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Kapellmeister

January 26, 2023

Kapellmeister (/kəˈpɛlˌmaɪstər/, also US: /kɑːˈ-/,[1][2] German: [kaˈpɛlˌmaɪstɐ]) from German Kapelle (chapel) and Meister (master), literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in its meaning and is today used for denoting the leader of a musical ensemble, often smaller ones used for TV, radio, and theatres.

Historical usage

In German-speaking countries during the approximate period 1500–1800, the word Kapellmeister often designated the director of music for a monarch or nobleman. For English speakers, it is this sense of the term that is most often encountered, since it appears frequently in biographical writing about composers who worked in German-speaking countries. During that period, in Italy, the position (Italian: maestro di capella) largely referred to directors of music assigned to cathedrals and sacred institutions rather than those under royal or aristocratic patronage.

A Kapellmeister position was a senior one and involved supervision of other musicians. Johann Sebastian Bach worked from 1717 to 1723 as Kapellmeister for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen. Joseph Haydn worked for many years as Kapellmeister for the Esterházy family, a high-ranking noble family of the Austrian Empire. George Frideric Handel served as Kapellmeister for George, Elector of Hanover (who eventually became King George I of Great Britain).

A Kapellmeister might also be the director of music for a church. Thus, Georg Reutter was the Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, where his young choristers included both Joseph and Michael Haydn.

Becoming a Kapellmeister was a mark of success for professional musicians. For instance, Joseph Haydn once remarked that he was glad his father (a wheelwright) had lived long enough to see his son become a Kapellmeister.[3] The term also implied the possession of considerable musical skill. When the 18th-century actor and musician Joachim Daniel Preisler heard the famous soprano Aloysia Weber (Mozart's sister-in-law) perform in her home, he paid her the following compliment in his diary:

The well-known Mozardt is her brother-in-law and has taught her so well that she accompanies from a score and plays interludes like a Kapellmeister.[4]

By the end of the 18th century, many of the nobility had declined in their economic power relative to the newly prosperous middle class. Eventually, the maintenance of a Kapelle became too expensive for most nobles, which led to a decline in the number of Kapellmeister positions. A well-known instance occurred in 1790, when Prince Anton Esterházy succeeded his father Nikolaus and dismissed almost all of the latter's extensive musical establishment.[5] But Prince Anton was hardly alone in doing this; during this same period, "the steady decline in the number of orchestras supported by aristocratic families represented a ... change that affected all composers and their works."[6] This was a difficult time for musicians, who needed to find new ways to support themselves. For instance, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) never worked as a Kapellmeister but was supported by a somewhat unreliable combination of noble patronage, publication, and concert income.

The case of Mozart

Mozart never was a Kapellmeister in the sense given above. In 1787, he was given a paid position in the court of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II as Kammercompositeur (chamber composer), but authority in matters musical at the court was exercised primarily by Antonio Salieri. In reviews, diaries, and advertising, Mozart was commonly referred to as (Herr) Kapellmeister Mozart. It seems that Mozart's prestige, along with the fact that he frequently appeared in public directing other musicians, led to the use of "Kapellmeister" as a term of respect.[7]

In April 1791, Mozart applied to become the Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's Cathedral and was designated by the City Council to take over this job following the death of the then-ailing incumbent, Leopold Hofmann. This never took place, since Mozart died (December 1791) before Hofmann did (1793).[8]

Similar terms and equivalents

Variant spellings capellmeister and capelle, to refer to the orchestra or choir,[9] are sometimes encountered in English language works about composers who held the title.[10][11][12][13]

The word Hofkapellmeister specified that the Kapellmeister worked at a nobleman's court (Hof); a Konzertmeister held a somewhat less senior position.[14]

Equivalent positions existed in other European countries and were referred to with equivalent names. In Finnish kapellimestari is still the primary word used of conductors.

Composers who held the post of Kapellmeister

(listed chronologically by date of birth)

Contemporary usage

In contemporary German, the term "Kapellmeister" has become less common than Dirigent (conductor). When used today it designates the director or chief conductor of an orchestra or choir. It suggests involvement in orchestra or choir policy (for example, selecting repertoire, concert schedules, and guest conductors) as well as conducting. In military settings it refers to a bandmaster.[16] The music director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra traditionally holds the old-fashioned title Gewandhauskapellmeister.[17][18] In other German opera houses, the term generally refers to a deputy conductor reporting to the Generalmusikdirektor (general music director, usually also the chief conductor). An opera company may have several Kapellmeister, ranked as Erste Kapellmeister (First...), Zweite Kapellmeister (Second...), etc.

