Wolfgang Carl Briegel
Encyclopedia
Wolfgang Carl Briegel was a German organist and composer. As a boy he was a student in Nuremberg
and sang in the Frauenkirche choir. He later studied at the University of Altdorf
and became the organist at St Johannis church and a grammar school teacher in Schweinfurt
. In 1650 Duke Ernst the Pious appointed him to his court at Gotha
as cantor and music tutor to his family, and he eventually rose to the post of Kapellmeister. Duke Ernst's eldest daughter, the wife of Landgrave Ludwig VI of Hessen-Darmstadt, called Briegel to Darmstadt
as Kapellmeister in 1671. He stayed in this post until his death, but in his later years he was assisted by Christoph Graupner
and Ernst Christian Hesse.
Briegel attracted attention with the publication of his Evangelische Gespräch, a set of dialogue cantatas for the liturgical year in varied forms made up of solos, choruses and chorales. Another set of his works, the Evangelischer Blumengarten, is a group of motets and meditative choral songs. Among his solo songs are settings of odes by Andreas Gryphius
, perhaps the only set of German Baroque songs that might be regarded as a cycle
. At Darmstadt he produced several stage works, but none of that music has survived. His writing for voices is clear and eloquent, and his contrapuntal choruses are direct forerunners of those by Bach. His music enjoys an extraordinarily wide circulation throughout Germany and in Scandinavia, but is rarely heard outside of Europe.
Cantatas
Sacred vocal works
Instrumental works
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
and sang in the Frauenkirche choir. He later studied at the University of Altdorf
University of Altdorf
The University of Altdorf was a university in Altdorf bei Nürnberg, a small town outside Nuremberg. It was founded in the late 16th century, received university privileges in 1622 and was closed in 1809 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria....
and became the organist at St Johannis church and a grammar school teacher in Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
. In 1650 Duke Ernst the Pious appointed him to his court 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...
as cantor and music tutor to his family, and he eventually rose to the post of Kapellmeister. Duke Ernst's eldest daughter, the wife of Landgrave Ludwig VI of Hessen-Darmstadt, called Briegel to Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
as Kapellmeister in 1671. He stayed in this post until his death, but in his later years he was assisted by Christoph Graupner
Christoph Graupner
Christoph Graupner was a German harpsichordist and composer of high Baroque music who lived and worked at the same time as Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frideric Handel.-Graupner's life:Born in Hartmannsdorf near Kirchberg in Saxony, Graupner received his first musical...
and Ernst Christian Hesse.
Briegel attracted attention with the publication of his Evangelische Gespräch, a set of dialogue cantatas for the liturgical year in varied forms made up of solos, choruses and chorales. Another set of his works, the Evangelischer Blumengarten, is a group of motets and meditative choral songs. Among his solo songs are settings of odes by Andreas Gryphius
Andreas Gryphius
Andreas Gryphius was a German lyric poet and dramatist.Asteroid 496 Gryphia is named in his honour.-Life and career:...
, perhaps the only set of German Baroque songs that might be regarded as a cycle
Song cycle
A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist. Unification can be achieved by a narrative or a persona common to the songs, or even, as in Schumann's...
. At Darmstadt he produced several stage works, but none of that music has survived. His writing for voices is clear and eloquent, and his contrapuntal choruses are direct forerunners of those by Bach. His music enjoys an extraordinarily wide circulation throughout Germany and in Scandinavia, but is rarely heard outside of Europe.
