Christian Friedrich Penzel (Composer)

Born: November 25, 1737 - Oelsnitz, Vogtland, Saxony, Germany
Died: March 14, 1801 - Merseburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Christian Friedrich Penzel was a German Kantor, teacher, and composer. He received his first musical training in his hometown Oelsnitz from Johann Georg Nacke (1718-1804). In 1749 he entered the Leipzig Thomasschule and became one of J.S. Bach's last pupils. After studying law at Leipzig University, he made an unsuccessful attempt in 1762 to obtain his father's position as sexton at Oelsnitz, and in 1765 he became Kantor at Merseburg, where he stayed until his death.

Today Christian Friedrich Penzel is remembered mainly as one of the most reliable copyists of J.S. Bach's works. His J.S. Bach copies (from exemplars at the Thomasschule and from sources in the possession of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach) are mainly of cantatas, but include also instrumental music. His manuscript collection was inherited by his nephew Johann Gottlob Schuster (1765-1839), who sold most of it to Franz Hauser in 1833; the remainder was acquired by the Leipzig publisher C.F. Peters.

Source: Oxford Composer Companions J.S. Bach (Author: Peter Wollney; Editor: Malcolm Boyd, OUP, 1999)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (April 2008)

Links to other Sites

Bibliography

Y. Kobayashi: 'Franz Hauser und seine Bach-Handschriftensammlung' (dissertation, University of Göttingen, 1973)
K. Lehmann: 'Bachiana unter "Tabak & Cigaretten": die Bach-Sammlung des Leipziger Verlages C. F. Peters in der erstcn Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts', Bjb 82 (1996), 49-76
K. Lehmann: 'Neues zur Vorgeschichte der Bach-Sammlung Franz Hausers', Beiträge zur BachforschulIg, 6 (1988), 65-81.