Johann Joseph Friebert (4 December 1724 – 6 August 1799), also known as Giuseppe Fribert, was an Austrian opera singer and composer. Amongst his compositions were four

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 ...

s, six operas, and several pieces of church music. As a singer, he was known for his lyrical tenor voice and sensitive interpretations. He created the roles of Silango in Gluck's '' Le cinesi'' and Tirso in Gluck's '' La danza''.Van Boer, Bertil H. (2012)
"Friebert (Johann) Joseph von"
p. 206. ''Historical Dictionary of Music of the Classical Period''. Scarecrow Press Friebert was born in

Gnadendorf Gnadendorf is a town in the district of Mistelbach in the Austrian state of Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the ...

in Lower Austria. He received his initial musical training from his father who was an organist in the local church and then at Melk Abbey where he was a chorister. From 1748 he studied in Vienna with Giuseppe Bonno and was subsequently engaged as a singer at the Hoftheater in Vienna. On his retirement from the stage, he served as the

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 ...

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Passau St. Stephen's Cathedral (german: Dom St. Stephan) is a baroque church from 1688 in Passau, Germany, dedicated to Saint Stephen. It is the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Passau and the main church of his diocese. Since 730, there have been many c ...

. Friebert died in Passau at the age of 74. His younger brother Karl (with whom he is often confused) was also a tenor singer, composer, and librettist.Freeman, Robert N. (2001)
"Friebert, Joseph"

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

. Retrieved 10 January 2014 .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friebert, Joseph Austrian operatic tenors 1724 births 1799 deaths Austrian opera composers Male opera composers 18th-century classical composers 18th-century Austrian male opera singers People from Mistelbach District Austrian male classical composers