Joseph Hanisch (24 March 1812 9 October 1892) was a

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

organist and conductor. Hanisch was based in

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the ...

from 1829 until his death in 1892. Son of the organist Anton Franz Hanisch.

Life

Joseph Hanisch was born in

, Germany on 1 March 1812. His father, Anton Franz Hanisch was the organist of the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady, Regensburg (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: Alten Kapelle Regensburg). Joseph's father taught him how to play the organ and in 1829 Hanisch started serious organ lessons under Carl Proske, the organist for the

Regensburg Cathedral Regensburg Cathedral (german: Dom St. Peter or Regensburger Dom), also known as St. Peter's Cathedral, is an example of important Gothic architecture within the German state of Bavaria. It is a landmark for the city of Regensburg, Germany, and th ...

. After an 1835 trip to Italy in search of compositions from Roman archives, Joseph took an interest in the restoration of Catholic church music. In 1836 Joseph took over his father's position as the official organist for the Alten Kapelle Regensburg, and worked his way to becoming the organist for the Niedermünster Cathedral in 1866. He also taught harmonica, organ, and

musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous ...

lessons at the music school in Regensburg, as well as teaching the young princes The House of Thurn and Taxis. Joseph also conducted the Regensburg choir from 1859 to 1863, and again from 1867 to 1872.

Family

The Hanisch family originates from Franz Xaver, born in

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...

, who settled in Regensburg in the 1800s as the court oboist of The House of Thurn and Taxis. From then on, the Hanisch family had a great influence on the musical life of Regensburg. Franz Xaver Hanisch von Greifenthal (1749-?): Oboist, Piano teacher 1776 until 1806; and composer for The House of Thurn and Taxis. Anton Franz Hanisch von Greifenthal(1786–1835): Organist in the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady, Regensburg from 1808; Father of both Joseph and Max Joseph Hanisch. Joseph Hanisch (1812–1892): Cathedral Organist in Regensburg from 1829 to 1892; son of Barbara Fuhrmann. Max Joseph Hanisch (1819–1866): Organist and music teacher at St. Emmeram; Son of Anton Franz and Elisabeth Rosalia Hanisch (1799-1826). Dorothea Hanisch (1854-1945): Pianist (1786-1835): organist in the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady, Regensburg from 1808; father of Joseph and Max Joseph Hanisch.

Impact

The foundation of Joseph's compositions come from his study of

Gregorian Chorals Gregorian may refer to: *The thought or ideology of Pope Gregory I or Pope Gregory VII (also called ''Gregorianism'') *Things named for Pope Gregory I: ** Gregorian chant, the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unacco ...

, and the masters of

church music Church music is Christian music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclesiastical liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. History Early Christian music The ...

. He is mostly regarded for his liturgical organ playing and improvisational skills. Through his various posts as an organist and music teacher, Joseph contributed greatly to the Regensburg musical scene. His work in restoring Catholic church music from Palestine, influenced

Franz Xaver Witt Franz Xaver Witt (February 9, 1834 – December 2, 1888) was a Catholic priest, church musician, and composer. He was a leading figure in the Cecilian movement for the reform of Catholic church music in the second half of the 19th century.Willia ...

to founding the

Caecilia Society ''Caecilia'' is a genus of amphibians in the family Caeciliidae Caeciliidae is the family of common caecilians. They are found in Central and South America. Like other caecilians, they superficially resemble worms or snakes. Although they ...

. His major compositions are ''Missa auxilium Christianorum'', ''Quatuor hymni pro festo corporis Christi'', and ''Konzerte für swei Hörner'' (English: Concert for two horns).

Works cited

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanisch, Joseph German organists German male organists 19th-century organists Cathedral organists 19th-century German male musicians Male classical organists 19th-century German musicians Musicians from Regensburg