
  
  , UA Hamburg 1689)
• Cain und Abel, oder der verzweifelnde Bruder-Mörder (Christian Heinrich Postel, after Michael Johansen, 1689)
• Die betrübte und erfreuete Cimbria (Christian Heinrich Postel, UA Hamburg 1689)
• Die Groß-Müthige Thalestris, oder Letzte Königin der Amazonen (Christian Heinrich Postel, after Gaultier de Coste, Hamburg 1690)
• Ancile romanum, das ist des Römischen Reichs Glücks-Schild (Christian Heinrich Postel, Hamburg 1690)
• Bajazeth und Tamerlan (Christian Heinrich Postel, after Giulio Cesare Corradi
  Giulio Cesare Corradi
  Giulio Cesare Corradi was an Italian opera librettist.No biographical information exists prior to 1674 and the appearance of his first work.-Libretti:*La schiava fortunata , set by Ziani...
  
  , UA Hamburg 1690)
• Der irrende Ritter Don Quixotte de la Mancia (Hinrich Hinsch, after Miguel de Cervantes
  Miguel de Cervantes
  Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written...
  
  , 1690)

82 "geistliche Konzerte" (surviving) including:

• Du Heiden Trost [08:07] on the Annunciation
  Annunciation
  The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
  
   to Mary
• Kommt, lasset uns gehen gen Bethlehem [06:42] on the shepherds
• Wer Jesum liebt [09:35]
• Herr, wie lange wilstu mein so gar vergessen? [06:13] Psalm 13
• Die Wunder sind zu groß [06:18] on John the Baptist
  John the Baptist
  John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
  
  
• Aus der Tiefe [08:04] Psalm 130
• Ihr Sünder, tretet bald herzu [08:54] on the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican
• Wohl dem, der nicht wandelt im Rat der Gottlosen [12:50] Psalm 1
• Mensch, was du trust [12:20] on the Rich man and Lazarus

Instrumental works

• 32 Canons on Christ, der du bist der helle Tag, 1680
• Canon perpetuus a 4 on the same chorale
• Allemande a 4
• Canons
• Counterpoint studies
• Triple fugue

Theoretical publications

• Musicalischer Compositions Tractat
• Von den dreyfachen Contrapunkten

Selected Discography

• Dialogs, Psalms & Sacred Concertos . La Capella Ducale; Musica Fiata dir. Roland Wilson (conductor)
  Roland Wilson (conductor)
  Roland Wilson is an American cornet player, and conductor based in Germany.Roland Wilson originally studied trumpet at the Royal College of Music, London, then specializing in the baroque cornet...
  
   rec. live, 26 October 2007 CPO 777369-2 [79:09]
• Geistliche Werke "Ich freue mich im Herrn" Monika Mauch, Barbara Bübl, Alex Potter, Hans Jörg Mammel, Markus Flaig
  Markus Flaig
  -Professional career:Markus Flaig was born in Horb am Neckar. He studied sacred music and school music, then voice with Beata Heuer-Christen in Freiburg and with Berthold Possemeyer at the Hochschule für Musik Frankfurt. Since 2006 he has worked with Carol Meyer-Bruetting...
  
  , L'arpa festante, Rien Voskuilen. Carus