Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch (1736–1800) is known chiefly as the
founder of the celebrated Singakademie of Berlin. Fasch was industrious
as a composer in the _a capella_ style. His sixteen-part mass is his
most important work.
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736–1809) was court organist and
chapelmaster at St. Stephan’s of Vienna. He composed over two hundred
and sixty works, among which his “Te Deum” is best known.
Albrechtsberger was especially distinguished as a musical theorist and
teacher. Among his pupils were Beethoven, Hummel, Seyfried and Eybler.
His strict system did not satisfy Beethoven; yet the exercises published
as Beethoven’s “Studienbuch” show the benefit that he had received from
Albrechtsberger’s instruction.
One of the most curious and remarkable characters of this period was
George Joseph Vogler, called Abt Vogler (1749–1814), whose exact place
in musical history is not easy to determine. In his own day a wide
divergence of opinion was expressed as to his merits; by some, including
Mozart, he was considered to be a veritable charlatan, by others an
“epoch-making” artist. Want of space precludes an extended account of
his career, which was full of picturesque incidents. Vogler travelled
much, and tried his fortune in various places; wherever he went he drew
attention by his organ playing, his revolutionary ideas on teaching
harmony, and innovations in organ building. Vogler was a religious
devotee; at Rome he was made Chamberlain to the Pope, Knight of the
Golden Spur, and Abbé. He was remarkably active as composer, teacher,
organ player, and theorist. He wrote for the theatre as well as the
church. Although most of his music is shelved, his Requiem and Symphony
in C are not forgotten. Mendelssohn bought out his symphony at the
Gewandhaus; the Requiem contains original and impressive effects.
Vogler’s vanity led him to harmonize chorals in order to show how much
he could improve on Sebastian Bach. His organ playing was degraded by
descriptive “thunder-storms” and other claptrap effects. With all his
faults, he was a man of ideas, and as a teacher aroused genuine
enthusiasm among his pupils. His attacks on various established errors
and prejudices of music appealed strongly to his young disciples, Von
Weber and Meyerbeer, and fired them with knightly ardor. All his pupils
were devoted to him; he was equally fond of them, and called them his
“boys.” The picture of Vogler’s home life at the Tonschule at Darmstadt
is charming. His pupils were his friends and companions. Weber wrote, on
hearing of Vogler’s death, “Our beloved master will ever live in our
hearts.” Browning has celebrated Abt Vogler in his remarkable poem
bearing that name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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