Johannes Schenck (or Johan Schenk, 3 June 1660–after 1712) was a Dutch musician and composer. Schenck was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

and baptized in a Catholic hidden church. He became a renowned virtuoso

viola da gamba The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitch ...

player. His compositions included music for a Dutch Singspiel, ''

Bacchus, Ceres en Venus ''Bacchus, Ceres en Venus'' is a 1686 Dutch-language pastoral opera by Johan Schenck. It is one of the earliest surviving Dutch-language operas, 8 years after with Carolus Hacquart's '' De triomfeerende Min'' (1678). The libretto was by Govert ...

'', which can claim to be the first opera in Dutch, and from which songs were published in 1687, as well as works for the

. Around 1696 he accepted an appointment to the court of

Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine (''"Jan Wellem"'' in Low German, English: ''"John William"''; 19 April 1658 – 8 June 1716) of the Wittelsbach dynasty was Elector Palatine (1690–1716), Duke of Neuburg (1690–1716), Duke of Jülich ...

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...

. After Johann Wilhelm's death in 1716, the electoral court moved to

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...

. There is some uncertainty about the date of Schenck's death as there is no mention found in the Düsseldorf Protestant church records or parish and cemetery records in Amsterdam. His last known published work appeared in 1712. He is no longer mentioned in the list of court musicians compiled in 1717.

Works

* op. 1 ''Eenige gezangen, uit de opera von Bacchus, Ceres en Venus'', Amsterdam, heirs of Paul Matthys, Author, 1687. (27 arias for voice and b.c.) * op. 2 ''Tyd en Konst-Oeffeningen'', Amsterdam, Pierre Pickaert, 1688. (15 sonatas for viola da gamba and b.c.) * op. 3 ''Il Giardino Armonico'', Amsterdam, Le Chevalier, 1691. (12 sonatas for 2 violins, viola da gamba and b.c.) * op. 4 ''C. van Eekes koninklyke harpliederen'', Amsterdam, Author, circa 1694. (150 psalms for 1 or 2 voices, 2 viols ad libitum and b.c.). Incomplete * op. 5 ''Zang-wyze op M: Gargons uitbreiding over 't Hooglied Salomons'', Amsterdam, 1696. (63 arias for 1 voice and bc) * op. 6 ''Scherzi musicali'', Amsterdam, Roger, n.d. irca 1698 (Suites for viola da gamba and b.c. ad libitum) * op. 7 ''Suonate a violino e violone o cimbalo'', Amsterdam, n.d.

699 __NOTOC__ Year 699 ( DCXCIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 699 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...

* op. 8 ''Le Nymphe di Rheno'', Amsterdam, Roger, n.d. irca 1702 (12 sonata-suites for 2 viola da gamba) * op. 9 ''L'Echo du Danube'', Amsterdam, Roger, n.d. irca 1704 (4 sonatas for viola da gamba and b.c., 2 sonatas for viola da gamba solo) * op. 10 ''Les fantaisies bisarres de la goutte'', Amsterdam, Roger, Le Cène, n.d. 711/2 (Suites for viola da gamba and b.c). Viola da gamba part lost * 2 sonatas for viola da gamba solo, manuscript, Austria, Vienna, National Library, ms. 16598. * 9 movements in tablature for 2 viole da gamba, manuscript, Norway, Trondheim University Library, XA HA Mus 1:1 e 1:2 These and further manuscripts (in GB-DRc, GB-Ob, D-Wd, S-Ska) contain also copies of the aforesaid printed editions.

Recordings

Le Nymphe di Rheno, Wieland Kuijken & François Joubert-Caillet (Ricercar RIC336)

Nymphs of the Rhine, Vol. 1 (Naxos CD 8.554414)

Nymphs of the Rhine, Vol. 2 (Naxos CD 8.554415)
* ''Bacchus, Ceres en Venus'' Camerata Trajectina, Globe. * ''Tyd en Konst-Oeffeningen, Op.2'', Recondita Armonia Ensemble (Brilliant Classics 94635) * ''Il Giardino Armonico Opus III'' (world premiere recording), La Suave Melodia (Etcetera KTC 1356, May 2007)

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schenck, Johannes 1660 births Year of death uncertain Dutch male classical composers Dutch classical composers Dutch Baroque composers Dutch viol players Musicians from Amsterdam