Christoph Graupner (13 January 1683 – 10 May 1760) was a German

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

harpsichordist A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord. Harpsichordists may play as soloists, as accompanists, as chamber musicians, or as members of an orchestra, or some combination of these roles. Solo harpsichordists may play unaccompanied son ...

of late

Baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Classical period after a short transiti ...

who was a contemporary of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesh ...

and

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

Life

Born in Hartmannsdorf near Kirchberg in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, Graupner received his first musical instruction from his uncle, an

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

named Nicolaus Kuester. Graupner went to the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

where he studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

(as did many composers of the time) and then completed his musical studies with

Johann Kuhnau Johann Kuhnau (; 6 April 16605 June 1722) was a German polymath, known primarily as a composer today. He was also active as a novelist, translator, lawyer, and music theorist, and was able to combine these activities with his duties in his offici ...

, the

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

of the

Thomasschule St. Thomas School, Leipzig (german: Thomasschule zu Leipzig; la, Schola Thomana Lipsiensis) is a co-educational and public boarding school in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1212 and is one of the oldest schools ...

(St. Thomas School). In 1705, Graupner left Leipzig to play the

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

in the orchestra of the

Hamburg Opera The Hamburg State Opera (in German: Staatsoper Hamburg) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''Gener ...

under the direction of

Reinhard Keiser Reinhard Keiser (9 January 1674 – 12 September 1739) was a German opera composer based in Hamburg. He wrote over a hundred operas. Johann Adolf Scheibe (writing in 1745) considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau, George Frideric Handel and Georg ...

, alongside

, then a young violinist. In addition to playing the harpsichord, Graupner composed six operas in Hamburg, some of them in collaboration with Keiser, a popular composer of operas in Germany. In 1709, Graupner accepted a post at the court of

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...

and in 1711 became the court orchestra’s ''Hofkapellmeister'' (court chapel master). Graupner spent the rest of his career at the court in Hesse-Darmstadt, where his primary responsibilities were to provide music for the court chapel. He wrote music for nearly half a century, from 1709 to 1754, when he became blind. He died in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

six years later.

Graupner and Bach

Graupner inadvertently played a key role in the history of music. Precarious finances in Darmstadt during the 1710s forced a reduction of musical life. The opera house was closed, and many court musicians' salaries were in

arrears Arrears (or arrearage) is a legal term for the part of a debt that is overdue after missing one or more required payments. The amount of the arrears is the amount accrued from the date on which the first missed payment was due. The term is usually ...

(including Graupner's). After many attempts to have his salary paid, and having several children and a wife to support, in 1723 Graupner applied for the Cantorate in Leipzig. Telemann had been the first choice for this position, but withdrew after securing a salary increase in Hamburg. Graupner's "audition" ''

Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for "

y soul Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...

magnifies

he Lord He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Eastern Christianity, Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated ...

,'' set in the style of his teacher, mentor and predecessor, Kuhnau, secured him the position. However, Graupner's patron (the

Landgrave Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), a ...

Ernst Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt) would not release him from his contract. Graupner's past due salary was paid in full, his salary was increased; and he would be kept on staff even if his ''Kapelle'' was dismissed. With such favorable terms, Graupner remained in Darmstadt, thus clearing the way for Bach to become the kantor in Leipzig. After hearing that Bach was the choice for Leipzig, on 4 May 1723 Graupner graciously wrote to the city council in Leipzig assuring them that Bach "is a musician just as strong on the organ as he is expert in church works and capelle pieces" and a man who "will honestly and properly perform the functions entrusted to him."

Graupner's opus and modern editions

Graupner was hardworking and prolific. There are about 2,000 surviving works in his catalog, including 113

sinfonia Sinfonia (; plural ''sinfonie'') is the Italian word for symphony, from the Latin ''symphonia'', in turn derived from Ancient Greek συμφωνία ''symphōnia'' (agreement or concord of sound), from the prefix σύν (together) and ϕωνή (sou ...

s, 85

ouverture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtu ...

s (suites), 44

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typi ...

s, 8

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s, 1,418 religious and 24 secular

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

s, 66

sonata Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cant ...

s and 57

partita Partita (also ''partie'', ''partia'', ''parthia'', or ''parthie'') was originally the name for a single-instrumental piece of music (16th and 17th centuries), but Johann Kuhnau (Thomaskantor until 1722), his student Christoph Graupner, and Johann ...

s. Nearly all of Graupner's manuscripts are housed in the ULB (Technical University Library) in Darmstadt, Germany. Graupner wrote for exotic combinations of instruments, including the

oboe d'amore The oboe d'amore (; Italian for "oboe of love"), less commonly , is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the oboe family. Slightly larger than the oboe, it has a less assertive and a more tranquil and serene tone, and is considered the me ...