The conductor Christian Thielemann has offered a nuanced account of the Dirigent/Kapellmeister distinction in contemporary usage. He suggests that "Kapellmeister" has unfairly acquired a sense of routine or failure to project glamour: "a Kapellmeister now describes a pale, meek figure beating time. A policeman on duty at the podium directing the musical traffic, no more." In fact, Thielemann, who is fully aware of the historical usage of the term, would himself prefer to be called a "Kapellmeister": "it implies such virtues as knowledge of a work, great ability, and dedication to the cause of music".[19]

The term "Kapellmeister Tradition" is commonly used to describe these qualities, as exemplified by such historically important conductors as Otto Klemperer, Clemens Krauss, and Erich Kleiber, in the sense that they have "paid their dues" on their way to international fame.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Kapellmeister". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  2. ^ (US) and . Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021.
  3. ^ Griesinger (1963), p. 16.
  4. ^ Deutsch (1965), p. 324. Preisler's assumption that Weber's skills came from Mozart's training is not specifically supported by modern scholarship.
  5. ^ Haydn himself was retained in an essentially honorary role, but was free to pursue independent plans, his journeys to England; for details see Anton I, Prince Esterházy.
  6. ^ Jones (2009), p. 324.
  7. ^ For extensive discussion of the use of "Kapellmeister" to describe Mozart, see Deutsch (1965), pp. 306–307
  8. ^ Deutsch (1965), pp. 393–395.
  9. ^ Galkin, Elliott W. (1988). A history of orchestral conducting: in theory and practice. Pendragon Press. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-918728-47-0.
  10. ^ Siblin, Eric (4 January 2011). The Cello Suites: J. S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece. Grove Press. pp. 61, et seq. ISBN 978-0-8021-4524-6. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  11. ^ Wolff, Christoph (2000). Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician. W. W. Norton. pp. 24, et seq. ISBN 978-0-393-32256-9.
  12. ^ Terry, Charles Sanford (April 2003). Bach: A Biography. Kessinger Publishing. pp. 11, et seq. ISBN 978-0-7661-4677-8.
  13. ^ Jullien, Adolphe (1892). Richard Wagner: His Life and Works. J. B. Millet. pp. 67, et al.
  14. ^ Peter Terrell, ed. Collins German–English, English–German Dictionary. 2nd edition, pp. 356, 405.
  15. ^ Silke Dartlick (27 June 2013). "Richard Wagner's legacy in Dresden". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  16. ^ Peter Terrell, ed. Collins German–English, English–German Dictionary. 2nd edition, p. 380.
  17. ^ "History – The three Gewandhauses". Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  18. ^ "The Gewandhausorchester: from town band to institution of international renown". Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  19. ^ Thielemann (2015), pp. 102–105.
  20. ^ Martin Anderson (19 February 2010). "Otmar Suitner: Conductor who was the last surviving product of Germany's 'Kapellmeister' tradition". The Independent. Retrieved 11 June 2022.

