Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Kapellmeister (pronounced [kəˈpɛlˌmaɪstər]) is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle (choir; orchestra) and Meister (master). In Linguistics, a compound is a Lexeme (less precisely a Word) that consists of more than one stem. Kapelle in turn comes from the Latin word for "chapel", which was typically the center of musical activity during the Middle Ages. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Thus, originally, the word was used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel. However, the term has evolved considerably in its meaning in response to changes in the musical profession.

The word Hofkapellmeister specified that the Kapellmeister worked in a nobleman's court (Hof); a Konzertmeister held a somewhat less senior position. The concertmaster / mistress, or concert Meister (from German Konzertmeister) is the leader of the first Violin section of a Symphony [1]

Contents

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. This was a senior position and involved supervision of other musicians. Johann Sebastian Bach worked from 1717 to 1723 as Kapellmeister for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" Leopold Prince of Anhalt-Köthen (b Köthen, 28 November 1694 O Joseph Haydn worked for many years as Kapellmeister for the Eszterházy family, a high-ranking noble family of the Austrian Empire. George Frideric Handel also served as Kapellmeister for George, Elector of Hanover (who eventually became George I of Great Britain). Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen George I (George Louis German Georg Ludwig; 28 May 1660 &ndash 11 June 1727 For the first year of his life George was the only heir to his father's and three childless

A Kapellmeister might also be the director of music for a church. Thus, Georg Reutter was the Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, where his young choristers included both Joseph and Michael Haydn. St Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom is the Mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Johann Michael Haydn ( September 14, 1737 &ndash August 10, 1806) was an Austrian Composer, the younger brother of (Franz

Becoming a Kapellmeister was a mark of success for professional musicians of this time. For instance, Joseph Haydn once remarked that he was glad his father (a wheelwright) had lived long enough to see his son a Kapellmeister. Matthias Haydn (January 31 1699 September 12 1763 was the father of two famous composers Joseph and Michael Haydn. A wheelwright (or Wainwright) is a person who builds or repairs Wheels Making and balancing a wheel is skilled work. [2] As society evolved and the prestige of the nobility declined, composers came to value their freedom more highly, and being a Kapellmeister became less prestigious. For example, Beethoven never worked as a Kapellmeister, instead pursuing a career as a freelance musician. Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist.

For English speakers, it is this historical sense of the term that is most often encountered, since it appears frequently in biographical writing about composers who worked in German-speaking countries.

The equivalent terms for Kapellmeister in other European languages are maestro di cappella (Italian), maître de chapelle (French), chapel master (English), mestre de capela (Portuguese), and maestro de capilla (Spanish).

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, as Kammercompositeur ("chamber composer"), but authority in matters musical at the court was exercised primarily by Antonio Salieri. Antonio Salieri ( 18 August 1750 &ndash 7 May 1825) was an Italian Composer and conductor. However, 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. [3]

In April 1791, Mozart did apply to become the Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's Cathedral, and was in fact designated by the City Council to take over this job following the death of the then-ailing incumbent, Leopold Hofmann. Leopold Hofmann (also Ludwig Hoffman, Leopold Hoffman, Leopold Hoffmann) ( August 14 1738 &ndash March 17 1793 However, this never took place, since Mozart died (December 1791) before Hofmann did (1793). [4]

Contemporary usage

In contemporary German, "Kapellmeister" designates the director or conductor of an orchestra or choir. Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers When used today, it suggests involvement in orchestra or choir policy (for example, selecting repertoire, concert schedules, choosing guest conductors and so on) as well as conducting. In military settings it refers to a bandmaster. A bandmaster is the leader and conductor of a band, usually a Military band or Marching band. [5] The music director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra traditionally holds the old-fashioned title Gewandhauskapellmeister. The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig ( Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra) is a famous German Orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. [6][7]

Classical composers who worked in Kapellmeister positions

(ordered chronologically by date of birth)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Peter Terrell, ed. A cantor or chanter (Gk ψάλτης is the chief singer (and ofttimes instructor employed in a church with responsibilities for the ecclesiastical Choir The Collegium Musicum was one of several types of musical societies that arose in German and German- Swiss cities and towns during the Reformation and thrived Collins German-English English-German dictionary. 2nd edition, pp. 356, 405.
  2. ^ Griesinger 1810, 16
  3. ^ For extensive discussion of the use of "Kapellmeister" to describe Mozart, see Deutsch 1965, 306-307.
  4. ^ Deutsch 1965, 393-395
  5. ^ Peter Terrell, ed. Collins German-English English-German dictionary. 2nd edition, pp. 380.
  6. ^ Riccardo Chailly. Gewandhausorchester (2005). Retrieved on 2008-03-12. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving
  7. ^ Aus der Geschichte des Gewandhausorchesters. Gewandhausorchester (2007). Retrieved on 2008-03-12. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving

References

Dictionary

kapellmeister

-noun

  1. A leader or conductor of a musical group such as an orchestra.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic