Andreas Armsdorf
Encyclopedia
Andreas Armsdorff was a German composer
and organist
. He was born in Mühlberg
, near Gotha
, and studied music and law. At some point in his early life he moved to nearby Erfurt
where he may have studied with Johann Pachelbel
. He worked as organist in various churches in Erfurt: Reglerkirche, Andreaskirche, and Kaufmannskirche. He died in Erfurt at the age of 29.
Armsdorff's early death was not an obstacle to the posthumous popularity of his music. His organ chorale prelude
s survive in numerous manuscript copies that circulated in Germany for decades after Armsdorff's death. Writing in 1758, Jakob Adlung
praised Armsdorff's music as "agreeable to the ear." He was particularly known for his fugal writing, and traces of advanced imitative technique are present in the surviving works, particularly the two chorale preludes that employ the rare form of chorale canon
: Allein Gott in der Höh and Es spricht der Unweisen Mund. Armsdorff mostly employed typical Central German chorale styles, however, in a few pieces he used the ornamented descant type, more widespread in the North (Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ).
Today, some 30 chorale preludes for organ are the only surviving pieces by Armsdorff, although there is evidence of lost vocal works, as well as numerous keyboard pieces.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
. He was born in Mühlberg
Mühlberg, Thuringia
Mühlberg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2009, it is part of the municipality Drei Gleichen....
, near Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
, and studied music and law. At some point in his early life he moved to nearby Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
where he may have studied with Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most...
. He worked as organist in various churches in Erfurt: Reglerkirche, Andreaskirche, and Kaufmannskirche. He died in Erfurt at the age of 29.
Armsdorff's early death was not an obstacle to the posthumous popularity of his music. His organ chorale prelude
Chorale prelude
In music, a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works of J.S. Bach, who wrote 46 examples of the form in his Orgelbüchlein.-Function:The liturgical...
s survive in numerous manuscript copies that circulated in Germany for decades after Armsdorff's death. Writing in 1758, Jakob Adlung
Jakob Adlung
Jakob Adlung, or Adelung, was a German organist, teacher, instrument maker, music historian, and music theorist.-Biography:...
praised Armsdorff's music as "agreeable to the ear." He was particularly known for his fugal writing, and traces of advanced imitative technique are present in the surviving works, particularly the two chorale preludes that employ the rare form of chorale canon
Canon (music)
In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration . The initial melody is called the leader , while the imitative melody, which is played in a different voice, is called the follower...
: Allein Gott in der Höh and Es spricht der Unweisen Mund. Armsdorff mostly employed typical Central German chorale styles, however, in a few pieces he used the ornamented descant type, more widespread in the North (Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ).
Today, some 30 chorale preludes for organ are the only surviving pieces by Armsdorff, although there is evidence of lost vocal works, as well as numerous keyboard pieces.