The Hamburgische Kapitänsmusik (Hamburg Captain’s Music) refers to a body of compositions by

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

. They comprise

sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

s and

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honour of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Ital ...

s. However, the oratorios were intended to be performed in a secular setting, the Hamburg Drillhaus, and their characters are almost exclusively allegorical. The ''Kapitänsmusik'' was written for the annual banquet (or ''convivium'') of the

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

captains. The works span the period from 1723 to 1766, although many of the manuscripts have now been lost, and in several of those years no banquet was held. Although Telemann’s grandson Georg Michael Telemann inherited many autographs and manuscript copies of Telemann’s vocal works, the rest of his musical estate, including the ''Kapitänsmusik'', was sold at an auction in Hamburg on September 6, 1769. Much of that material has since disappeared, and the auction catalogue has not survived. Of the 36 ''Kapitänsmusiken'' that Telemann wrote, only 10 oratorios (with nine complete oratorio–serenade pairs) plus a few separate pieces are extant today.

Historical background

As a '' Reichsstand'' of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

Hamburg was affected by the '' Türkenkriege'', wars against the expansion of the

Ottoman empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. Several ''Kapitänsmusiken'' thus feature patriotic sentiments both with regard to Hamburg and Germany. In the ''Kapitänsmusik'' of 1738, the ''Kriegsgeist'' (Spirit of War) for example exalts the courage of the Germans at the beginning of the work: ''Ihr deutschen Söhne echter Art, die ihr euch nie der Trägheit aufgespart. Bekräftiget das Lob der unvergess'nen Taten. Die Enkel müssen noch der Ahnen Wert erraten.'' Later on, he evokes the spirit of Prince Eugene (''Der Adler führt die Legionen'', "The

Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

leads the legions to battle") and says: In the last third of the work, ''Neid'' (Envy) sings an aria praising the downfall of

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

(''Ja, es muss dein Fall erscheinen'', "Yes, your downfall is nigh"), but is immediately contested by Chorus's reply: ''Schweig, wahnwitzvoller Neid. Umsonst, dass Deutschlands Glück dein höhn'scher Scherz betrübet. Schweig! Deutschland wird vom Himmel selbst geliebet. Auf, Helden, auf zum Streit!''"Silence, folly Envy! It is in vain that your scornful words shall afflict Germany's happiness. Germany is loved by Heaven. Rise, heroes, to battle!" This recitative ends in the aria ''Ihr Deutschen auf'', inciting the Germans to take arms against the enemies of the fatherland. Finally, Chorus chants a paean about Germany's glory and the necessity of unity amongst all Germans: ''Deutschlands Ruhm soll ewig stehen.'' ("Germany's glory shall last forever.")

''Kapitänsmusik'' timeline

*1723: Missing / Lost *1724: Oratorio + Serenata extant in Schwerin, Mecklenburgische Landesbibliothek Mus.ms. 5377/5 (Parts) *1725: Missing / Lost *1726: Missing / Lost *1727: Missing / Lost *1728: Only Oratorio: Berlin, SPK, Mus. ms. autogr. G. Ph. Telemann 28 (Score) *1729: Missing / Lost *1730: Oratorio + Serenata in SPK Mus. ms. autogr. G. Ph. Telemann 22 (Score) *1731: Missing / Lost *1732: Missing / Lost *1733: Missing / Lost *1734: Missing / Lost *1735: Missing / Lost *1736: Oratorio + Serenata in Schwerin Mus. ms. 5377/4 (Parts) *1737: Missing / Lost *1738: Oratorio + Serenata in Schwerin Mus. ms. 5377/3 (Parts) *1739: Missing / Lost *1740: Missing / Lost *1741: There was no Convivium *1742: Oratorio + Serenata in Schwerin Mus. ms. 5377/6 (Parts) *1743: Missing / Lost *1744: SPK Mus. ms. 21760 + 21761 (Parts), Mus. ms. autogr. G. Ph. Telemann 134 (autograph Violoncell-Part of O. + S.) *1745: There was no Convivium *1746: Missing / Lost *1747: Missing / Lost *1748: Missing / Lost *1749: Missing / Lost *1750: There was no Convivium (due to the burning down of St. Michaelis church) *1751: Missing / Lost *1752: Missing / Lost *1753: Missing / Lost *1754: Missing / Lost *1755: Oratorio + Serenata in SPK Mus. ms. autogr. G. Ph. Telemann 9 (Score) *1756: Only fragment of the oratorio in SPK Mus. ms. 21755 (Parts) *1757: There was no Convivium (due to the Seven-years-war) *1758: like 1757 *1759: Missing / Lost *1760: Oratorio + Serenata in SPK Mus. ms. autogr. G. Ph. Telemann 23 (Score), autogr. 134 (Fragments of wind instr.); SPK 21743/45 + 21755/10 /Parts without wind instr.) *1761: Fragments of Oratorio in SPK 21755/14 *1762: There was no Convivium *1763: There was no Convivium *1764: Oratorio in SPK 21755/18, Serenata in SPK 21755/19 *1765: Missing / Lost *1766: There was no Convivium

References

Literature

*Willi Maertens, ''Georg Philipp Telemanns sogenannte Hamburgische Kapitänsmusiken (1723-1765)''. Quellenkataloge zur Musikgeschichte 21. Wilhelmshaven, Florian Noetzel Verlag 1983. *Heinz Becker and Lutz Lesle, 'Hamburg', ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', 2nd edition, Stanley Sadie and John Tyrell (editors), Oxford University Press, 2001.

External links

Georg Philipp Telemann Timeline

University of Magdeburg The Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg () (Short: ''OVGU'') is a public research university founded in 1993 and is located in Magdeburg, the Capital city of Saxony-Anhalt. The university has about 13,000 students in nine faculties. The uni ...

''Kapitänsmusik''
of 1738 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kapitansmusik Sacred vocal music by Georg Philipp Telemann German patriotic songs