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German organist and composer
Johann
(
Johannes
)
Speth
(9 November 1664 – c. 1720
[1]
Augsburg) was a German
organist
and
composer
. He was born in Speinshart, some 150 km from
Nuremberg
, but spent most of his life in
Augsburg
, where he worked as cathedral organist for two years. His only surviving music is a 1693 collection,
Ars Magna Consoni et Dissoni
, which includes
toccatas
,
Magnificat
versets and variations in the
south German style
.
Life
[
edit
]
Speth was born in
Speinshart
,
Bavaria
, to teacher Heinrich Speth and his wife Margareta (nee Vichtl). Past scholars established that Speth must have received music lessons from the abbot of the
Premonstratensian
monastery
at Speinshart, one Dominikus Lieblein; however, this has recently been disproven. Nothing is known about his life before 1692, when he applied for the position of organist of Augsburg Cathedral. The application, which contained Speth's compositions, was accepted, and he was appointed organist on 4 November 1692. The music he supplied with the application was published the next year in Augsburg as
Ars magna Consoni et Dissoni
. In the files of the cathedral administration there is a note from 1705 showing that Speth had also to work in the office of the cathedral chapter. The exact date of Speth's death is unknown, but there is a document that shows that in 1719, he still lived with his wife and a maidservant in Augsburg.
Music
[
edit
]
The composer's only surviving work is the collection published in 1693 in Augsburg,
Ars magna Consoni et Dissoni
. The title may be a reference to
Athanasius Kircher
's famous book,
Musurgia universalis, sive ars magna consoni et dissoni
(1650). An early description of the work was included by
Johann Gottfried Walther
in his
Musikalisches Lexicon
; Walther claimed Speth only compiled the pieces but did not compose. This hypothesis is now generally considered false.
Ars Magna
contains music intended for organ or
clavichord
: ten toccatas (subtitled
Musicalische Blumen-Felder
), eight
Magnificat
settings, and three variation sets. The music has clearly traceable Italian influences, with direct borrowings: one of the variation sets is built on a theme by
Bernardo Pasquini
, there is also a passage from
Bernardo Storace
in the
Spangioletta
variation set, and a verset by
Alessandro Poglietti
(quinti toni no. 3). The influence of contemporary southern organists is also apparent, particularly that of
Georg Muffat
and
Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer
. The toccatas are unusually short for the genre; most consist of three (toccata-
fugue
-toccata) sections. There are some interesting features such as
dynamic indications
in
Toccata quarta
. The Magnificat settings are, like similar pieces by
Johann Kaspar Kerll
and others, short versets for alternatim practice.
Works
[
edit
]
- Ars magna Consoni et Dissoni in vireto hoc Organico-Instrumentali Musico, vere et practice ab Oculos posita. Das ist: Organisch-Instrumentalischer Kunst-, Zier- und Lust-Garten: in welchem Erstens: Zehen Lehren-reiche, ausserlesene Toccaten, oder Musicalische Blumen-Felder: Zweytens: 8 Magnificat, samt denen darzu gehorigen Praeambulis, Versen, Clausulen &c auf die acht Chor- oder Choral-Thon eingericht: und so dann Drittens: unterschiedliche Arien, mit vielen schonen Variationen, und anderen Galanterien vorgestellt werden
(Augsburg, 1693)
References
[
edit
]
- ^
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie, 2nd Edition, Band 24, McMillan Publishers, London 2001, ISBN 0-333-60800-3.
- Fedtke, Traugott (Ed.). (1973).
Johann Speth. Ars Magna Consoni et Dissoni
. Kassel, Germany: Barenreiter.
- Gwilym Beechey, 'Speth, Johannes', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 2007-06-08),
http://www.grovemusic.com/
Archived
2008-05-16 at the
Wayback Machine
- Gwilym Beechey: 'A 17th-Century German Organ Tutor', in
Musical Times
CXIII (1972)
- Lukas, Viktor (1986).
Reclams Orgelmusikfuhrer
(5th rev. ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Reclam.
(in German)
- Date of death: Augsburg Matrikeln, Pfarrei St. Ulrich“ Sterbefalle 1726 - 1748, Bild 0226, Johann Speth, Fuggerischer Stiftungsorganist bei St.Ulrich
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