, flute d'amore, and

viola d'amore The viola d'amore (; Italian for "viol of love") is a 7- or 6- stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin. Structure and sound The viol ...

. Over half of his sinfonias require

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

and

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

, with about 25 sinfonias requiring 3 to 4 timpani, one (sinfonia in G Major GWV 611) 5 timpani, and another, sinfonia in F Major (GWV 566), was composed for 6 timpani. A particular speciality for Graupner was the accompanied chorale. His immense sense of originality and creativity led to him composing a large number of highly contrasting chorales using a relatively small number of tunes. Indeed, one quarter of the 1312 chorales he composed within his 1356 cantatas for Sundays and feast days of the liturgical calendar are based on just 6 tunes.

Obscurity

After he died, Graupner's works fell into obscurity for a number of reasons. His manuscripts became the object of a long legal battle between his heirs and the rulers of

. A final court decision denied the Graupner estate ownership of the music manuscripts. The heirs were unable to obtain permission to sell or publish his works and they remained inaccessible to the public. Furthermore, subsequent dramatic changes in music styles had reduced the interest in Graupner's music. On the positive side however, the Landgrave's seizure of Graupner's musical estate ensured its survival ''in toto''. Fate was not so kind to J. S. Bach's musical legacy, for example. Another factor that contributed to Graupner's posthumous obscurity was that, unlike Bach, Graupner had very few pupils other than

Johann Friedrich Fasch Johann Friedrich Fasch (15 April 1688 – 5 December 1758) was a German violinist and composer. Much of his music is in the Baroque-Classical transitional style known as galant. Life Fasch was born in the town of Buttelstedt, 11 km north o ...

to carry on his musical legacy. As critic David Vernier has summed up, Graupner is "one of those unfortunate victims of fate and circumstance – a contemporary of Bach, Handel, Telemann, etc., who has remained largely – and unfairly – neglected."

Rediscovery

Graupner's music is enjoying a revival, due in large part to the research efforts of many

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

s, performers, and conductors. Beginning in the early 20th century, research began with

Willibald Nagel Willibald Nagel (19 June 1870 – 13 November 1911) was a German physiologist, best known for his work in the field of sensory physiology. Born in Tübingen, Nagel earned doctorates in sciences (1892) and medicine (1893), obtaining his habilita ...

's study of Graupner's sinfonias. In the 1920s,

Friedrich Noack Friedrich Noack, who wrote under the pseudonym ''F. Idus'', (20 April 1858, Gießen – 1 February 1930, Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau) was a German cultural historian and author, who wrote several articles for the Künstlerlexikon (arts dictionar ...

published his research on Graupner's cantatas. Baerenreiter published several sinfonias and an ouverture in the 1950s. In the early 1980s, Myron Rosenblum edited four sinfonias for the massive Barry Brook project ''The Symphony, 1720-1840: A Comprehensive Collection of Full Scores'' (New York: Garland, 1979–85), 60 vols. The year 1988 saw the publication of Oswald Bill's study of Graupner, with several articles by such Graupner experts as Peter Cahn (on the sinfonias), Joanna Cobb Biermann (musicians and salaries in Darmstadt), as well as source documents on court life in Darmstadt. Three dissertations were very important for Graupner research: H. Cutler Fall's study of the

Passiontide Passiontide (in the Christian liturgical year) is a name for the last two weeks of Lent, beginning on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, long celebrated as Passion Sunday, and continuing through Lazarus Saturday. The second week of Passiontide is Holy We ...

cantatas, Rene Schmidt's study of the

Christmas cantata A Christmas cantata or Nativity cantata is a cantata, music for voice or voices in several movements, for Christmas. The importance of the feast inspired many composers to write cantatas for the occasion, some designed to be performed in church ser ...

s, and Vernon Wicker's study of solo bass cantatas. Christoph Grosspietsch published an extensive study of Graupner's ouvertures in 1994. Despite all this research, there were relatively few recordings available to the general public. This changed in 1998, when

Hermann Max Hermann Max (born 1941 in Goslar) is a German choral conductor. In 1977, he founded the Jugendkantorei Dormagen, which in 1985 became the basis of the Rheinische Kantorei and Das Kleine Konzert. In 1992 he founded the Knechtsteden Early Music Fes ...

conducted a CD of Graupner works on the

CPO CPO may refer to: Occupations * Certified Professional Organizer * Certified Protection Officer, a professional certification for security officers from the International Foundation for Protection Officers * Chief people officer, a corporate of ...

label. Montreal harpsichordist Geneviève Soly came across a Graupner manuscript in the Beinecke Library at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in the year 2000 and started performing and recording his works. Graupner was "always on the cutting edge for his time and very innovative in his ideas for harmony, notation, and the use of instruments," as Soly has noted. "You have to take into consideration his various styles in relation to the actual period and the ideas he was interested in developing at that moment. The size of the catalogue imposes added difficulties in this respect, because another composer might have written for just as long, but in one style only.

