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Reinhard Keiser

December 04, 2023

Reinhard Keiser (9 January 1674 – 12 September 1739) was a German opera composer based in Hamburg. He wrote over a hundred operas. Johann Adolf Scheibe (writing in 1745) considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau, George Frideric Handel and Georg Philipp Telemann, but his work was largely forgotten for many decades.

Biography edit

Keiser was born in Teuchern (in present-day Saxony-Anhalt), son of the organist and teacher Gottfried Keiser (born about 1650), and educated by other organists in the town and then from age eleven at the Thomasschule in Leipzig, where his teachers included Johann Schelle and Johann Kuhnau, direct predecessors of Johann Sebastian Bach.

In 1694, he became court-composer to the duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, though he had probably come to the court already as early as 1692 to study its renowned operas, which had been going on since 1691, when the city had built a 1,200-seat opera house. Keiser put on his first opera Procris und Cephalus there and, the same year, his opera Basilius was put on at Hamburg and, as the musicologist Johann Mattheson noted, "received with great success and applause".

This was a fruitful period for him – composing not only operas, but arias, duets, cantatas, sérénades, church music and big oratorios, background music – all for the city's use.

About 1697 he settled permanently in Hamburg, and became the chief composer at the highly renowned Oper am Gänsemarkt (now rebuilt as the Hamburg State Opera) in Hamburg from 1697 to 1717; however he was actually first the director in 1702, and was not at various times from then to 1717, almost each time due to political instabilities.[1] From 1703 to 1709, Keiser changed the opera house from being a public institution to a commercial venture with two to three performances a week, in contrast to the opera houses intended for the nobility.

He helped transition opera from the mid-Baroque to the late-Baroque. He introduced a more varied type of aria into his operas, with more passive arias,[clarification needed] and also faster arias being introduced into his bilingual and non-bilingual operas all by the 1703/04 season, Nebukadnezar, and Salomon.[clarification needed]

Early in 1704, when he was conducting the operas Nebukadnezar and Salomon in Hamburg, the season had to be unexpectedly concluded, for reasons most likely related to government affairs. He went to Brunswick, and afterward Weissenfels, to reconnect with areas in which he was previously active. He ended up coming out with a masterpiece, Almira, at Weissenfels, in July. He stayed there for a while, spending many holidays there, eventually heading back to Hamburg shortly after Easter in 1705, to produce a comeback to Händel's Nero, produced in February 1705.[2]

Keiser would have to face Händel again, but this time he would be at home, and Händel had switched to the phonetic Italian version of his name, Giorgio Friderico Hendel. Händel would put on what was planned as a double opera, but was in fact two, Florindo, and Daphne; he did that in January 1708, coming back from Italy. Keiser would counter that by eventually coming out with La forza dell'amore, oder, Die von Paris entführte Helena and Desiderius, König der Langobarden in the 1708/09 season, not as the theatre's manager, but as someone responding to political insecurities causing the opera company to be disorderly. Keiser worked in the background.[3]

Keiser would continue as the director probably when things got more stable in the city, maybe in 1710, and he advanced in composing, coming with his own passion music in 1712, which Händel would readily challenge in 1716.[clarification needed]

In 1718, with the Hamburg Opera defunct, he left Hamburg to seek other employment, going to Thuringia and then Stuttgart. From this period, three manuscripts of trio sonatas for flute, violin and basso continuo survive. During the summer of 1721, he returned to Hamburg, but only a few weeks later made a rapid exit to Copenhagen with a Hamburg opera troupe, probably because of the growing influence of Georg Philipp Telemann, engaged by the city magistrate in Keiser's absence. Between 1721 and 1727, Keiser traveled back and forth between Hamburg and Copenhagen, receiving the title of Master of the Danish Royal Chapel.

After the dissolution of the opera troupe, Keiser returned once more to Hamburg, but changes in its operation made repeating past success difficult.[clarification needed] Three operas from the period between 1722 and 1734 survive. Personal relations with Telemann remained good, with Telemann programming several productions of Keiser's operas.

In 1728 he became the St. Mary's Cathedral precentor of Hamburg (succeeding Johann Mattheson to the post), and wrote largely church music there until his death in 1739.

In an obituary, his colleague Mattheson described him as "the greatest opera composer in the world".

