Johann Gottfried Walther (Composer, Music Theorist)

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Johann Gottfried Walther (Composer, Music Theorist)
Born: September 18, 1684 - Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany Died: March 23, 1748 - Weimar, Saxony, Germany
Johann Gottfried Walther was a German music theorist, organist, composer, and lexicographer of the Baroque era. Not only was his life almost exactly contemporaneous to that of J.S. Bach, he was the famous composer's cousin. He entered the lower school of Erfurt in 1691 and studied organ with Johann Bernhard Bach and Johann Andreas Kretschmar. After studying at the Ratsgymnasium, Johann Gottfried Walther became organist at the Thomaskirche at Erfurt in 1702. He then devoted himself to music, reading the treatises of Werckmeister, Fludd, and Kircher, and studying composition with Buttstett. In 1706 he studied with Wilhelm Hieronymus in Nuremberg, and was appointed organist at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Weimar, in 1707. He remained there until his death. In Weimar he also taught music to Duke Wilhelm Ernst and Prince Johann Ernst and befriended J.S. Bach. In 1721 he joined the duke's court orchestra as Hof-musicus. Johann Gottfried Walther wrote sacred vocal works and numerous organ pieces, consisting mostly of chorale preludes. Johann Gottfried Walther's theoretical works include the Musicalisches Lexicon oder Musicalische Bibliothec and the Praecepta der musicalischen Composition. The Musicalisches Lexicon (Leipzig, 1732), an enormous dictionary of music and musicians, was the first dictionary in the German language to contain both musical terms and biographical information about composers and performers up to the early 18^th century. In all, the Musicalisches Lexicon defines more than 3,000 musical terms; Walther evidently drew on more than 250 separate sources in compiling it, including theoretical treatises of the early Baroque and Renaissance. The single most important source for the work was the writings of Johann Mattheson, who is referenced more than 200 times. Some further information on Walther can be found in the book Musica Poetica by Dietrich Bartel. On page 22, Bartel quotes Walther's definition of musica poetica, or musical rhetoric, as: "Musica Poetica or musical composition is a mathematical science through which an agreeable and correct harmony of the notes is brought to paper in order that it might later be sung or played, thereby appropriately moving the listeners to Godly devotion as well as to please and delight both mind and soul…. It is so called because the composer must not only understand language as does the poet in order not to violate the meter of the text but because he also writes poetry, namely a melody, thus deserving the title Melopoeta or Melopoeus." (22)

Source: HOASM Website; Wikipedia Website Contributed by Aryeh Oron (December 2005)
Use of Chorale Melodies in his works
Title	Chorale Melody		Year
3 Chorale Preludes for Organ Ach Gott und Herr	Ach Gott und Herr
Chorale Prelude for Organ Alle Menschen müssen sterben (using Zahn 6783) in DDT 26/27, p. 32	Alle Menschen müssen sterben
Chorale Prelude on Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr from Harmonische Denck- und Dankmahl, bestehend aus VIII Vor-Spielen über das Lied: Allein Gott in der Höh sey Ehr, kbd	Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr		1738
Herzlich tut mich verlangen, 5 Chorale Preludes for Organ	Befiehl du deine Wege (I)
Christum wir sollen loben schon, 3 Chorale Preludes for Organ	Christum wir sollen loben schon
2 Chorale Preludes for Organ Christus, der ist mein Leben	Christus, der ist mein Leben
Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag, 2 Chorale Preludes for Organ	Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag
Chorale Prelude for organ Es ist das Heil uns kommen her LV 84.	Es ist das Heil uns kommen her
Chorale Prelude for Organ Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele	Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele
Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ
Herr Christ, der einig Gottes Sohn, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn
Jesu, meine Freude, 4 Chorale Preludes for Organ (a ‘partite’ with variations?)	Jesu, meine Freude
Variations for organ on Jesu meine Freude	Jesu, meine Freude
Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott
2 Chorale Preludes for Organ on Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich 1 Chorale Prelude for Organ on Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich	Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich
Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt, 3 Chorale Preludes for Organ	Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt
Chorale Prelude for Organ in Musicalische Vorstellung Zwey Evangelischer Gesänge, nemlich: Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht und Jesu meine Freude” (Erfurt 1712) Another Chorale Prelude attributed to Walther may really be by Scheidemantel: Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht (in der Frankenbergerschen Handschrift als Werk von F. Chr. Scheidemantel)	Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht		1712
Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Meine Seele erhebet den Herren [The German Magnificat]
Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin 4-pt. setting	Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin		1524
O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, Chorale Prelude for Organ	O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort
Chorale Prelude for Organ on O Welt, ich muß dich lassen and In allen meinen Taten	O Welt, ich muß dich lassen
Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, Chorale Prelude (or Partita) for Organ, LV 52	Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele
Chaccone for organ O Jesu, du edle Gabe / Sei gegrüsset, Jesu gütig (?)	Sei gegrüßet, Jesu, gütig
Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit, 2 Chorale Preludes for Organ, LV 104	Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn
Von Gott will ich nicht lassen, 2 Chorale Preludes for Organ	Von Gott will ich nicht lassen
Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
Was mein Gott will, das gscheh allzeit, Chorale Prelude for Organ	Was mein Gott will, das g’scheh allzeit
Chorale Prelude for Organ Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten	Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten
One of Walther’s 290 chorale preludes that has come down to us is Werde munter, mein Gemüte for organ with 3 separate settings/verses (but not directly related to the text of any given verse) – two of them are manualiter and one is with pedal.where the cantus firmus is at times in the pedal, at other times in the descant	Werde munter, mein Gemüthe
Links to other Sites
HOASM: Johann Gottfried Walther Walther, Johann Gottfried: Biography (Sojurn) Organ Composers: Johann Gottfried Walther Johann Gottfried Walther (Naxos)		Johann Gottfried Walther - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Johann Gottfried Walther -- Encyclopædia Britannica Notes: Johann Gottfried Walther. (Organ Music).

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Last update: ýMarch 25, 2008 ý16:36:15