Johann Valentin Meder
Encyclopedia
Johann Valentin Meder was a German composer, organist
, and singer. (He is not to be confused with the German composer Johann Gabriel Meder, born in 1755 in Erfurt, and active in Amsterdam until 1800; nor is there evidence that the two men were related.)
Meder was born in Wasungen
, Thuringia
to a musical family with his father and four brothers all being organists or Kantors. He studied theology
at Leipzig
in 1669 and then at Jena
but soon became a professional singer.
He was employed as court singer at Gotha
in 1671, Bremen
in 1672–3, Hamburg
in 1673 and Copenhagen
and Lübeck
where in 1674 he met Buxtehude
), whose work influenced Meder's own sacred compositions. From 1674 to 1683 he was Kantor at the Gymnasium at Reval (now Tallinn
, Estonia
).
After a sojourn in Riga
(now in Latvia
), in 1685–86 he succeeded Balthasar Erben as Kapellmeister
at the Marienkirche in Danzig (now Gdańsk
, Poland
) in 1687. In 1698 Danzig city council refused to allow a performance of his opera Die wiederverehligte Coelia. He had it performed instead in the nearby town of Schottland (now in Poland
), which led to his being dismissed from his post. After being briefly employed as Kantor at the cathedral at Königsberg
(now Chojna
, Poland
), he went in 1700 to Riga, where served as Kantor until his death in 1719. (During this time, in 1710, Riga was taken over from Sweden by Russia in the Great Northern War
.)
According to his younger contemporary Johann Mattheson
's encyclopedic Grundlage einer Ehren-Pforte, Meder was an outstanding organist and singer, as well as being a composer of repute. In spite of his location in Northeast Europe, Meder was, says, Mattheson, quite familiar with 17th-century Italian music, such as that of Giacomo Carissimi
and Antonio Cesti
, and had learned Italian in his youth. Mattheson argued that Meder would have become the music director for the Swedish Court in Stockholm had it not been for the Great Northern War
, which involved Sweden, Russia, Denmark, and Saxony-Poland-Lithuania.
Of over 130 of Meder's sacred works reported in period inventories, about 20 are known to survive. One, a Passion oratorio from 1700, anticipates Bach by setting the words of Jesus in arioso style. We know of three operas, of which only "Die bestaendige Argenia" (performed in Reval, 1680) survives; lost are "Die wiederverehligte Coelia" (1698) and "Nero" (Danzig, 1695). A small number of his secular works survives.
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...
, and singer. (He is not to be confused with the German composer Johann Gabriel Meder, born in 1755 in Erfurt, and active in Amsterdam until 1800; nor is there evidence that the two men were related.)
Meder was born in Wasungen
Wasungen
Wasungen is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Werra, 11 km north of Meiningen.The Pfaffenburg was built in 1378 and reconstructed in 1974.Adelgunda Dietzal lived in Wasungen.- References :...
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
to a musical family with his father and four brothers all being organists or Kantors. He studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in 1669 and then at Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
but soon became a professional singer.
He was employed as court singer at Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
in 1671, Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
in 1672–3, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in 1673 and Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
where in 1674 he met Buxtehude
Dieterich Buxtehude
Dieterich Buxtehude was a German-Danish organist and composer of the Baroque period. His organ works represent a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and in church services...
), whose work influenced Meder's own sacred compositions. From 1674 to 1683 he was Kantor at the Gymnasium at Reval (now Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
).
After a sojourn in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
(now in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
), in 1685–86 he succeeded Balthasar Erben as Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
at the Marienkirche in Danzig (now Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) in 1687. In 1698 Danzig city council refused to allow a performance of his opera Die wiederverehligte Coelia. He had it performed instead in the nearby town of Schottland (now in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), which led to his being dismissed from his post. After being briefly employed as Kantor at the cathedral at Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
(now Chojna
Chojna
Chojna is a small town in western Poland in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It lies approximately 60 km south of Szczecin and participates in the Douzelage....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), he went in 1700 to Riga, where served as Kantor until his death in 1719. (During this time, in 1710, Riga was taken over from Sweden by Russia in the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
.)
According to his younger contemporary 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...
's encyclopedic Grundlage einer Ehren-Pforte, Meder was an outstanding organist and singer, as well as being a composer of repute. In spite of his location in Northeast Europe, Meder was, says, Mattheson, quite familiar with 17th-century Italian music, such as that of Giacomo Carissimi
Giacomo Carissimi
Giacomo Carissimi was an Italian composer, one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque, or, more accurately, the Roman School of music.-Biography:...
and Antonio Cesti
Antonio Cesti
Antonio Cesti , known today primarily as an Italian composer of the Baroque era, he was also a singer , and organist. He was "the most celebrated Italian musician of his generation".- Biography :...
, and had learned Italian in his youth. Mattheson argued that Meder would have become the music director for the Swedish Court in Stockholm had it not been for the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
, which involved Sweden, Russia, Denmark, and Saxony-Poland-Lithuania.
Of over 130 of Meder's sacred works reported in period inventories, about 20 are known to survive. One, a Passion oratorio from 1700, anticipates Bach by setting the words of Jesus in arioso style. We know of three operas, of which only "Die bestaendige Argenia" (performed in Reval, 1680) survives; lost are "Die wiederverehligte Coelia" (1698) and "Nero" (Danzig, 1695). A small number of his secular works survives.
External links
- Grove Music Online article on Meder
- [ His page at Allmusic]