Georg Christoph Wagenseil , classical music composer
Georg Christoph Wagenseil
Biography
Georg Christoph Wagenseil was a well-known composer in
Vienna during the transition from the Baroque period to the Classical. His
symphonies were influential in the development of the symphonic form, his works
were known by Mozart and Haydn, and his influence, through his pupil Johann
Baptist Schenk, reached to Beethoven. Born in the Austrian capital on January
29, 1715, he was the son of an official in the Imperial Court. It appears
Wagenseil's initial musical training was no different than any of his upper
class peers would have received. However, during his teenage years he began to
compose, eventually drawing the attention of the court Kapellmeister, Johann
Joseph Fux. Under Fux, Wagenseil studied counterpoint and composition. Three
years later with his teacher's help, he obtained the post of court composer, a
position he held until his death.
Wagenseil's first compositions to achieve recognition were
masses, which ranged from a cappella settings to works with orchestral
accompaniment. Beginning in 1745, however, he moved away from sacred music and
began composing works for the stage. He also left behind the highly
contrapuntal style of the late Baroque for the simpler galant style that was then
spreading through Europe's musical circles. Interestingly, it is evident from
Wagenseil's stage works that he possessed a keen dramatic sense and his
penchant for organizing his operas in larger scenes instead of the usual
divisions of recitative, aria, and so forth, predates the operatic reforms of
Gluck. During the 1750s, Wagenseil was allowed to publish a large quantity of his
music, which helped to spread his influence as an important composer in the
formative years of the Classical style. An accomplished pianist, Wagenseil also
wrote a large body of keyboard music.
Gout, however, marked the beginning of the end of
Wagenseil's performance career in 1765. His health waned until eventually he
was largely confined to his rooms. Nevertheless, he continued to compose and
teach in his later years. His most important pupil during this time was Schenk.
Besides being one of Beethoven's future teachers, Schenk also left a detailed
account of Wagenseil's method of teaching, which remarkably included the use of
music by Handel and Bach (the latter of which was hardly
known after the composer's death in 1750) for instruction. Wagenseil died in
Vienna on March 1, 1777.
Georg Christoph Wagenseil
Biography
Georg Christoph Wagenseil was a well-known composer in Vienna during the transition from the Baroque period to the Classical. His symphonies were influential in the development of the symphonic form, his works were known by Mozart and Haydn, and his influence, through his pupil Johann Baptist Schenk, reached to Beethoven. Born in the Austrian capital on January 29, 1715, he was the son of an official in the Imperial Court. It appears Wagenseil's initial musical training was no different than any of his upper class peers would have received. However, during his teenage years he began to compose, eventually drawing the attention of the court Kapellmeister, Johann Joseph Fux. Under Fux, Wagenseil studied counterpoint and composition. Three years later with his teacher's help, he obtained the post of court composer, a position he held until his death.
Wagenseil's first compositions to achieve recognition were masses, which ranged from a cappella settings to works with orchestral accompaniment. Beginning in 1745, however, he moved away from sacred music and began composing works for the stage. He also left behind the highly contrapuntal style of the late Baroque for the simpler galant style that was then spreading through Europe's musical circles. Interestingly, it is evident from Wagenseil's stage works that he possessed a keen dramatic sense and his penchant for organizing his operas in larger scenes instead of the usual divisions of recitative, aria, and so forth, predates the operatic reforms of Gluck. During the 1750s, Wagenseil was allowed to publish a large quantity of his music, which helped to spread his influence as an important composer in the formative years of the Classical style. An accomplished pianist, Wagenseil also wrote a large body of keyboard music.
Gout, however, marked the beginning of the end of Wagenseil's performance career in 1765. His health waned until eventually he was largely confined to his rooms. Nevertheless, he continued to compose and teach in his later years. His most important pupil during this time was Schenk. Besides being one of Beethoven's future teachers, Schenk also left a detailed account of Wagenseil's method of teaching, which remarkably included the use of music by Handel and Bach (the latter of which was hardly known after the composer's death in 1750) for instruction. Wagenseil died in Vienna on March 1, 1777.