Christoph Schaffrath ( German: Christoph Schaffrath ; 1709 or 1710/1711 , Honstein near Dresden - February 17, 1763 , Berlin ) - German composer, music teacher and harpsichord player of the Baroque era.
| Christoph Schaffrath him. Christoph schaffrath | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1709 or 1710/1711 |
| Place of Birth | Honstein , Elector Saxony |
| Date of death | February 17, 1763 |
| Place of death | Berlin |
| A country | Elector Saxony , Prussia , Commonwealth |
| Professions | music teacher , performer, composer |
| Years of activity | 1730 - 1763 |
| Instruments | organ harpsichord |
| Genres | secular instrumental music |
 External video files | |
|---|---|
| Christoph Schaffrath. Duet for viola da gamba. Performed by Vittorio Gielme and Rustic Pozumsky. |
Biography
Christoph Schaffrath was born in Honstein near Dresden. Nothing is known about the composer's family. Usually the date of birth is 1709, but the composer's official obituary at Berlinischen Nachrichten on February 22, 1763 claimed that Schaffrath died at the age of 52, which puts his date of birth at a later date [1] .
The composer worked in 1730 as a harpsichord player in the orchestra at the Warsaw court of the Saxon Elector and King of the Commonwealth, Augustus II the Strong , although he may not have been enlisted, as his name is not on the payroll sheets. Later, he worked at the court of the Lithuanian nobleman Pavel Karol Sangushko (he was considered after the death of Augustus II as one of the Russian proteges to the throne of the Commonwealth).
In 1733, Christoph Schaffratt participated in the competition for the vacant post of organist of the Hagia Sophia in Dresden, where he lost to William Friedemann Bach .
In March 1734, the composer was already a harpsichord player in the orchestra at the court of the Prussian crown prince Frederick [2] . After his coronation in May 1740, the King of Prussia Frederick II lived alternately in Berlin and Potsdam. His orchestra at that time consisted of 40 musicians (including Franz Benda , Karl Philippe Emanuel Bach , Johann Gottlieb Graun, Karl Heinrich Graun ) [3] . Schaffrath in this orchestra performed the duties of a harpsichord player, like Karl Philippe Emanuel Bach. It is known that Schaffrath's salary was 400 thalers per year. In March 1744, he also received an award of 33 thalers for his composing work (for composing concerts for two harpsichords).
At the end of 1741, the composer entered the service of Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia , the younger sister of Frederick II, known for her strong interest in music, and took the place of the first harpsichordist [4] . Shaffrath dedicated some of her works to her and, presumably, was the organizer and director of the princess's significant music library. Other works of the composer were intended for musical collections of the townspeople and nobles of the city of Berlin. Schaffrath led an active teaching activity [5] , among his students: the castrat Felice Salimbene, who became famous for his performance in operas by Antonio Caldara and Nicola Porpora , and Friedrich Wilhelm Riedt - music theorist, flutist and composer. Probably, the music textbook created by the composer, which was preserved fragmentary or unfinished by the musician himself, was intended for teaching practice. Schaffrath died on February 17, 1763 in Berlin. Such a date follows from the obituary published soon, however, a document with the composer's autograph has been preserved, on which is the date November 5, 1763.
The historical part of Honstein, where the composer was born
August II Strong. The composer has been at his service since 1730.
Pavel Karol Sangushko. The composer was in his service until 1733.
Frederick II the Great. In his service, the composer stayed from 1734 to 1741.
Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia. At her service was a composer from 1741 to 1763.
Works and their fate
Most of Schaffrath's manuscripts after his death were transferred to the library of Princess Anna Amalia [6] and the archive of Sing-Akademie zu Berlin. Currently, almost all of them are stored in the Berlin State Library .
Christoph Schaffrath is one of the main representatives of the first Berlin school of composers [7] In the 40-50s of the XVIII century, his works were no less popular than Georg Friedrich Handel , Georg Philipp Telemann and Johann Sebastian Bach . By 1800, they were firmly forgotten. Interest in his work revived at the very beginning of the XXI century . Large articles have appeared that explore the work of the composer (in particular, Johanna Steinborn. Christoph Schaffrath und die Triosonate: Ästhetik, Kompositionstechnik und Rezeption [8] ). Most of the surviving works of the composer relate to instrumental secular music. There is no evidence of his creation of operas or works for the church.
The composer's works are committed to the spirit of the times: clear, simple forms and easily remembered melodies ornamented with elegant variations, brilliant possession of counterpoint.
Currently, the composer's works have included in their repertoire major musicians and ensembles: Vittorio Gielmi , Wiland Köyken , Paolo Pandolfo , Händelfestspielorchester. Most of them are published [9] . They are published on CD and DVD.
List of Composer's Preserved Works
- About 20 Overtures and Symphonies for strings and basso continuo.
- 72 Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra.
- 3 Concert for 2 Harpsichords with Orchestra.
- 3 Concerto for violin and orchestra.
- Concert for oboe with orchestra and orchestra.
- Concert for flute and orchestra.
- Quartets (usually for composition: flute, violin, viola, basso continuo).
- Over 30 Trios.
- Over 40 Sonatas (sometimes referred to as Duos) for various instruments.
- Over 40 Sonatas and major pieces for harpsichord.
Notes
- ↑ Grosch H., 2005 , s. 205.
- ↑ Owens, Samantha. Reul, Barbara M. Music at German Courts, 1715-1760: Changing Artistic Priorities. S. 86.
- ↑ Henze-Döhring, Sabine. Friedrich der Große. Musiker und Monarch. München. 2012.S. 30.
- ↑ Henzel C. Agricola und andere // Jahrbuch des staatlichen Instituts für Musikforschung Preußischer Kulturbesitz / Hrsg. von G. Wagner. - Stuttgart, 2003. - S. 56. In German Wikipedia, without reference to the source of information, it is not 1741, but 1744.
- ↑ Christoph Schaffrath at Gerbers Tonkünstlerlexikon:
“Schafrath [...] ist einer unserer würdigsten Contrapunktisten gewesen. Mehrere der merkwürdigsten Komponisten, Virtuosen und Sänger, welche in diesem Buch vorkommen, waren seine Schüler. Überdies hat er auch verschiedene schöne und so gründliche Kompositionen, als man sie von einem Schafrath erwarten konnte, hinterlassen. ”
- ↑ Blechschmidt, Renate. Die Amalien-Bibliothek. Berlin 1965.S. 25.
- ↑ Thus, in particular, it is affirmed in Schwinger, Tobias. Die Musikaliensammlung Thulemeier und die Berliner Musiküberlieferung in der zweiten Hälfte des 18 Jahrhunderts. Ortus Studien 3. Beeskow. 2012.
- ↑ Steinborn, Johanna. Christoph Schaffrath und die Triosonate: Ästhetik, Kompositionstechnik und Rezeption. Musikwissenschaft Leipzig. The article is based on the author’s doctoral dissertation, defended in 2013.
- ↑ Noten vom Komponisten Schaffrath Christoph. List of publications at Haus der Musik. Klickmeister GmbH, Essen.
Literature
- Grosch H. Christoph Schaffrath. Komponist - Cembalist - Lehrmeister // Die Rheinsberger Hofkapelle von Friedrich II. Musiker auf dem Weg zum Capell-Bedienten / Hrsg. von U. Liedtke. - Rheinsberg, 2005.
- Oestreichs R. Vorwort zu seinem Verzeichnis der Werke Christoph Schaffraths. - Beeskow, 2012 .-- S. 7-16.