Composer of the day: Johann Georg Reutter

Reutter was born in Vienna in 1708 and died here in 1772. He aspired to be the court organist (like his father), but Johann Joseph Fux (see earlier post) rejected his application three times. He did some traveling to Italy instead, and when he returned he managed to get the position of court composer. His style is Baroque, and he was once called “the single most influential musician in Vienna.” When Joseph Hadyn was seven, he auditioned for Reutter as a soprano singer. Reutter accepted Hadyn into his ensemble, where Hadyn got his early musical training as a choirboy. Apparently Reutter was no Daddy Warbucks–the choirboys were said to be underfed and given a patchy education. More on Hadyn to come.

Composer of the day: Johann Fux

As the son of a peasant family, Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741) came from humble beginnings. He was given music lessons, however, and eventually attended a Jesuit university. With his talent, he worked his way up to the status of court composer for Leopold I in 1698. He also served the next two Habsburg emperors: Joseph I and Charles VI. His counterpoint technique was highly regarded and was studied by future composers Haydn, young Beethoven, and Mozart. The work of Fux marks the end of the Baroque period in Austria. He remained a famous composer until his style went out of fashion.

Composer of the day: Johann Heinrich Schmelzer

First on my chronological list of Viennese composers is this man of mystery. He was definitely born and more than certainly died, but we don’t know exactly when. Wikipedia says he lived somewhere between 1620-1623 and February-March 1680, putting in the Baroque era. After arriving in Vienna in the 1630s, he was a composer and musician at the Hapsburg court until dying of plague (a popular way of kicking the bucket in those days). Not much is known about his life, except that Emperor Leopold I was a fan of his and made him Kapellmeister (which means something like “master of music making”). I’ve been listening to his chamber works while working this morning. I wish I knew more about the violin. Apparently he made great contributions to violin technique, which set him apart since Italians had the monopoly on violin playing in his day. If you’re in a Baroque mood, have a listen.