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

comes to mind: although he composed over a shorter period, his style was always well defined." In 2021

Brilliant Classics Brilliant Classics is a classical music label based in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden. It is renowned for releasing super-budget-priced editions on CD of the complete works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers. The label also sp ...

issued a 14-CD set of Graupner's complete harpsichord music, performed by

Fernando De Luca Fernando De Luca (born 1961 in Rome) is an Italian harpsichordist, teacher and composer. He studied harpsichord with Paola Bernardi. He is known to some people for his efforts to perform and record, for the first time, the Handel's Complete ...

. In April 2005, a thematic catalog of Graupner's instrumental music (Oswald Bill and Christoph Grosspietsch, editors) was published by Carus Music. There are plans to catalog Graupner's vocal music. In 2010, Belgian conductor and musicologist Florian Heyerick published an online and searchable digital GWV of the instrumental and vocal works.

Works

* List of church cantatas by Christoph Graupner *

List of chamber pieces by Christoph Graupner The following is a complete list of chamber music by Christoph Graupner (1683-1760), the German harpsichordist and composer of high Baroque music. The works appear as given in ''Christoph Graupner : Thematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen We ...

List of concertos by Christoph Graupner The following is a complete list of concertos by Christoph Graupner (1683-1760), the German harpsichordist and composer of high Baroque music. The works appear as given in ''Christoph Graupner : Thematisches Verzeichnis der Musikalischen Werke ...

List of harpsichord pieces by Christoph Graupner The following is a complete list of harpsichord works by Christoph Graupner (1683-1760), the German harpsichordist and composer of high Baroque music. The works appear as given in ''Christoph Graupner : Thematisches Verzeichnis der musikalische ...

List of orchestral suites by Christoph Graupner The following is a complete list of orchestral suites by Christoph Graupner (1683-1760), the German harpsichordist and composer of high Baroque music. The works appear as given in ''Christoph Graupner : Thematisches Verzeichnis der Musikalische ...

List of symphonies by Christoph Graupner The following is a complete list of symphonies by Christoph Graupner (1683–1760), the German harpsichordist and composer of high Baroque music. The works appear as given in ''Thematishces Verzeichnis Der Musikalischen Werke:Graupner, Christop ...

Operas

* ' (

singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like ...

, 1707) * ''Il fido amico, oder Der getreue Freund Hercules und Theseus'' (1708) * '' L’amore ammalato, Die kränkende Liebe, oder Antiochus und Stratonica'' (1708) * ''Bellerophon'' (1708) * ''Der Fall des grossen Richters in Israel'' (1709) * ' (1710) * ''Telemach'' (1711) * ''La costanza vince l'inganno'' (1715) * ''Adone'' (1719) *unnamed opera (1709)

Selected discography

Instrumental music

* Graupner: Cantate, Sonate, Ouverture. Performed by Hélène Plouffe, Geneviève Soly, Chantal Rémillard, Isabelle Bozzini, Ingrid Schmithüsen and L'Ensemble des Idées Heureuses conducted by Geneviève Soly (Analekta 23180) * Graupner: Chalumeax - Concertos, Ouvertures & Sonatas. Ars Antiqua Austria, Gunar Letzbor; Performed on historically reproduced instruments. (Challenge Classics CC72539). * Graupner: Orchestral Works. Nova Stravaganza. Siegbert Rampe conductor (MD+G Gold 34111212) * Graupner: Ouvertures GWV 420 & 421. Antichi Strumenti (

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are co ...

3661472) * Graupner: Ouverture, Trio, Sinfonia. Nova Stravaganza. Siegbert Rampe conductor. (MD+G Gold 3411252) * Graupner: Partitas For Harpsichord, Vol 1-6. Performed by Geneviève Soly (Analekta 23109, 23164 23181, 29116, 29118, 29119) * Various: Virtuoso Timpani Concertos. Dresden Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Alexander Peter conductor. (Naxos 8557610)

Mixed programs

* Graupner: Instrumental And Vocal Music. Performed by Ingrid Schmithüsen, Mathieu Lussier, Hélène Plouffe, Geneviève Soly and L'Ensemble des Idées Heureuses conducted by Geneviève Soly (Analekta 23162) * Graupner: Ouvertures and cantata. Das kleine Konzert. Hermann Max conductor. (CPO 999592)

