Johann Nicolaus Hanff (Composer)

Born: 1665 - Wechmar, Thuringia, Germany
Died: Winter 1711/1712 - Schleswig, Germany

Johann Nicolaus [Nikolaus] Hanff was a German organist and composer of the North-German organ school.

Life

Only few details are known about the life of Johann Nicolaus Hanff. He was a music teacher in Hamburg and held several posts as a church musician. The seven-year-old Johann Mattheson was his pupil, and learned with him composition and piano for four years. Until 1696 Hanff was organist at the Eutiner Hof of the prince-bishop of Lübeck.

After the death of bishop August Friedrich and the dissolution of the Eutiner Hof, probably in 1705, Hanff returned to Hamburg, where his two children were born in 1706 and 1711. On August 26, 1711 he took over the organist chair at the Schleswiger Dom, however died some months later.

Works

7 Chorales for Organ:
- Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein
- Auf meinen lieben Gott
- Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
- Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott (zwei Versionen)
- Helft mir Gott’s Güte preisen (Von Gott will ich nicht lassen)
- Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit
3 Cantatas

Source: Wikipedia Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (January 2006)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (January 2006)

Use of Chorale Melodies in his works

Title

Chorale Melody

Year

Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein,

Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein

Auf meinen lieben Gott, Chorale Prelude for Organ

Auf meinen lieben Gott

Links to other Sites

Johann Nicolaus Hanff (Wikipedia) [German]

Bibliography

M. Roubinet: Johann Nicolaus Hanff, in: Gilles Cantagrel (dir.), Guide de la musique d’orgue, Éditions Fayard 1991, ISBN 2-213-02772-2