Justin Heinrich Knecht
Encyclopedia
Justinus or Justin Heinrich Knecht (30 September 1752 – 1 December 1817) was a German
composer
, organist
, and music theorist
.
, keyboard
, violin
, and singing
. He attended a Lutheran collegiate institution in Esslingen am Neckar
from 1768 to 1771, when he became Lutheran preceptor
and music director in Biberach, which was a free imperial city
until 1803, and had a rich cultural
life. He became organist of St Martin's church in 1792, which was used simultaneously by Lutherans and Catholic
s.
He led an energetic, busy musical life; he composed for the theatre
and church, organised subscription concerts, and taught music theory, acoustics
, aesthetics
, composition
, and instruments at the Gymnasium, which was affiliated to the Musikschule in 1806. He went to Stuttgart in December 1806 in the hopes of a post there as capellmeister or similar, but after being appointed Direktor beim Orchester by King of Württemberg in the April 1807, returned in 1808 to his former life in Biberach, where he remained for the rest of his life.
, and the Kick collection at the library of Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Tübingen. A full thematic catalogue is in Ladenburger (1984).
He completed J. S. Bach's The Art of Fugue
(1803), but this has been lost.
, he agreed with the ideas of G.J. Vogler.
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...
, organist
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, and music 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...
.
Biography
He was born in Biberach an der Riss, where he learnt to play the organPipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, and singing
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...
. He attended a Lutheran collegiate institution in Esslingen am Neckar
Esslingen am Neckar
Esslingen am Neckar is a city in the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany, capital of the District of Esslingen as well as the largest city in the district....
from 1768 to 1771, when he became Lutheran preceptor
Preceptor
A preceptor is a teacher responsible to uphold a certain law or tradition, a precept.-Christian military orders:A preceptor was historically in charge of a preceptory, the headquarters of certain orders of monastic Knights, such as the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar, within a given...
and music director in Biberach, which was a free imperial city
Imperial City
-Places:* Imperial City, Beijing, the central section of Beijing* Imperial City , a walled fortress and palace in the former capital of Vietnam.* Free imperial city, city formally responsible only to the emperor in the Holy Roman Empire,....
until 1803, and had a rich cultural
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
life. He became organist of St Martin's church in 1792, which was used simultaneously by Lutherans and Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s.
He led an energetic, busy musical life; he composed for the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and church, organised subscription concerts, and taught music theory, acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
, aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
, 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 :...
, and instruments at the Gymnasium, which was affiliated to the Musikschule in 1806. He went to Stuttgart in December 1806 in the hopes of a post there as capellmeister or similar, but after being appointed Direktor beim Orchester by King of Württemberg in the April 1807, returned in 1808 to his former life in Biberach, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Works
Collections are in the Wieland-Archiv, BiberachBiberach
Biberach is the name of several locations in Germany.* Biberach an der Riss, a town in Upper Swabia* Biberach , which has Biberach an der Riss as its capital* Biberach, Baden, a municipality in the Ortenaukreis...
, and the Kick collection at the library of Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Tübingen. A full thematic catalogue is in Ladenburger (1984).
Vocal
- Psalm XXIII (Leipzig, 1783)
- Paslm VI (Speyer, 1788)
- MagnificatMagnificatThe Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
(1790–1791) - Psalm I (Speyer, 1792)
- Herr Gott, dich loben wir (Stuttgart, 1816)
- Vollständige Sammlung ... vierstimmiger Choralmelodien für das neue wirtembergische Landesgesangbuch, ed. Knecht and J.F. Christmann (Stuttgart, 1799)
- Dixit Dominus (1800)
- 10 cantataCantataA cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s (c.1800) - Te DeumTe DeumThe Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
(Offenbach, 1801) - Wechselgesang der Mirjam und Debora (F.G. Klopstock: Der Messias) (Leipzig, 1781)
Opera and stage
- Die treuen Köhler (operettaOperettaOperetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
, G.E. Heermann), 1786 - Jupiter und Ganymed (prologuePrologueA prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
and epilogueEpilogueAn epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
), 1783 - Die Entführung aus dem Serail (comic operaComic operaComic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
, C.F. Bretzner), 1787 - Der lahme Husar (comic opera, F. Koch), 1788
- Der Schulz im Dorfe, oder der verliebte Herr Doctor (comic opera, C.L. Dieter), 1789
- Der Kohlenbrenner (Lustspiel mit Gesang, L. Ysenburg von Buri), 1789
- Der Musenchor (prologue, Knecht), 1791
- Die Glocke (melodramaMelodramaThe term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
, F. Schiller), 1807 - Die Aeolsharfe, oder Der Triumph der Musik und Liebe (romantic opera, N. Remmele), 1807–1808
- Feodore (singspielSingspielA Singspiel is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera...
