Gustav Reichardt, also ''Heinrich Wilhelm Ludwig Gustav Reichardt'' (13 November 1797 – 18 October 1884), was a 19th-century German music teacher and composer.

Life and work

Gustav Reichardt was born in Schmarsow. He received his first music lessons at the age of five from his father, the versatile educated countryside preacher Rev. Georg Gustav Zacharias Reichardt (1766-1852). Already, at the age of nine, he appeared on violin and piano. From 1809 to 1811, he received music lessons in

Neustrelitz Neustrelitz (; East Low German: ''Niegenstrelitz'') is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the Zierker See in the Mecklenburg Lake District. From 1738 ...

and was a violinist in a local Chapel. In 1811 he attended grammar school and then he began studying theology at the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pom ...

. In 1818 he moved to the Berlin Academy, but decided to study music in 1819. He became a pupil of

Bernhard Klein Bernhard Joseph Klein (6 March 1793 – 9 September 1832) was a German composer. Life Klein was born in Cologne. He married Lili Parthey (1800–1829) who was the sister of Gustav Parthey (1798–1872) and the granddaughter of Friedrich Nicolai ...

in music theory and composition. As a member of the

Sing-Akademie zu Berlin The Sing-Akademie zu Berlin, also known as the Berliner Singakademie, is a musical (originally choral) society founded in Berlin in 1791 by Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, harpsichordist to the court of Prussia, on the model of the 18th-century ...

(1819-1832) he co-founded the Berliner Liedertafel and soon attracted attention due to his well-trained bass voice. He turned entirely to composition and developed a fruitful activity in this area. After a number of years he acted as a singing teacher with extraordinary success. Due to this he began to have access to aristocratic circles and the royal family of

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...

. As a popular teacher, he taught singing, including to the later Emperor Frederick III. For his wedding in 1858, he composed a cantata festival. In 1850 he was appointed royal music director. Reichardt's compositions number only thirty-six and they are mostly vocal popular songs, preferably for male choirs. Among them is the song ''The image of the Rose''. Artists such as

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

and music enthusiasts met regularly at his home. During a visit to the

Sněžka Sněžka or Śnieżka (in Czech and Polish respectively; german: Schneekoppe, sk, Snežka) is a mountain on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland, the most prominent point of the Silesian Ridge in the Giant Mountains. At , its summit ...

in 1825, he set to music the poem ''Des Deutschen Vaterland'' by

Ernst Moritz Arndt Ernst Moritz Arndt (26 December 1769 – 29 January 1860) was a German nationalist historian, writer and poet. Early in his life, he fought for the abolition of serfdom, later against Napoleonic dominance over Germany. Arndt had to flee to Swe ...

, thus becoming well known in Prussian Berlin circles. The song became one of the

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

s of the German unification movement. In 1871 he published under Opus 36 his last work, a national anthem, with lyrics by Müller von der Werra. Reichardt died, aged 87, in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. His final resting place is located after on the southwestern alley of

Stahnsdorf Stahnsdorf is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany. Geography It is situated on the Teltow plateau, about southwest of the Berlin city centre, and east of Potsdam. Neighbouring municipalities are the town of ...

cemetery.

Literature

Hans Michael Schletterer Hans Michael Schletterer (29 May 1824 – 4 June 1893) was a German musical administrator, conductor, composer and writer on music. He was important in the musical life of Augsburg. Life Schletterer was born in Ansbach in 1824, son of a tailor. Aft ...

: Reichardt, Gustav. In:

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...

(ADB). Volume 27, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1888, pp. 622–624. *Gustav Reichardt. In:

Meyers Konversations-Lexikon ' or ' was a major encyclopedia in the German language that existed in various editions, and by several titles, from 1839 to 1984, when it merged with the '. Joseph Meyer (1796–1856), who had founded the publishing house in 1826, intended t ...

. 4th Edition. Vol. 13, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1885-1892, p. 674. *Gero von Wilcke: Gustav Reichardt, composer of the old German national anthem (for his 100th death anniversary). In: Archives for Genealogical Research. 51st Year, No. 98, June 1985, p. 95-96 and 98

References

External links

Literature on Gustav Reichardt
on the Landesbibliographie Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Gustav Reichardt Memorial
- A Website dedicated to his birthplace in Schmarsow with image {{DEFAULTSORT:Reichardt, Gustav 1797 births 1884 deaths German Romantic composers 19th-century classical composers German male classical composers 19th-century German composers 19th-century German male musicians