Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel (3 December 1750 in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

– 12 October 1817 in Würzburg) was a German composer and pianist in the 18th and early 19th centuries. He was educated at the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...

and in 1778 he became chaplain and musician at the court in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

. He lived in Regensburg (from 1802 to 1810), then in Aschaffenburg, and finally retired to Würzburg in 1815. At first Sterkel was 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 ...

in Neumünster. In 1774 he was ordained a priest. He moved to Mainz and became court chaplain, but toured Italy as a pianist from 1779 to 1782. After a visit to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

in 1782, where he met Padre Martini, he returned to Mainz, becoming music director to the Electoral orchestra in 1793. From 1793 to 1797 he was court ''

Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

'' at Mainz. When the ''

capella Capella is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Auriga. It has the Bayer designation α Aurigae, which is Latinised to Alpha Aurigae and abbreviated Alpha Aur or α Aur. Capella is the sixth-brightest star i ...

'' was disbanded, he went to Würzburg, Regensburg and later Aschaffenburg, where he served the Grand Duke of Frankfurt. From 1810 to 1814, as a prolific and successful composer he wrote mostly instrumental music, including symphonies and concertos, chamber works with keyboard solo, piano sonatas and piano duets. Many of the sonatas have a lyricism and loose-knit structure pointing towards

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

. Among his vocal works are the Italian opera ''Farnace'' (Naples, 1782), Italian arias, songs and ensembles and German

lied In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...

er. His works as well as his distinctive playing style (which impressed

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

in 1791) contributed to the development of a pianistic idiom.

Works

*opera ''Farnace'' (Naples, 1782); *24 symphonies, two overtures for orchestra; *six piano concertos; *string quintet, piano quartet, six string trios, six duos for violin and viola; *sonatas for piano solo and duet, piano pieces, variations; *German songs, Italian canzonets; vocal duets.

Bibliography

* A. Scharnagl, ''Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel'', Würzburg, 1943.
Joann Élart
" Circulation des quatre symphonies oeuvre VII de Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel de l'Allemagne à Rouen : un itinéraire singulier du goût musical entre 1770 et 1825 ", ''Studien zu den deutsch-französischen Musikbeziehungen im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert, bericht über die erste gemeinsame Jahrestagung der

Gesellschaft für Musikforschung The ''Gesellschaft für Musikforschung'' (GfM) is a professional association of musicologists and institutes active in study, research and teaching in Germany. It has over 1600 members. The association is based in Kassel, Hesse. History The soc ...

und der Société française de musicologie Saarbrücken 1999'' (Hildesheim : Georg Olms Verlag, 2002), . * Joachim Fischer, ''Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel 1750-1817, Thematisch-bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis'' Sterkel-Gesellschaft e.V., 2014. www.sterkel-gesellschaft.org

External links

www.klassika.info/Komponisten/Sterkel/
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sterkel, Johann Franz Xaver 1750 births 1817 deaths Musicians from Würzburg People from the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg 19th-century German Roman Catholic priests 19th-century German composers German pianists 18th-century German Roman Catholic priests 18th-century German composers