Major operas edit

 
Oper am Gänsemarkt

(First performances in Hamburg, Theater am Gänsemarkt, unless stated otherwise)

  • Basilius (Der königliche Schäfer oder Basilius in Arkadien) (probably Braunschweig, 1693)
  • Cephalus und Procris (Braunschweig, 1694)
  • Der geliebte Adonis [de] (1697)[4]
  • The Temple of Janus [de] (Der bei dem allgemeinen Welt-Frieden von dem Großen Augustus geschlossene Tempel des Janus) (1698)
  • Iphigenia (Die wunderbar errettete Iphigenia) (1699)
  • Herkules und Hebe (Die Verbindung des großen Herkules mit der schönen Hebe) (1699)
  • La forza della virtù oder Die Macht der Tugend (1700)
  • Störtebeker und Jödge Michels (2 sections, 1701)
  • Der Sieg der fruchtbaren Pomona (1702)
  • Die sterbende Eurydice oder Orpheus (2 sections, 1702)
  • Der verführte Claudius [de] (produced early in 1703)[5]
  • Nebukadnezar, König zu Babylon (produced during the 1703/04 opera season)[5]
  • Salomon (produced during the 1703/04 opera season)[5]
  • Almira (Weissenfels, July 1704)[5]
  • Octavia (produced in August 1705)[6]
  • Die kleinmütige Selbst-Mörderin Lucretia oder Die Staats-Torheit des Brutus (1705)
  • Masaniello furioso [de] (1706)
  • Der angenehme Betrug (1707)
  • La forza dell'amore oder Die von Paris entführte Helena (1709)
  • Desiderius, König der Langobarden (1709)
  • Arsinoe [de] (1710)
  • Der durch den Fall des großen Pompejus erhöhete Julius Caesar (1710)
  • Der hochmütige, gestürzte und wieder erhabene Croesus (1710, revised edition 1730)
  • Der sich rächende Cupido [de] (1712, revised 1724)
  • L'inganno fedele oder Der getreue Betrug (1714)
  • Fredegunda [de] (1715)[7]
  • L'Amore verso la patria oder Der sterbende Cato (1715)
  • Das zerstörte Troja oder Der durch den Tod Helenens versöhnte Achilles (1716)
  • Die großmütige Tomyris [de] (1717)
  • Jobates und Bellerophon (1717)
  • Ulysses [de] (Copenhagen 1722)
  • Bretislaus oder Die siegende Beständigkeit (1725)
  • Der lächerliche Prinz Jodelet [de] (1726)
  • Lucius Verus oder Die siegende Treue (1728, libretto: Vologeso)

Oratorios edit

  • Der blutige und sterbende Jesus, Hamburg (1704), on words of Christian Friedrich Hunold (Menantes)
  • Thränen unter dem Kreutze Jesu, Hamburg (1711)
  • Brockes Passion, Hamburg (1712) MS in Berlin.[8][9][10]
  • Lukas-Passion Wir gingen all in der Irre, Hamburg (1715)
  • Seelige / Erlösungs-Gedancken / Aus dem / Oratorio / Der / Zum Tode verurtheilte und gecreutzigte / Jesus ... von / Reinhard Keisern,... Hamburg, Auf Unkosten des Autoris, und zu finden bey seel. Benjamin Schillers Wittwe im Thum / Anno 1715. Hamburg (1715)[11] - Revision of Thränen unter dem Kreutze Jesu
  • Der siegende David. Hamburg (1717) MS in Berlin
  • Oratorium Passionale 1729: Der blutige und sterbende Jesus, Hamburg (1729), on words of Christian Friedrich Hunold (Menantes)

Spurious/doubtful

References edit

  1. ^ Burrows 1996, pp. 17, 20, 449.
  2. ^ Burrows 1996, pp. 17, 19.
  3. ^ Burrows 1996, p. 20.
  4. ^ Recording: Thomas Ihlenfeldt CPO
  5. ^ a b c d Burrows 1996, p. 17
  6. ^ Burrows 1996, p. 19.
  7. ^ Recording: Christoph Hammer, Naxos
  8. ^ Reinhard Keiser. Brockes Passion (Hamburg 1712). Ram1303 2CD's 2014. Peter Van Heyghen, Zsuzsi Tóth, Jan Van Elsacker, Peter Kooij Vox Luminis & Les Muffatti.
  9. ^ Reinhard Keiser. Brockes Passion (Hamburg 1712). cpo 999852-2 1CD 2000. Kenneth Montgomery, Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra & Choir. Withdrawn because of licensing problems.
  10. ^ Edition from Edition Musica Poetica, edited by Cosimo Stawiarski (June 2007)
  11. ^ Reinhard Keiser. Seelige Erlösungs-Gedancken aus dem Oratorio der zum Tode verurtheilte und gecreutzigte Jesus. Hamburg: Benjamin Schillers Wittwe im Thum, 1715.
  12. ^ Recordings 1. Parthenia Barock. Brembeck. Christophorus 1993. 2. Capella Sancti Georgi, Musica Alta Ripa. Chrismon 2010
  13. ^ Friedrich Nicolaus Brauns: Markus-Passion at www.bach-cantatas.com
  14. ^ Bach Digital Work 01534 at www.bachdigital.de

Sources

  • Burrows, Donald (1996). Handel. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-816649-4.