Works
Stage Works- Von den freien Künsten, ballet, 2 July 1661, Gotha
- Musikalischer Freudenwunsch, ballet, 1 Oct 1665, Gotha
- Wedding ballet, 5 Dec 1666, Gotha
- Das verliebte Gespenst, opera, 1673, Darmstadt
- Triumphierendes Siegespiel der wahren Liebe (comédie, 1, J. Mylius), 8 June 1673, Darmstadt
- Das verbesserte Parisurteil, opera-ballet, 6 Jan 1674, Darmstadt
- Die beglückwünschte Majorennität des Fürsten, 22 June 1676, Darmstadt
- Quadriga activa, festival piece, 25 Jan 1677
- Bewillkommende Frühlingsfreude, ballet, 6 May 1683
- Das Band der beständigen Freundschaft, singspiel, 8 May 1683, Darmstadt
- Die siegende Weisheit, 8 Jan 1686
- Die wahren Seelenruhe oder gekrönte Eustathia, tragi-comedy, May 1686, Darmstadt
- Die triumphierende Tugend, opera-ballet, 29 July 1686, Darmstadt
- L'enchantement de Medée, ballet, 11 Nov 1688, Darmstadt
- Tugendgespräch, allegorical comedy, 19 Nov 1700
- Other ballets and incidental music for plays, 1683, 1687, 1700, 1705
Cantatas
- Evangelische Gespräch I–III, 5–10vv (Mühlhausen and Darmstadt, 1660–81); no.6 of vol.iii ed. F. Noack, Kirchenmusik der Darmstädter Musiker des Barock, iii (Berlin, 1955)
- Evangelischer Blumengarten I–IV, 4vv, bc (Gotha, 1660–69); 6 pieces ed. K. Ameln and H. Kümmerling, Biblische Motetten für den Kirchengesang (Kassel, 1970)
- J.S. Kriegmanns Evangelisches Hosianna, 1–5vv, insts, bc (Frankfurt, 1677); no. 5 ed. F. Noack, Vier kleine Kantaten (Wolfenbüttel, 1961), no.25 ed. E. Noack, Drei kleine Kantaten (Berlin, n.d.)
- Musicalische Trostquelle, 4vv, 2/4 vn, bc (Darmstadt, 1679)
- Musicalischer Lebensbrunn, 4vv, 4 insts, bc (Darmstadt, 1680)
- Christian Rehefelds evangelischer Palmenzweig, 1–5vv, 2–5 insts, bc (Frankfurt, 1684); nos.15, 44, 56 ed. F. Noack, Vier kleine Kantaten (Wolfenbüttel, 1961)
- J.G. Braunens, Cithara Davido-Evangelica, 4vv, 2 vn, bc (Giessen, 1685); no.62 ed. E. Noack, Drei kleine Kantaten (Berlin, n.d.)
- Concentus apostolico-musicus, 3, 4vv, 2 vn, bc (Giessen, 1697)
- Other unpublished works
Sacred vocal works
- Psalter Davids, Teil I, 4vv (Gotha, 1654)
- Geistlicher musikalischer Rosengarten, 1–5vv, insts (Gotha, 1658)
- Geistlicher Arien, Teil I, 1, 2vv, 2 and more vn, bc (Gotha, 1660)
- Geistlicher Arien, Teil II, 1, 2vv, 2 and more vn, bc (Mühlhausen, 1661)
- Die Verschmähete Eitelkeit [songs after J. Rist] (Gotha, 1669), lost
- Geistliche Oden Andreae Gryphii, 1v, 2 vn, bc (Gotha, 1670); facs. in Thomas
- Twelve madrigalische Trostgesänge, 5, 6vv (Gotha, 1670–71)
- Geistliche Gespräche und Psalmen, 6vv, bc (Gotha, 1674)
- Das grosse Cantional oder Kirchen-Gesangbuch (Darmstadt, 1687) [ed., with H. Müller]
- Des Königs und Propheten Davids sieben Busspsalmen, 6vv/4vv, 2 vn, bc (Gotha, 1692)
- Letzter Schwanen-Gesang, 4, 5vv, bc ad lib (Giessen, 1709)
- Ten wedding and funeral songs, 2–6vv, insts (Gotha, 1653–70)
- One funeral song, 4vv (Darmstadt, 1678)
- Three funeral songs, 5vv (n.p., 1664–79)
- Several occasional songs in collections (see Noack, 1963)
Instrumental works
- 10 Paduanen, 10 Galliarden, 10 Balletten, 10 Couranten, a 3, 4 (Erfurt, 1652)
- Intraden, Sonaten, a 4, 5 (Leipzig and Erfurt, 1669)
- Allemanden und Couranten (Jena, 1664); facs. edn 1970
- Musikalisches Tafelkonfekt, 4vv, 2 vn, bc (Frankfurt, 1672)
- Musikalischer Erquickstunden, 4vv, str, bc (Darmstadt, 1679); lost
- MSS organ works, D-Dl; 8 fugues, ed. W. Krumbach, Die Orgel, ii/19 (Leipzig, 1962)