Esaias Reusner
Encyclopedia
Esaias Reusner (29 April 1636, Löwenberg in Silesia
, now Lwówek Śląski
, Poland
– 1 May 1679, Berlin
, Germany
) was a German lute
nist and composer.
His first lute teacher was his father Esaias (lutenist to the Prince of Bernstadt). He was a child prodigy and together with his father he traveled and performed at various courts. He wrote two collections of lute suites - Deliciae testudinis and Neue Lauten-früchte. In the years from 1655 to 1672, he was in the service of the duke of Silesia. Thereafter, he worked for a short time as a flute and lute teacher at the University of Leipzig
. Finally in 1674, he was appointed chamber lutenist at the court of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
in Berlin, where he remained until his death.
He is considered to be one of the best lute virtuosos of his time and one of the first great masters of the 11-course baroque lute in Germany.
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, now Lwówek Śląski
Lwówek Slaski
Lwówek Śląski is a town in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland. Situated on the Bóbr River, Lwówek Śląski is about 30 km NNW of Jelenia Góra and has a population of about 10,300 inhabitants...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
– 1 May 1679, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) was a German lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
nist and composer.
His first lute teacher was his father Esaias (lutenist to the Prince of Bernstadt). He was a child prodigy and together with his father he traveled and performed at various courts. He wrote two collections of lute suites - Deliciae testudinis and Neue Lauten-früchte. In the years from 1655 to 1672, he was in the service of the duke of Silesia. Thereafter, he worked for a short time as a flute and lute teacher at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
. Finally in 1674, he was appointed chamber lutenist at the court of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
|align=right|Frederick William was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia – and thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia – from 1640 until his death. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as the "Great Elector" because of his military and political prowess...
in Berlin, where he remained until his death.
He is considered to be one of the best lute virtuosos of his time and one of the first great masters of the 11-course baroque lute in Germany.
Works
- Hundert geistliche Melodien evangelischer Lieder (One hundred spiritual melodies from evangelical songs) (for lute, 1676 or 1678)
- various lute and orchestral suites