Johann Ernst III (22 June 1664 in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

– 10 May 1707 in Weimar), was a duke of

Saxe-Weimar Saxe-Weimar () was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia. The chief town and capital was Weimar. The Weimar branch was the most genealogically senior extant branch of the House of W ...

Life

He was the second son of

Johann Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar John Ernest II (11 September 1627, in Weimar – 15 May 1683, in Weimar), was a duke of Saxe-Weimar. He was the second but eldest surviving son of William, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and Eleonore Dorothea of Anhalt-Dessau. Life After the death ...

, and Christine Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. After the death of his father in 1683, he inherited the duchy of Saxe-Weimar with his older brother Wilhelm Ernst as co-ruler (''Mitherr''). Johann Ernst was an alcoholic; this, and his non-interest in the government, was taken advantage of by his brother, who became the sole autocratic ruler of the duchy. Johann Ernst served until his death as co-duke, without any significant influence on the government.

Johann Sebastian Bach and Weimar

In the first half of 1703,

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

served as a court musician at Weimar. He was still in his teens and developing a reputation as an organist. Little is known of his precise role (he may have been taken on as a violinist rather than a keyboardist), but as a mere musician, he most likely was considered a servant. He left to take up a position as organist of a church at

Arnstadt Arnstadt () is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, on the river Gera (river), Gera about south of Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. Arnstadt is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia, and has a well-preserved historic centre with a partially ...

. Bach returned to Weimar in 1708, after Johann Ernst's death, as court organist. Bach worked with one of Johann Ernst's sons, also called

Johann Ernst Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...

, who had a keen interest in music. The prince's interest in collecting music was sufficiently well known that in 1713, when one of Bach's pupils, P. D. Kräuter, was requesting leave of absence to study in Weimar, he mentioned the French and Italian music that the prince was expected to introduce there.Peter F. Williams (1980)
The Organ Music of J.S. Bach I: BWV 525-598, 802-805 etc.
',

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

pp.283-5 The prince also composed, and Bach wrote the Organ Concerto No.1 in G Major, BWV 592, and Concerto for Organ solo in C major, BWV 595, after a theme by the prince.

Family

Zerbst Zerbst () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district. Geography Zerbst is sit ...

on 11 October 1685 Johann Ernst married firstly Sophie Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst. They had five children: # Johann Wilhelm (b. Weimar, 4 June 1686 - d. Weimar, 14 October 1686). #

Ernst August I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar Ernst August I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (German language, German: ''Ernst August I''; 19 April 1688 – 19 January 1748), was a duke of Saxe-Weimar and, from 1741, of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Biography He was the second but eldest surviving son of ...

(b. Weimar, 19 April 1688 - d. Eisenach, 19 January 1748), later inherited Eisenach and Jena. # Eleonore Christiane (b. Weimar, 15 April 1689 - d. Weimar, 7 February 1690). # Johanna Auguste (b. Weimar, 6 July 1690 - d. Weimar, 24 August 1691). # Johanna Charlotte (b. Weimar, 23 November 1693 - d. Weimar, 2 March 1751). In

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

on 4 November 1694 and only two months after the death of his first wife, Johann Ernst married secondly Charlotte Dorothea Sophia of Hesse-Homburg. They had four children: # Karl Friedrich (b. Weimar, 31 October 1695 - d. Weimar, 30 March 1696). #

(b. Weimar, 25 December 1696 - d. Frankfurt, 1 August 1715), a composer who studied with

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

and of whose concertos Bach made transcriptions . # Marie Luise (b. Weimar, 18 December 1697 - d. Weimar, 29 December 1704). # Christiane Sophie (b. Weimar, 7 April 1700 - d. Weimar, 18 February 1701). After Johann Ernst's death, his successor and eldest son, Ernst August, was nominally given his father's power, but the real power was retained by his uncle, Wilhelm Ernst, until his death in 1728, when Ernst August became the sole reigning duke of Saxe-Weimar.

Ancestors

References

External links

"Organ Concerto No.1 in G Major, BWV 592"
Marie-Claire Alain, ''YouTube'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Johann Ernst 03, Duke Of Saxe-Weimar Dukes of the Holy Roman Empire Dukes of Saxe-Weimar 1664 births 1707 deaths