Further reading edit

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Reinhard Keiser.

December 04, 2023
reinhard, keiser, january, 1674, september, 1739, german, opera, composer, based, hamburg, wrote, over, hundred, operas, johann, adolf, scheibe, writing, 1745, considered, equal, johann, kuhnau, george, frideric, handel, georg, philipp, telemann, work, largely. Reinhard Keiser 9 January 1674 12 September 1739 was a German opera composer based in Hamburg He wrote over a hundred operas Johann Adolf Scheibe writing in 1745 considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau George Frideric Handel and Georg Philipp Telemann but his work was largely forgotten for many decades Contents 1 Biography 2 Major operas 3 Oratorios 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksBiography editKeiser was born in Teuchern in present day Saxony Anhalt son of the organist and teacher Gottfried Keiser born about 1650 and educated by other organists in the town and then from age eleven at the Thomasschule in Leipzig where his teachers included Johann Schelle and Johann Kuhnau direct predecessors of Johann Sebastian Bach In 1694 he became court composer to the duke of Brunswick Wolfenbuttel though he had probably come to the court already as early as 1692 to study its renowned operas which had been going on since 1691 when the city had built a 1 200 seat opera house Keiser put on his first opera Procris und Cephalus there and the same year his opera Basilius was put on at Hamburg and as the musicologist Johann Mattheson noted received with great success and applause This was a fruitful period for him composing not only operas but arias duets cantatas serenades church music and big oratorios background music all for the city s use About 1697 he settled permanently in Hamburg and became the chief composer at the highly renowned Oper am Gansemarkt now rebuilt as the Hamburg State Opera in Hamburg from 1697 to 1717 however he was actually first the director in 1702 and was not at various times from then to 1717 almost each time due to political instabilities 1 From 1703 to 1709 Keiser changed the opera house from being a public institution to a commercial venture with two to three performances a week in contrast to the opera houses intended for the nobility He helped transition opera from the mid Baroque to the late Baroque He introduced a more varied type of aria into his operas with more passive arias clarification needed and also faster arias being introduced into his bilingual and non bilingual operas all by the 1703 04 season Nebukadnezar and Salomon clarification needed Early in 1704 when he was conducting the operas Nebukadnezar and Salomon in Hamburg the season had to be unexpectedly concluded for reasons most likely related to government affairs He went to Brunswick and afterward Weissenfels to reconnect with areas in which he was previously active He ended up coming out with a masterpiece Almira at Weissenfels in July He stayed there for a while spending many holidays there eventually heading back to Hamburg shortly after Easter in 1705 to produce a comeback to Handel s Nero produced in February 1705 2 Keiser would have to face Handel again but this time he would be at home and Handel had switched to the phonetic Italian version of his name Giorgio Friderico Hendel Handel would put on what was planned as a double opera but was in fact two Florindo and Daphne he did that in January 1708 coming back from Italy Keiser would counter that by eventually coming out with La forza dell amore oder Die von Paris entfuhrte Helena and Desiderius Konig der Langobarden in the 1708 09 season not as the theatre s manager but as someone responding to political insecurities causing the opera company to be disorderly Keiser worked in the background 3 Keiser would continue as the director probably when things got more stable in the city maybe in 1710 and he advanced in composing coming with his own passion music in 1712 which Handel would readily challenge in 1716 clarification needed In 1718 with the Hamburg Opera defunct he left Hamburg to seek other employment going to Thuringia and then Stuttgart From this period three manuscripts of trio sonatas for flute violin and basso continuo survive During the summer of 1721 he returned to Hamburg but only a few weeks later made a rapid exit to Copenhagen with a Hamburg opera troupe probably because of the growing influence of Georg Philipp Telemann engaged by the city magistrate in Keiser s absence Between 1721 and 1727 Keiser traveled back and forth between Hamburg and Copenhagen receiving the title of Master of the Danish Royal Chapel After the dissolution of the opera troupe Keiser returned once more to Hamburg but changes in its operation made repeating past success difficult clarification needed Three operas from the period between 1722 and 1734 survive Personal