Sources

January 26, 2023
kapellmeister, also, ɑː, german, kaˈpɛlˌmaɪstɐ, from, german, kapelle, chapel, meister, master, literally, master, chapel, choir, designates, leader, ensemble, musicians, originally, used, refer, somebody, charge, music, chapel, term, evolved, considerably, me. Kapellmeister k e ˈ p ɛ l ˌ m aɪ s t er also US k ɑː ˈ 1 2 German kaˈpɛlˌmaɪstɐ from German Kapelle chapel and Meister master literally master of the chapel choir designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel the term has evolved considerably in its meaning and is today used for denoting the leader of a musical ensemble often smaller ones used for TV radio and theatres Contents 1 Historical usage 1 1 The case of Mozart 2 Similar terms and equivalents 3 Composers who held the post of Kapellmeister 4 Contemporary usage 5 See also 6 References 7 SourcesHistorical usage EditIn German speaking countries during the approximate period 1500 1800 the word Kapellmeister often designated the director of music for a monarch or nobleman For English speakers it is this sense of the term that is most often encountered since it appears frequently in biographical writing about composers who worked in German speaking countries During that period in Italy the position Italian maestro di capella largely referred to directors of music assigned to cathedrals and sacred institutions rather than those under royal or aristocratic patronage A Kapellmeister position was a senior one and involved supervision of other musicians Johann Sebastian Bach worked from 1717 to 1723 as Kapellmeister for Prince Leopold of Anhalt Cothen Joseph Haydn worked for many years as Kapellmeister for the Esterhazy family a high ranking noble family of the Austrian Empire George Frideric Handel served as Kapellmeister for George Elector of Hanover who eventually became King George I of Great Britain A Kapellmeister might also be the director of music for a church Thus Georg Reutter was the Kapellmeister at St Stephen s Cathedral Vienna where his young choristers included both Joseph and Michael Haydn Becoming a Kapellmeister was a mark of success for professional musicians For instance Joseph Haydn once remarked that he was glad his father a wheelwright had lived long enough to see his son become a Kapellmeister 3 The term also implied the possession of considerable musical skill When the 18th century actor and musician Joachim Daniel Preisler heard the famous soprano Aloysia Weber Mozart s sister in law perform in her home he paid her the following compliment in his diary The well known Mozardt is her brother in law and has taught her so well that she accompanies from a score and plays interludes like a Kapellmeister 4 By the end of the 18th century many of the nobility had declined in their economic power relative to the newly prosperous middle class Eventually the maintenance of a Kapelle became too expensive for most nobles which led to a decline in the number of Kapellmeister positions A well known instance occurred in 1790 when Prince Anton Esterhazy succeeded his father Nikolaus and dismissed almost all of the latter s extensive musical establishment 5 But Prince Anton was hardly alone in doing this during this same period the steady decline in the number of orchestras supported by aristocratic families represented a change that affected all composers and their works 6 This was a difficult time for musicians who needed to find new ways to support themselves For instance Ludwig van Beethoven 1770 1827 never worked as a Kapellmeister but was supported by a somewhat unreliable combination of noble patronage publication and concert income The case of Mozart Edit Mozart never was a Kapellmeister in the sense given above In 1787 he was given a paid position in the court of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II as Kammercompositeur chamber composer but authority in matters musical at the court was exercised primarily by Antonio Salieri In reviews diaries and advertising Mozart was commonly referred to as Herr Kapellmeister Mozart It seems that Mozart s prestige along with the fact that he frequently appeared in public directing other musicians led to the use of Kapellmeister as a term of respect 7 In April 1791 Mozart applied to become the Kapellmeister at St Stephen s Cathedral and was designated by the City Council to take over this job following the death of the then ailing incumbent Leopold Hofmann This never took place since Mozart died December 1791 before Hofmann did 1793 8 Similar terms and equivalents EditVariant spellings capellmeister and capelle to refer to the orchestra or choir 9 are sometimes encountered in English language works about composers who held the title 10 11 12 13 The word Hofkapellmeister specified that the Kapellmeister worked