Joseph Schuster (composer)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Schuster was a German
composer
.
, where he received his first musical training from his father, a court musician, and from Johann Georg Schürer
. Thanks to a scholarship from the Saxon Prince-elector
s, he was able to study with Giovanni Battista Martini
and counterpoint
in Venice with G. Pera from 1765 to 1768. In 1776 he completed his first opera seria
Didone abbandonata, after a libretto by Metastasio
. It was given at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and by all accounts a great success. In the same year, the opera seria Demofoonte premiered in Forlì
.
In the following years, Schuster's position was solidified with operatic successes in Naples and Venice. He was also recognized in Germany as an accomplished composer and his singspiel
, Der Alchymist, oder Der Liebesteufel is considered one of the finest examples of the art form. Most of his works are assigned to the opera buffa
, but he also composed religious works, chamber music and orchestral music.
Schuster's work is also found in the string quartet
s appendix of the Köchel
catalogue (No. 210 et seq,), and for a long time the "Milan Quartets" (1772–73) were viewed as Mozart works. Schuster composed these works around 1780, which were long considered to be copies of Mozart originals. The musicologist Ludwig Finscher was able to uncover the true origin (in The Music Research, 1966). He died at Dresden.
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...
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...
.
Life and career
Schuster was born at DresdenDresden
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....
, where he received his first musical training from his father, a court musician, and from Johann Georg Schürer
Johann Georg Schürer
Johann Georg Schürer was a German baroque composer.Operas* Astrea placata ovvero La felicità della terra, , 7 October 1746 Warsaw; 29. Oct. 1746 Dresden, Mingottisches Theater...
. Thanks to a scholarship from the Saxon Prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
s, he was able to study with Giovanni Battista Martini
Giovanni Battista Martini
Giovanni Battista Martini , also known as Padre Martini, was an Italian musician.-Biography:Martini was born at Bologna....
and counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
in Venice with G. Pera from 1765 to 1768. In 1776 he completed his first opera seria
Opera seria
Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...
Didone abbandonata, after a libretto by Metastasio
Metastasio
Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his pseudonym of Metastasio, was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of opera seria libretti.-Early life:...
. It was given at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and by all accounts a great success. In the same year, the opera seria Demofoonte premiered in Forlì
Forlì
Forlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...
.
In the following years, Schuster's position was solidified with operatic successes in Naples and Venice. He was also recognized in Germany as an accomplished composer and his singspiel
Singspiel
A Singspiel is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera...
, Der Alchymist, oder Der Liebesteufel is considered one of the finest examples of the art form. Most of his works are assigned to the opera buffa
Opera buffa
Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...
, but he also composed religious works, chamber music and orchestral music.
Schuster's work is also found in the string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
s appendix of the Köchel
Köchel
Köchel, Koechel is surname of:* Ludwig Alois Ferdinand Ritter von Köchel , composer, musicologist, botanist, writer* Köchel catalogue...
catalogue (No. 210 et seq,), and for a long time the "Milan Quartets" (1772–73) were viewed as Mozart works. Schuster composed these works around 1780, which were long considered to be copies of Mozart originals. The musicologist Ludwig Finscher was able to uncover the true origin (in The Music Research, 1966). He died at Dresden.
Selected works
- Oratorio - 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:...
1778, Dresden. - La fedeltà in amore, Opera buffa, Dresda 1773
- L'idolo cinese, Opera buffa, Dresda 1776
- La Didone abbandonata, Opera seria, Napoli 1776
- Demofoonte, Opera seria, Forlì 1776
- L'amore artigiano, Opera buffa, Venezia 1776
- La schiava liberata, Opera seria-comica, Dresda 1777
- Der Alchymist oder Der Liebesteufel, Singspiel, Dresda 1778
- Bradamante, Dramma per musica, Padova 1779
- Creso in Media, Opea seria, Napoli 1779
- Amor e Psyche, Opera seria, Napoli 1780
- Rübezahl ossia Il vero amore, Opera buffa, Dresda 1789
- Il giorno natalizio, Opera buffa (Pasticcio), Dresda 1802
- Quartetti Nr. 1-6 „Quartetti Padovani“
- 6 Divertimenti da camera per pianoforte e violino, 1777, Kassel
Sources
- Ines Burde: "Joseph Schuster", Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 2006. - Is. 15, pg. 353-355
- Laurie Ongley: Liturgical Musc in late eighteenth-century Dresden: Johann Gottlieb Naumann, Joseph Schuster, and Franz Seydelmann, New Heaven, 1992.