Nicolaus Vetter (Composer) - Short Biography

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Nicolaus Vetter (Composer)
Born: October 1666 - ?Herschdorf, Königsee, Thuringia, Germany Died: June 13, 1734 - Rudolstadt
(Andreas) Nicolaus Vetter was a German organist and composer. The most important influence on Vetter was that of Johann Pachelbel, with whom he studied in Erfurt from 1688 to 1690. Before then he had been a pupil of G.K. Wecker in Nuremberg and a student at the Gymnasium in Rudolstadt from 1683 to 1688. When Pachelbel left Erfurt for Stuttgart in 1690, Nicolaus Vetter assumed his position at the Predigerkirche. In July of the following year he moved to Rudolstadt as the castle organist, being succeeded in Erfurt by J.H. Buttstedt. The authorities honoured him in later years with the appointments of government advocate, church procurator and master over the page boys, positions which tend to support the theory that as a young man he had also attended the University of Erfurt. Nicolaus Vetter’s contemporaries seem to have valued his chorale settings as good examples of the middle German style established by Pachelbel. There also seems to have been some confusion between his output and Bach’s, since the manuscript Mus.40035 of the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, Berlin (now lost) once gave his name as the composer of variations eight and three of Allein Gott BWV 771. World War II also saw the destruction of sources for his free organ compositions and a work for chorus and orchestra, Zum frohen Empfang Grossherzogs Carl Fürsten Primas.
Works
for organ unless stated otherwise Editions: Orgelchoräle um Joh. Seb. Bach, ed. G. Frotscher (Leipzig, 1937) [F] Andreas Nicolaus Vetter (1666–1734): Koraalbewerkingen, ed. E. Kooiman (Hilversum, 1989) [K] Ach Gott und Herr, 2 verses; formerly D-Bsb, now lost Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein, 3 verses; ed. in FrotscherG, K Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, first setting, 2 verses, ed. F. Dietrich, Elf Orgelchoräle des siebzehnten Jahrhunderts (Kassel, 1932), K Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, second setting, 2 verses or perhaps all 17 attrib Bach, bwv771; D-Bsb Bach P1143, K Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, third setting, 2 verses, NL-DHgm Christ lag in Todesbanden, first setting, ed. A.G. Ritter, Zur Geschichte des Orgelspiels: Musikalische Beispiele (Leipzig, 1884), K Christ lag in Todesbanden, second setting, F, K Gelobet sei der Herr, der Gott Israel, formerly D-Bsb, now lost Jesu, meine Freude, 7 verses, formerly Bsb, now lost Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand, F, K Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott, F, K Lobt Gott, ihr Christen allzugleich, F Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Veni Redemptor gentium), ed. H. Keller, Achtzig Choralvorspiele deutscher Meister (Leipzig, 1937) Vater unser im Himmelreich; cited without source in FrotscherG Zum frohen Empfang Grossherzogs Carl Fürsten Primas, 4vv, 2 viols, 2 fl, 2 hn, bc; formerly DS, now lost Free org compositions, all lost

Source: Grove Music Online, © Oxford University Press 2006, acc. 3/5-06 (Author: Hugh J. McLean) Contributed by Thomas Braatz (April 2006)
Works previously attributed to J.S. Bach
Chorale Partita for organ Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV 771
Use of Chorale Melodies in his works
Title	Chorale Melody	Year
Ach Gott und Herr, 2 verses Chorale Prelude for Organ; now lost	Ach Gott und Herr
Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein, Chorale Prelude for Keyboard Instrument	Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein
Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, 1^st setting for organ, 2 verses, ed. F. Dietrich, Elf Orgelchoräle des siebzehnten Jahrhunderts (Kassel, 1932)	Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr
Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, 2^nd setting for organ (chorale partita), 2 verses or perhaps all 17 attrib Bach, BWV 771; D-Bsb Bach P1143	Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr
Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, 3^rd setting for organ, 2 verses, NL-DHgm	Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr
Christ lag in Todesbanden, 2 Chorale Preludes for Organ	Christ lag in Todesbanden
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand
Jesu, meine Freude, 7 verses set a Chorale Preludes for Organ [now lost]	Jesu, meine Freude
Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott
Lobt Gott, ihr Christen allzugleich, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
Vater unser im Himmelreich, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Vater unser im Himmelreich

Links to other Sites

Bibliography
FrotscherG [incl. edn of Ach Gott vom Himmel] F Dietrich: Geschichte des deutschen Orgelchorals im 17. Jahrhundert (Kassel, 1932) H. Keller: ‘Unechte Orgelwerke Bachs’, BJb 1937, 59–82 H. Joelson-Strohbach: ‘Nachricht von verschiedenen verloren geglaubten Handschriften mit barocker Tastenmusik’, AMw, xliv (1987), 91–140

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Last update: ýNovember 5, 2008 ý21:44:02