![Leipziger Universitätsmusik](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Leipziger_Universit%C3%A4tsmusik.svg)
Leipziger Universitätsmusik refers to music education and performance at 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 ...
. Music at the university dates back to its founding of the university in the 15th century. At present, Leipziger Universitätsmusik is the name of several musical ensembles formed by students and professors, and supported by professional musicians, the choir
Leipziger Universitätschor, an orchestra, two smaller instrumental ensembles, and a big band.
History
In 1410, the artistic faculty offered lectures on the ''Musica speculativa secundum Boethium'' written by
Johannes de Muris
Johannes de Muris ( – 1344), or John of Murs, was a French mathematician, astronomer, and music theorist best known for treatises on the '' ars nova'' musical style, titled '' Ars nove musice''.
Life and career
For a medieval person primarily kn ...
in 1323, which were required for academic degrees baccalauréat and magister, alongside arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy, in the medieval
Quadrivium
From the time of Plato through the Middle Ages, the ''quadrivium'' (plural: quadrivia) was a grouping of four subjects or arts—arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy—that formed a second curricular stage following preparatory work in the ...
.
In 1558, music education was discontinued in favour of physics, but new courses were offered for the training of musicians by the cantors of the
Thomaskirche
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and
Nikolaikirche. University music was then mostly church music. Its first director at the university church
Paulinerkirche, with the title "director musices Paulini" ('), was
Werner Fabricius
Fabricius Werner (1633-1679), an organist and composer of note, was born April 10, 1633, at Itzehoe, Holstein. As a boy he studied music under his father, Albert Fabricius, organist in Flensburg, and Paul Moth, the Cantor there. He went to the G ...
in 1656.
In the 17th century, instrumental ensembles by students were formed.
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 Hild ...
, then a law student, founded the
collegium musicum
The Collegium Musicum was one of several types of musical societies that arose in German and German- Swiss cities and towns during the Reformation and thrived into the mid-18th century.
Generally, while societies such as the (chorale) cultivated ...
in 1701, which was later directed by
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 wo ...
. Bach composed twenty works for university occasions, ''Festmusiken zu Leipziger Universitätsfeiern'' (Music for festivities of the Leipzig University), of which twelve cantatas survived.
A second collegium musicum was founded in 1708 by
Johann Friedrich Fasch, also a law student. It was later conducted by
Johann Gottlieb Görner. In 1979,
Max Pommer
Max Pommer (born 9 February 1936) is a German musicologist and conductor, a director of the Leipziger Universitätschor and the founder and conductor of the Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum.
Career
Born in Leipzig, Pommer was a student of th ...
founded the
Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum in this tradition. Lectures in music theory were held by
Lorenz Christoph Mizler
Lorenz Christoph Mizler von Kolof (also known as Wawrzyniec Mitzler de Kolof and Mitzler de Koloff; 26 July 1711 – 8 May 1778) was a German physician, historian, printer, mathematician, Baroque music composer, and precursor of the Enlightenme ...
, while taught aesthetics of music..
In 1802, the ' was founded, which was conducted by the Universitätsmusikdirektor from 1810 to 1848. They regularly performed
oratorio
An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...
s. Choirs at the university included the 1822 ''Pauliner-Verein'' (from 1919: ''Universitäts-Sängerschaft St. Pauli''), the 1850 ''Riedelverein'' and ''Bachverein'', and the 1852 ''Studentengesangverein Arion'' (from 1907: Sängerschaft Arion).
After World War II,
Friedrich Rabenschlag continued work with the ''Universitätschor'', the ''Universitätskantorei'' and the chamber orchester in 1946.
Horst Förster founded a collegium musicum in 1956, later called the
Akademisches Orchester Leipzig.
Hans Grüß founded a group at the museum for musical instruments in 1957, the Capella fidicinia, specialising in
early music.
In 1968, the home of Leipzig's university music, the Paulinerkirche, was destroyed by the GDR regime. After
German reunification, the present ''Leipziger Universitätsmusik'' was formed from 1992. Universitätsmusikdirektor
Wolfgang Unger
Wolfgang Unger (31 December 1948 – 19 April 2004) was a German conductor, especially a choral conductor, and an academic in Halle and Leipzig. He founded several choirs and focused on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. Li ...
founded several ensembles. He was succeeded by
David Timm.
The new Paulinerkirche was inaugurated in 2017.
Musical directors
Several of the musical directors (Universitätsmusikdirektor) were at the same time ''
Thomaskantor
(Cantor at St. Thomas) is the common name for the musical director of the , now an internationally known boys' choir founded in Leipzig in 1212. The official historic title of the Thomaskantor in Latin, ', describes the two functions of cantor a ...