relations with Telemann remained good with Telemann programming several productions of Keiser s operas In 1728 he became the St Mary s Cathedral precentor of Hamburg succeeding Johann Mattheson to the post and wrote largely church music there until his death in 1739 In an obituary his colleague Mattheson described him as the greatest opera composer in the world Major operas edit nbsp Oper am Gansemarkt First performances in Hamburg Theater am Gansemarkt unless stated otherwise Basilius Der konigliche Schafer oder Basilius in Arkadien probably Braunschweig 1693 Cephalus und Procris Braunschweig 1694 Der geliebte Adonis de 1697 4 The Temple of Janus de Der bei dem allgemeinen Welt Frieden von dem Grossen Augustus geschlossene Tempel des Janus 1698 Iphigenia Die wunderbar errettete Iphigenia 1699 Herkules und Hebe Die Verbindung des grossen Herkules mit der schonen Hebe 1699 La forza della virtu oder Die Macht der Tugend 1700 Stortebeker und Jodge Michels 2 sections 1701 Der Sieg der fruchtbaren Pomona 1702 Die sterbende Eurydice oder Orpheus 2 sections 1702 Der verfuhrte Claudius de produced early in 1703 5 Nebukadnezar Konig zu Babylon produced during the 1703 04 opera season 5 Salomon produced during the 1703 04 opera season 5 Almira Weissenfels July 1704 5 Octavia produced in August 1705 6 Die kleinmutige Selbst Morderin Lucretia oder Die Staats Torheit des Brutus 1705 Masaniello furioso de 1706 Der angenehme Betrug 1707 La forza dell amore oder Die von Paris entfuhrte Helena 1709 Desiderius Konig der Langobarden 1709 Arsinoe de 1710 Der durch den Fall des grossen Pompejus erhohete Julius Caesar 1710 Der hochmutige gesturzte und wieder erhabene Croesus 1710 revised edition 1730 Der sich rachende Cupido de 1712 revised 1724 L inganno fedele oder Der getreue Betrug 1714 Fredegunda de 1715 7 L Amore verso la patria oder Der sterbende Cato 1715 Das zerstorte Troja oder Der durch den Tod Helenens versohnte Achilles 1716 Die grossmutige Tomyris de 1717 Jobates und Bellerophon 1717 Ulysses de Copenhagen 1722 Bretislaus oder Die siegende Bestandigkeit 1725 Der lacherliche Prinz Jodelet de 1726 Lucius Verus oder Die siegende Treue 1728 libretto Vologeso Oratorios editDer blutige und sterbende Jesus Hamburg 1704 on words of Christian Friedrich Hunold Menantes Thranen unter dem Kreutze Jesu Hamburg 1711 Brockes Passion Hamburg 1712 MS in Berlin 8 9 10 Lukas Passion Wir gingen all in der Irre Hamburg 1715 Seelige Erlosungs Gedancken Aus dem Oratorio Der Zum Tode verurtheilte und gecreutzigte Jesus von Reinhard Keisern Hamburg Auf Unkosten des Autoris und zu finden bey seel Benjamin Schillers Wittwe im Thum Anno 1715 Hamburg 1715 11 Revision of Thranen unter dem Kreutze Jesu Der siegende David Hamburg 1717 MS in Berlin Oratorium Passionale 1729 Der blutige und sterbende Jesus Hamburg 1729 on words of Christian Friedrich Hunold Menantes Spurious doubtful Johannes Passion attributed to Friedrich Nicolaus Bruhns 1637 1718 Markus Passion Jesus Christus ist um unsrer Missetat willen verwundet Hamburg 1705 12 also attributed to Bruhns 13 and to Reinhard s father Gottfried 14 References edit Burrows 1996 pp 17 20 449 Burrows 1996 pp 17 19 Burrows 1996 p 20 Recording Thomas Ihlenfeldt CPO a b c d Burrows 1996 p 17 Burrows 1996 p 19 Recording Christoph Hammer Naxos Reinhard Keiser Brockes Passion Hamburg 1712 Ram1303 2CD s 2014 Peter Van Heyghen Zsuzsi Toth Jan Van Elsacker Peter Kooij Vox Luminis amp Les Muffatti Reinhard Keiser Brockes Passion Hamburg 1712 cpo 999852 2 1CD 2000 Kenneth Montgomery Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra amp Choir Withdrawn because of licensing problems Edition from Edition Musica Poetica edited by Cosimo Stawiarski June 2007 Reinhard Keiser Seelige Erlosungs Gedancken aus dem Oratorio der zum Tode verurtheilte und gecreutzigte Jesus Hamburg Benjamin Schillers Wittwe im Thum 1715 Recordings 1 Parthenia Barock Brembeck Christophorus 1993 2 Capella Sancti Georgi Musica Alta Ripa Chrismon 2010 Friedrich Nicolaus Brauns Markus Passion at www wbr bach cantatas wbr com Bach Digital Work 01534 at www wbr bachdigital wbr de Sources Burrows Donald 1996 Handel New York Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 816649 4 Further reading editTovey Donald Francis 1911 Oratorio Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 20 11th ed pp 161 164 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Reinhard Keiser Forderverein Reinhard Keiser Gedenkstatte Reinhard Keiser Society in German Free scores by Reinhard Keiser at the International Music Score Library Project IMSLP Free scores by Reinhard Keiser in the Choral Public Domain Library ChoralWiki Portal nbsp Classical music Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Reinhard Keiser amp oldid 1179630701, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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