at a nobleman s court Hof a Konzertmeister held a somewhat less senior position 14 Equivalent positions existed in other European countries and were referred to with equivalent names In Finnish kapellimestari is still the primary word used of conductors Composers who held the post of Kapellmeister Edit listed chronologically by date of birth Arnold von Bruck c 1500 1554 was Kapellmeister in Vienna for Ferdinand I King of Bohemia Hungary and Croatia from 1527 to 1545 Mattheus Le Maistre c 1505 1577 was Kapellmeister at the court of the Electors of Saxony in Dresden from 1554 to 1568 Antonio Scandello 1517 1580 was Kapellmeister at the court of the Electors of Saxony in Dresden from 1568 Jacob Regnart 1540s 1599 was Kapellmeister at Innsbruck from 1585 to about 1596 Michael Praetorius 1571 1621 was Kapellmeister at Wolfenbuttel from 1604 Heinrich Schutz 1585 1673 was Kapellmeister to John George I Elector of Saxony from 1619 Samuel Scheidt 1587 1653 was Kapellmeister to the Margrave of Brandenburg Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber 1644 1704 was Kapellmeister in Salzburg from 1684 Georg Muffat 1653 1704 was Kapellmeister to the bishop of Passau from 1690 to his death Agostino Steffani 1653 1728 was Kapellmeister from 1688 to 1698 at the court of Hanover Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer died 1746 was Kapellmeister to Louis William Margrave of Baden Baden from at least 1695 Johann Ludwig Bach 1677 1731 a second cousin of J S Bach was Kapellmeister at Meiningen Georg Philipp Telemann 1681 1767 served as Kapellmeister for 16 years starting in 1705 for the court of Erdmann II Count of Promnitz in Hamburg Johann David Heinichen 1683 1729 held the position of Kapellmeister at the electoral Saxon court in Dresden from 1717 until his death Johann Sebastian Bach 1685 1750 worked from 1717 to 1723 as Kapellmeister for Leopold Prince of Anhalt Kothen George Frideric Handel 1685 1759 served as Kapellmeister from 1710 to 1712 for George Elector of Hanover Domenico Scarlatti 1685 1757 was maestro di cappella at St Peter s Cathedral in Rome from 1715 to 1719 Johann Friedrich Fasch 1688 1758 was Kapellmeister from 1722 at Zerbst Carlo Grua c 1700 1773 was Kapellmeister at the court of Mannheim under the Electorship of Charles III Philip Carl Heinrich Graun 1704 1759 was Kapellmeister starting in 1740 for Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia Giuseppe Bonno 1711 1788 was Kapellmeister to the Prince of Saxe Hildburghausen in the 1750s and 1760s Giacomo Matteo Ignazio Cirri 1711 1787 was maestro di cappella in the Cathedral of Forli in Italy from 1759 Ludwig van Beethoven Lodewijk 1712 1773 grandfather of Ludwig van Beethoven served as Kapellmeister in the Electoral court of Bonn Christoph Willibald Gluck 1714 1787 was Kapellmeister starting 1754 for Maria Theresa Archduchess of Austria and Holy Roman Empress in Vienna Niccolo Jommelli 1714 1774 served Charles II Eugene Duke of Wurttemberg in Stuttgart from 1753 to 1768 Giovanni Battista Cirri 1724 1808 was maestro di cappella in the cathedral of Forli in Italy from 1780 with Ignazio Cirri after his death alone Christian Cannabich 1731 1798 Kapellmeister of the legendary Mannheim court orchestra from 1774 Joseph Haydn 1732 1809 had two Kapellmeister positions first from probably 1757 to 1761 for Count Morzin then from 1761 on for the Eszterhazy family He was Vice Kapellmeister from 1761 to 1766 Johann Georg Albrechtsberger 1736 1809 was Kapellmeister at St Stephen s Cathedral Vienna Michael Haydn 1737 1806 was Kapellmeister at Grosswardein from 1760 to 1761 Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf 1739 1799 was Kapellmeister to the Prince Bishop of Breslau from 1770 to 1795 Andrea Luchesi 1741 1801 was the last Kapellmeister in the Electoral court of Bonn from 1774 to 1794 Antonio Salieri 1750 1825 was Royal and Imperial Kapellmeister to Joseph II Holy Roman Emperor from 1788 to 1824 Johann Friedrich Reichardt 1752 1814 was Kapellmeister to Frederick the Great at the royal Berlin opera Joseph Martin Kraus 1756 1792 was Kapellmeister Ordinarie Capellmastere in Stockholm at the court of king Gustav III of Sweden Christian Kalkbrenner 1755 1806 was Kapellmeister of the Prussian Queen 1789 and after 1790 Kapellmeister of Prince Henry of Prussia at Rheinsberg castle Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach 1759 1845 grandson of Johann Sebastian was also Kapellmeister of the Prussian Queen 1805 1811 Carl Maria von Weber 1786 1826 was Kapellmeister at the Bresault theater 1804 1807 and Kapellmeister at Dresden for Count Heinrich Vitzthum 1816 1826 Richard Wagner 1813 1883 was Kapellmeister to Frederick Augustus II of Saxony from 1843 to 1849 15 Paul Wachs 1851 1915 was Kapellmeister at the Church of Saint