Born: September 9, 1670 - Mühlberg, near Gotha, Germany
Died: December 31, 1699 - Erfurt, Germany

Andreas Armsdorff was a German composer and organist. He studied law as well as music.

Andreas Armsdorff held organ posts at Erfurt, successively at the Reglerkirche, Andreaskirche and Kaufmannskirche. Although he wrote little because of his early death, his chorale-preludes were very popular in his day, judging from the numbers of manuscript copies of them circulating in Germany. Allein Gott in der Höh' sei Ehr is a charming trio, with the modified tune in the discant in canon with the real tune in the pedals, while Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ exemplifies the ornamental discant chorale. Such pieces bear out Jakob Adlung's view in the following century that Armsdorff wrote music grateful to the ear.

Works

31 chorale-preludes [3 atrrib. Armsdorff by Beckmann], org; ed. K. Beckmann, Samtliche Orgelwerke: Johann Friedrich Alberti, Andreas Armsdorff (Messstetten, 1996); 4 ed. in EDM, 1st ser., ix (1937)
Fugue, org, lost, formerly Fürstliche Stolbergsche Bibliothek, Wernigerode
Other kbd works, lost (see Ritter)
Vocal works, lost, mentioned by Walker

Source: Grove Music Online, © Oxford University Press 2006, acc. 3/5-06 (Author: G.B. Sharp)
Contributed by Thomas Braatz (April 2006)

Use of Chorale Melodies in his works

Title

Chorale Melody

Year

Chorale Prelude (Trio) for Organ on Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr

Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr

Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, Chorale Prelude for Organ

Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ

Links to other Sites

Bibliography

ApelG | RiemannL12
J. Adlung: Anleitung zu der musikalischen Gelahrtheit (Erfurt, 1758/R, 2/1783)
A.G. Ritter: Zur Geschichte des Orgelspiels, vornehmlich des deutschen, im 14. bis zum Anfange des 18. Jahrhunderts, i (Leipzig, 1884/R), 173ff