Johann Gottlieb Naumann
Encyclopedia
Johann Gottlieb Naumann (Blasewitz
, 17 April 1741 – 23 October 1801 in Dresden
) was a German composer
, conductor, and Kapellmeister
.
and organ
. Later, he studied at the Kreuzschule in Dresden
and was a member of the Dresden Kreuzchor. In Dresden he was taught by the organist and cantor of the Kreuzschule, Gottfried August Homilius
, a student of Bach
. In May 1757, he traveled to Italy with the Swedish
violinist Anders Wesström. The composer Giuseppe Tartini
encountered Naumann in 1762 and took an interest in his work. Later that year, he made his debut as an opera composer in Venice with Il tesoro insidiato. Following his successful 1764 production of Li creduti spiriti, he was engaged as the second church composer at the Dresden court, on the composer Johann Adolf Hasse's recommendation.
The chord sequence which became known as the Dresden amen
was composed by Naumann for use in the Court Church in Dresden. Such was its popularity that it spread to other churches in Saxony
, both Catholic
and Lutheran. It was also utilised by later composers, including Felix Mendelssohn
(in his Reformation Symphony) and Richard Wagner
(in his opera Parsifal
).
In 1777, as a result of negotiations by Swedish diplomat Count Löwenhjelm, Naumann was appointed to reform the Stockholm
Hovkapell and assist King Gustavus III
in his opera plans. His work in Sweden led to the 1782 production of his opera Cora och Alonzo at the inauguration of the new opera house in Stockholm and the 1786 production of Gustaf Wasa, based on an idea of the king for a Royal Swedish Opera
. After a brief period as a guest composer in Copenhagen
(1785-6), he returned to Dresden where he became Oberkapellmeister. In 1792 he married Catarina von Grodtschilling, daughter of a Danish vice-admiral.
Sacred Works:
Instrumental Works:
Blasewitz
Besides being an urban and often preferred multiple dwelling villa quarter with appealing architecture situated on the Elbe river Blasewitz is also a larger borough of Dresden, Germany in the eastern centre of the city...
, 17 April 1741 – 23 October 1801 in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
) was a German composer
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...
, conductor, and Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
.
Life
Johann Gottlieb Naumann received his musical training from the teachers at his town school, where he was instructed in pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
. Later, he studied at the Kreuzschule in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and was a member of the Dresden Kreuzchor. In Dresden he was taught by the organist and cantor of the Kreuzschule, Gottfried August Homilius
Gottfried August Homilius
Gottfried August Homilius was a German composer, cantor, and organist. He was the main representative of the empfindsamer style....
, a student of Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
. In May 1757, he traveled to Italy with the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
violinist Anders Wesström. The composer Giuseppe Tartini
Giuseppe Tartini
Giuseppe Tartini was an Italian baroque composer and violinist.-Biography:Tartini was born in Piran, a town on the peninsula of Istria, in the Republic of Venice to Gianantonio – native of Florence – and Caterina Zangrando, a descendant of one of the oldest aristocratic Piranian families.It...
encountered Naumann in 1762 and took an interest in his work. Later that year, he made his debut as an opera composer in Venice with Il tesoro insidiato. Following his successful 1764 production of Li creduti spiriti, he was engaged as the second church composer at the Dresden court, on the composer Johann Adolf Hasse's recommendation.
The chord sequence which became known as the Dresden amen
Dresden amen
The Dresden amen is a sequence of six notes sung by choirs during church services in the German state of Saxony from at least the beginning of the 19th century...
was composed by Naumann for use in the Court Church in Dresden. Such was its popularity that it spread to other churches in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, both Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and Lutheran. It was also utilised by later composers, including Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
(in his Reformation Symphony) and Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
(in his opera Parsifal
Parsifal
Parsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, the 13th century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail, and on Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail.Wagner first conceived the work...
).
In 1777, as a result of negotiations by Swedish diplomat Count Löwenhjelm, Naumann was appointed to reform the Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Hovkapell and assist King Gustavus III
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
in his opera plans. His work in Sweden led to the 1782 production of his opera Cora och Alonzo at the inauguration of the new opera house in Stockholm and the 1786 production of Gustaf Wasa, based on an idea of the king for a Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
. After a brief period as a guest composer in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
(1785-6), he returned to Dresden where he became Oberkapellmeister. In 1792 he married Catarina von Grodtschilling, daughter of a Danish vice-admiral.
Works (Selected)
Operas:- Il tesoro insidiato (1762)
- Li creduti spiriti (1764, in collaboration with two other composers)
- L’Achille in Sciro (1767)
- Alesandro nelle Indie (1768)
- La clemenza di Tito (1769)
- Il villano geloso (1770)
- L’isola disabitata (1773)
- La villanella inconstante (aka Le nozze disturbate, 1774)
- Ipermestra (1774)
- L’ipocondriaco (1776)
- Amphion (opéra-ballet 1778)
- Armida (1773, in German as Armide 1780)
- Elisa (1781)
- OsirideOsirisOsiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
(1781) - Cora och Alonzo (1782)
- Tutto per amore (1785)
- Gustaf Wasa (1786)
- Orpheus og Eurydike (1786, Danish; 1787, German)
- La reggia d’Imeneo (1787)
- Medea (1788)
- Protesilao (1789)
- La dama soldato (1791)
- Amore giustificato (1792)
- Aci e Galatea (1801)
Sacred Works:
- Missa solenne in A-flat Major (1804)
- Twenty other smaller masses
- Twelve oratorios, including:
- La passione di Gesù CristoLa passione di Gesù CristoLa Passione di Gesù Cristo is the title of a libretto by Metastasio which was repeatedly set as an azione sacra or oratorio by many composers of the late baroque, "rococo", and early classical period.-Writing and original setting:...
(1767) - La morte d’Abel (1790)
- I pellegrini al sepolcro (1798)
- Betulia liberata (1805)
- La passione di Gesù Cristo
- Psalms 69, 103 & 149
- Masonic music incl. 2 marches for organ
Instrumental Works:
- Twelve symphonies (1766-77)
- Six quartets for harpsichord, flute, violin and bass (1786)
- Twelve sonatas for piano or glass harmonica (1786-92)
- Six sonatas for piano or glass harmonica, op. 4
External links
- Autograph of Orfeus in the digital collections of the Danish Royal LibraryDanish Royal LibraryThe Royal Library in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and university library of University of Copenhagen. It is the largest library in the Nordic countries....
- Bicentenial exhibit in Dresden
- Dieter Härtwig and Laurie Ongley: "Johann Gottlieb Naumann," Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 12 December 2006) (subscription access)