Merri in Paris France Contemporary usage EditIn contemporary German the term Kapellmeister has become less common than Dirigent conductor When used today it designates the director or chief conductor of an orchestra or choir It suggests involvement in orchestra or choir policy for example selecting repertoire concert schedules and guest conductors as well as conducting In military settings it refers to a bandmaster 16 The music director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra traditionally holds the old fashioned title Gewandhauskapellmeister 17 18 In other German opera houses the term generally refers to a deputy conductor reporting to the Generalmusikdirektor general music director usually also the chief conductor An opera company may have several Kapellmeister ranked as Erste Kapellmeister First Zweite Kapellmeister Second etc The conductor Christian Thielemann has offered a nuanced account of the Dirigent Kapellmeister distinction in contemporary usage He suggests that Kapellmeister has unfairly acquired a sense of routine or failure to project glamour a Kapellmeister now describes a pale meek figure beating time A policeman on duty at the podium directing the musical traffic no more In fact Thielemann who is fully aware of the historical usage of the term would himself prefer to be called a Kapellmeister it implies such virtues as knowledge of a work great ability and dedication to the cause of music 19 The term Kapellmeister Tradition is commonly used to describe these qualities as exemplified by such historically important conductors as Otto Klemperer Clemens Krauss and Erich Kleiber in the sense that they have paid their dues on their way to international fame 20 See also EditCantor Christianity Collegium Musicum Composer Music Bureau Master of the Queen s Music approximate British equivalent to royal and noble Kapellmeisters of GermanyReferences Edit Kapellmeister The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 5th ed HarperCollins Retrieved 13 March 2019 kapellmeister US and kapellmeister Lexico UK English Dictionary Oxford University Press Archived from the original on 10 March 2021 Griesinger 1963 p 16 Deutsch 1965 p 324 Preisler s assumption that Weber s skills came from Mozart s training is not specifically supported by modern scholarship Haydn himself was retained in an essentially honorary role but was free to pursue independent plans his journeys to England for details see Anton I Prince Esterhazy Jones 2009 p 324 For extensive discussion of the use of Kapellmeister to describe Mozart see Deutsch 1965 pp 306 307 Deutsch 1965 pp 393 395 Galkin Elliott W 1988 A history of orchestral conducting in theory and practice Pendragon Press p 218 ISBN 978 0 918728 47 0 Siblin Eric 4 January 2011 The Cello Suites J S Bach Pablo Casals and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece Grove Press pp 61 et seq ISBN 978 0 8021 4524 6 Retrieved 15 January 2012 Wolff Christoph 2000 Johann Sebastian Bach The Learned Musician W W Norton pp 24 et seq ISBN 978 0 393 32256 9 Terry Charles Sanford April 2003 Bach A Biography Kessinger Publishing pp 11 et seq ISBN 978 0 7661 4677 8 Jullien Adolphe 1892 Richard Wagner His Life and Works J B Millet pp 67 et al Peter Terrell ed Collins German English English German Dictionary 2nd edition pp 356 405 Silke Dartlick 27 June 2013 Richard Wagner s legacy in Dresden Deutsche Welle Retrieved 11 June 2022 Peter Terrell ed Collins German English English German Dictionary 2nd edition p 380 History The three Gewandhauses Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra Retrieved 11 June 2022 The Gewandhausorchester from town band to institution of international renown Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra Retrieved 11 June 2022 Thielemann 2015 pp 102 105 Martin Anderson 19 February 2010 Otmar Suitner Conductor who was the last surviving product of Germany s Kapellmeister tradition The Independent Retrieved 11 June 2022 Sources EditDeutsch Otto Erich 1965 Mozart A Documentary Biography Translated by Eric Blom Peter Branscombe Jeremy Noble Stanford California Stanford University Press Griesinger Georg August 1963 1810 Leipzig Breitkopf amp Hartel Biographical Notes Concerning Joseph Haydn Haydn Two Contemporary Portraits Translated by Vernon Gotwals Milwaukee University of Wisconsin Press ISBN 978 0 299 02794 0 Jones David Wyn 2009 Reception In David Wyn Jones ed Oxford Composer Companions Haydn Oxford Oxford University Press Thielemann Christian 2015 My Life with Wagner Translated by Anthea Bell London Weidenfeld amp Nicolson ISBN 978 1 780 22837 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kapellmeister amp oldid 1108006119, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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