''. Friedrich Rabenschlag was the last one to use the title Universitätsmusikdirektor during the GDR time, but it was awarded again 1991 to Wolfgang Unger.
* 1656–1679:
Werner Fabricius
Fabricius Werner (1633-1679), an organist and composer of note, was born April 10, 1633, at Itzehoe, Holstein. As a boy he studied music under his father, Albert Fabricius, organist in Flensburg, and Paul Moth, the Cantor there. He went to the G ...
* 1679–1701:
Johann Schelle Johann Schelle ( Geising, Erzgebirge, 6 September 1648 – Leipzig 10 March 1701) was a German Baroque composer.
From 1655 to 1657 he was a choirboy in Dresden and pupil of Heinrich Schütz. From 1657 to 1664 on Schütz's recommendation he was ...
(Thomaskantor 1677–1701)
* 1701–1722:
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 ...
(Thomaskantor 1701–1722)
* 1723–1778:
Johann Gottlieb Görner
* 1778–1785:
Johann Adam Hiller
Johann Adam Hiller (25 December 1728, in Wendisch-Ossig, Saxony – 16 June 1804, in Leipzig) was a German composer, conductor and writer on music, regarded as the creator of the Singspiel, an early form of German opera. In many of these operas ...
(Thomaskantor 1789–1800)
* 1785–1809:
* 1808–1810:
Johann Gottfried Schicht
Johann Gottfried Schicht (29 September 1753 – 16 February 1823) was a German composer and conductor.
Schicht was born in Reichenau, in the Electorate of Saxony. He trained as a lawyer, studying from 1776 at Leipzig. He was the conduct ...
(Thomaskantor 1811–1823)
* 1810–1818:
Friedrich Schneider
Johann Christian Friedrich Schneider (3 January 1786 in Alt-Waltersdorf – 23 November 1853 in Dessau) was a German pianist, composer, organist, and conductor.
Schneider studied piano first with his father Johann Gottlob Schneider (senior), and ...
* 1818–1827:
Johann Philipp Christian Schulz
Johann Philipp Christian Schulz (also ''Schulze''; 24 September 1773 – 30 January 1827) was a German composer and conductor.
Schulz was born in Bad Langensalza and was Gewandhaus Kapellmeister from 1810 to 1827. In 1825 he and the Gewandhaus ...
* 1827–1843:
Christian August Pohlenz
Christian August Pohlenz (3 July 1790 – 10 March 1843) was a German composer and conductor.
Pohlenz was born in Sallgast. He was Gewandhaus Kapellmeister from 1827 to 1835. He died in Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the mos ...
* 1843–1847:
Ernst Friedrich Richter (Thomaskantor 1868–1879)
* 1847–1887:
* 1887–1898:
Hermann Kretzschmar
* 1898–1906:
Heinrich Zöllner
* 1907–1908:
Max Reger
* 1908–1930:
* 1930–1939:
Hermann Grabner Hermann Grabner (12 May 1886 – 3 July 1969) was an Austrian composer and music teacher.
Career
Grabner was born in Graz. He studied law at the University of Graz graduating in 1909. In parallel, he studied music with Leopold Suchsland un ...
* 1939–1962:
Friedrich Rabenschlag
* 1963–1973:
Hans-Joachim Rotzsch
Hans-Joachim Rotzsch (25 April 1929 – 25 September 2013) was a German choral conductor, conducting the Thomanerchor from 1972 until 1991 as the fifteenth Thomaskantor since Johann Sebastian Bach. He was also a tenor and an academic teacher.
B ...
(Thomaskantor 1972–1991)
* 1973–1987:
Max Pommer
Max Pommer (born 9 February 1936) is a German musicologist and conductor, a director of the Leipziger Universitätschor and the founder and conductor of the Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum.
Career
Born in Leipzig, Pommer was a student of th ...
* 1987–2004:
Wolfgang Unger
Wolfgang Unger (31 December 1948 – 19 April 2004) was a German conductor, especially a choral conductor, and an academic in Halle and Leipzig. He founded several choirs and focused on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. Li ...
(Thomaskantor interim 1991–1992)
* Since 2005:
David Timm
Ensembles
*
Leipziger Universitätschor (founded in 1926 as Madrigalkreis Leipziger Studenten)
* Pauliner Kammerorchester (1992)
* Pauliner Barockensemble (1994)
* (2003)
* Unibigband Leipzig (2006)
References
Literature
* (ed.): ''600 Jahre Musik an der Universität Leipzig. Studien anlässlich des Jubiläums.'' Stekovics, Wettin 2010, .
External links
Universitätsmusik – Universität LeipzigLeipziger UniversitätsorchesterBig Band der Universität Leipzig
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Leipzig University
German choirs
German orchestras
Music in Leipzig