Vocal music

Cantatas

* Graupner: Christmas cantatas. Das Kleine Konzert,

CPO * Graupner: ''Ein Weihnachtsoratorium'', 9 Christmas Cantatas (2 CD, Ricercar 307, 2010), Florian Heyerick, Ex Tempore, Mannheimer Hofkapelle * Graupner: Epiphany Cantatas ''Was Gott thut, das ist wohl gethan, er ist mein Licht'', GWV 1114/43; ''Erwacht, ihr Heyden'', GWV 1111/34; ''Die Waßer Wogen im Meer sind groß'', GWV 1115/35; ''Was Gott thut, das ist wohl gethan, es bleibt gerecht sein Wille'', GWV 1114/30; ''Gott, der Herr, ist Sonne und Schild'', GWV 1114/54. Andrea Lauren Brown (soprano), Kai Wessel (countertenor),

Georg Poplutz Georg Poplutz is a German tenor, a soloist in Baroque music, opera and oratorio, and a Lied singer. He has been a member of vocal ensembles such as Johann Rosenmüller Ensemble and Cantus Cölln, and has participated in a project to record th ...

(tenor),

Dominik Wörner Dominik Wörner (born 1970) is a German classical bass singer in concert, Lied and opera. He is a specialist in Baroque music, especially works by Bach, but is open to music of other eras including contemporary music. Career Born in Grünst ...

(bass), Kirchheimer BachConsort, Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch (conductor) (CPO 555 146-2, 2017). * Graupner: Passion cantatas. "Wo gehet Jesus hin" Anton-Webern-Chor Freiburg, Ensemble Concerto grosso, Hans Michael Beuerle. Carus Verlag. * Graupner: Solo- und Dialog Cantatas ''Jesus ist und bleibt mein Leben'' GWV 1107/12; ''Gott ist für uns gestorben'' GWV 1152/16; ''Siehe, selig ist der Mensch, den Gott strafet'' GWV 1162/09; ''Diese Zeit ist ein Spiel der Eitelkeit'' GWV 1165/09; ''Süßes Ende aller Schmerzen'' GWV 1166/20 . Mit Marie-Luise Werneburg (soprano), Dominik Wörner (bass), Kirchheimer BachConsort,

Rudolf Lutz Rudolf Lutz (born 1951) is a Swiss organist, harpsichordist, conductor and composer. Education Lutz studied at the Zurich University of the Arts, in Zürich and at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. Career From 1973 he was ...

(conductor). (CPO 555-215-2, 2018).

Operas

* Graupner: ''Antiochus und Stratonica''. Christian Immler (Antiochus), Hana Blažíková (Stratonica),

Harry van der Kamp Harry van der Kamp (born 1947 in Kampen) is a Dutch bass singer in opera and concert. Mostly active in Historically informed performance, he founded the Gesualdo Ensemble. He is also an academic voice teacher. Singing career Born in Kampen, va ...

(Seleucus), Sunhae Im (Mirtenia), Sherezade Panthaki (Ellenia), Aaron Sheehan (Demetrius), Jesse Blumberg (Hesychius/Ober-Priester),

Jan Kobow Jan Kobow (born 1966) is a German classical tenor in concert, Lied, and Baroque opera. Professional career Jan Kobow was born and raised in Berlin. He was a singer and soloist of the ''Staats- und Domchor, Berlin'' with Christian Grube. He stud ...

(Negrodorus). Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra,

Paul O'Dette Paul Raymond O'Dette (born February 2, 1954) is an American lutenist, conductor, and musicologist specializing in early music. Biography O'Dette, who was born in Pittsburgh, began playing the electric guitar in a rock band in Columbus, Ohio, w ...

and Stephen Stubbs, directors (CPO 555369-2, released 2021).

References

External links

Graupner GWV-online
a digital Graupner Werkverzeichnis with integrated search interface
The Christoph Graupner Society Homepage
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060422084026/http://www.goldbergweb.com/en/magazine/composers/2004/02/20204.php Christoph Graupner: The Life and Work of Christoph Graupneron GoldbergWeb, the early-music portal
ULB Library
Graupner's music manuscripts and archives in Darmstadt, Germany * Christoph Graupner's works a
''La Sinfonie d'Orphée''Kim Patrick Clow's webpage
dedicated to promoting Graupner's work. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graupner, Christoph 1683 births 1760 deaths 18th-century classical composers 18th-century German composers 18th-century German male musicians Blind people from Germany Composers for harpsichord German Baroque composers German male classical composers German opera composers Male opera composers People from Zwickau (district) People from the Electorate of Saxony