, A. von Kotzebue), 1812 - Ubaldo (incidental musicIncidental musicIncidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
, Kotzebue), 1818
Orchestral
- Le portrait musical de la nature, ou Grande sinfonie (Pastoralsymphonie) (Speyer, 1784–1785), modern edition in The Symphony 1720–1840, series C, XIII (New York, 1984) - this work was much admired and anticipates the programme of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony
Chamber
- SonataSonataSonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
, for harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
ad libitumAd libitumAd libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure"; it is often shortened to "ad lib" or "ad-lib"...
(Speyer, 1790) - 3 DuoDuet (music)A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
s, for 2 flutes (Speyer, 1791) - Diverses danses, for pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
/(flute and guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) (Mainz, 1817)
Organ
- Neue vollständige Sammlung ... für ... Klavier- und Orgelspieler (Speyer 1791–1795)
- Die durch ein Donnerwetter unterbrochne Hirtenwonne (Darmstadt, 1794), modern edition by H.W. Höhnen (Wiesbaden, 1982)
- 90 kurze und leichte neue Orgelstücke (Augsburg, 1794)
- Vollständige Orgelschule (Leipzig, 1795–1798/1989) - Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
owned a copy of this work - Sammlung progressiver Orgelstücke (Biberach, 1805)
- Königlich württembergisches ... Choralbuch (Stuttgart, 1816)
- Caecilia (Freiburg, 1817–19)
He completed J. S. Bach's The Art of Fugue
The Art of Fugue
The Art of Fugue , BWV 1080, is an incomplete work by Johann Sebastian Bach . It was most likely started at the beginning of the 1740s, if not earlier. The first known surviving version, which contained 12 fugues and 2 canons, was copied by the composer in 1745...
(1803), but this has been lost.
Piano
- 12 variationenVariation (music)In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
(Leipzig, 1785) - Kleine praktische Klavierschule (Munich, 1799–1802)
- Kleine theoretische Klavierschule (Munich, 1800–1801)
- Bewährtes Methodenbuch beim ersten Klavierunterricht (Freiburg, 1820)
Theoretical
In music theoryMusic 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 agreed with the ideas of G.J. Vogler.
- Erklärung einiger … missverstandenen Grundsätze aus der Voglerschen Theorie (Ulm, 1785)
- Gemeinnützliches Elementarwerk der Harmonie und des Generalbasses, part 1 (Speyer, 1792), parts 2–4 (Stuttgart, 1793–1797)
- Kleines alphabetisches Wörterbuch der vornehmsten und interessantesten Artikel aus der musikalischen Theorie (Ulm, 1795)
- Knechts allgemeiner musikalischer Katechismus (Biberach, 1803)
- Luthers Verdienste um Musik und Poesie (Ulm, 1817)
- Theoretisch-praktische Generalbassschule (Freiburg, c.1817)
Sources
- Michael Ladenburger: 'Knecht, Justin Heinrich', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 2007-06-13), http://www.grovemusic.com/
Further reading
- Lebensbeschreibung Herrn Justin Heinrich Knecht, evangelischen Schullehrers und Musikdirektors der freien Reichstadt Biberach, in Musikalische Real-Zeitung (10 February 1790, 17 February 1790, 24 February 1790)
- F. Schlegel: Justinus Heinrich Knecht (Biberach, 1980)
- 'M. Ladenburger: Justin Heinrich Knecht: Leben und Werk: thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Kompositionen (dissertation, University of ViennaUniversity of ViennaThe University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, 1984) - J. Eppelsheim: Justin Heinrich Knechts 'Orgelschule' als Zeugnis süddeutscher Vorstellungen von Orgelklang und Orgelspiel um 1800, in Beiträge zu Orgelbau und Orgelmusik in Oberschwaben im 18. Jahrhundert (Ochsenhausen, 1988)
- H. Musch: Zu den Cantabile-Stücken in der Orgelschule von Justin Heinrich Knecht, in Beiträge zu Orgelbau und Orgelmusik in Oberschwaben im 18. Jahrhundert (Ochsenhausen, 1988)
- H.M. Miller: Die Orgelwerke von Justin Heinrich Knecht (Munich, 1990)
- H. Jung: Zwischen Malerey und Empfindung: zu den historischen und Ausdruck der ästhetischen Voraussetzungen von Justin Heinrich Knechts Le portrait musical de la nature (1785), in Studien zur Musikgeschichte: eine Festschrift für Ludwig Finscher, ed. A. Laubenthal and K. Kusan-Windweh (Kassel, 1995)