Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a
compound, consisting of the roots
Kapelle (choir) and
Meister (master).
Kapelle in turn comes from the
Latin word for "chapel", which was typically the center of musical activity during the
Middle Ages. Thus, originally, the word was used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel. However, the term has evolved considerably in its meaning in response to changes in the musical profession.
In the Age of Kings in Europe, Kapellmeister often designated the director of music for a monarch or nobleman. This was a senior position and involved supervision of other musicians.
Johann Sebastian Bach worked from 1717 to 1723 as Kapellmeister for
Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen.
Joseph Haydn worked for many years as Kapellmeister for the
Eszterházy family, a high-ranking noble family of the Austrian Empire.
George Frideric Handel also served as Kapellmeister for George, Elector of
Hanover (who eventually became
George I of Great Britain).
A Kapellmeister might also be the director of music for a church. Thus,
Georg Reutter was the Kapellmeister at
St. Stephen's Cathedral in
Vienna, where his young choristers included both
Joseph and
Michael Haydn.
Becoming a Kapellmeister was a mark of success for professional musicians of this time. For instance, Joseph Haydn once remarked that he was glad his father (a
wheelwright) had lived long enough to see his son a Kapellmeister. As society evolved and the prestige of the nobility declined, composers came to value their freedom more highly, and being a Kapellmeister became less prestigious. For example,
Beethoven never worked as a Kapellmeister, instead pursuing a career as a freelance musician.
For English speakers, it is this historical sense of the term that is most often encountered, since it appears frequently in biographical writing about composers who worked in German-speaking countries.
The equivalent terms for Kapellmeister in other European languages are
maestro di capella (Italian),
maître de chapelle (French), and
chapel master (English).
The case of Mozart
Mozart never was a Kapellmeister in the sense given above. In 1787 he was given a paid position in the court of the Austrian Emperor, as
Kammercompositeur ("chamber composer"), but authority in matters musical at the court was exercised primarily by
Antonio Salieri. However, in reviews, diaries, and advertising Mozart was commonly referred to as "(Herr) Kapellmeister Mozart". It seems that Mozart's prestige, along with the fact that he frequently appeared in public directing other musicians, led to the use of "Kapellmeister" as a term of respect.
In April 1791, Mozart did apply to become the Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's Cathedral, and was in fact designated by the City Council to take over this job following the death of the then-ailing incumbent,
Leopold Hofmann. However, this never took place, since Mozart died (December 1791) before Hofmann did (1793) .
In contemporary German, "Kapellmeister" designates the director or
conductor of an
orchestra or
choir. When used today, it suggests involvement in orchestra or choir policy (for example, selecting
repertoire, concert schedules, choosing guest conductors and so on) as well as conducting.
(ordered chronologically by date of birth)
*
Michael Praetorius (1571 â€" 1621) was Kapellmeister at
Wolfenbüttel starting in 1604.
*
Samuel Scheidt (1587 â€" 1653) was Kapellmeister to the
Margrave of
Brandenburg.
*
Heinrich Ignaz Biber (1644 â€" 1704) was Kapellmeister in
Salzburg starting in 1684.
*
Georg Muffat (1653 - 1704) was Kapellmeister to the bishop of
Passau from 1690 to his death.
*
Agostino Steffani (1653 - 1728) was Kapellmeister from 1688 to 1698 at the court of
Hanover.
*
Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer (?? - 1746) was by 1695 Kapellmeister to
Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden .
*
Johann Ludwig Bach (1677 - 1731), a second cousin of J. S. Bach, was Kapellmeister at
Meiningen.
*
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 â€" 1767) served as Kapellmeister for 16 years, starting in 1705 for the court Count Erdmann II in
Hamburg.
*
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) worked from 1717 to 1723 as Kapellmeister for
Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen.
*
George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759) served as Kapellmeister from 1710 to 1712 for George, Elector of
Hanover.
*
Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688 â€" 1758) was Kapellmeister from 1722 at
Zerbst.
*
Carlo Grua (ca. 1700-1773) was Kapellmeister at the court of
Mannheim under the
Electorship of Karl III Philip.
*
Carl Heinrich Graun (1704 - 1759) was Kapellmeister starting in 1740 for
Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great)
*
Giuseppe Bonno (1711 â€" 1788) was Kapellmeister to the Prince of
Saxe-Hildburghausen in the 1750s and 1760s.
*
Ludwig van Beethoven (1712 - 1773), grandfather of the celebrated composer
Ludwig van Beethoven, served as Kapellmeister in the Electoral court of
Bonn.
*
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 â€" 1788) also worked in Frederick II's court, but not as Kapellmeister. He later became Telemann's successor as Kapellmeister at Hamburg, starting in 1768.
*
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) was Kapellmeister starting 1754 for
Maria Theresa of Austria in Vienna.
*
Niccolò Jommelli (1714 â€" 1774) served Duke Karl-Eugen of Württemburg in
Stuttgart from 1753 to 1768.
*
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809) worked from 1767 on as Kapellmeister for the
Eszterházy family, a high-ranking noble family of the Austrian Empire. (He was Vice-Kapellmeister from 1761 - 1766.)
*
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736 - 1809) was Kapellmeister at
St. Stephen's Cathedral in
Vienna.
*
Michael Haydn (1737 â€" 1806) was Kapellmeister at
Großwardein and, starting in 1762, at
Salzburg.
*
Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739 â€" 1799) was Kapellmeister to Prince-Bishop of
Breslau from 1770 to 1795.
*
Andrea Luchesi (1741 - 1801) was the last Kapellmeister in the Electoral court of
Bonn from 1774 to 1794.
*
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778 â€" 1837) was Joseph Haydn's successor, starting in 1804, at the Esterházy court. He held this post for seven years before being dismissed for neglecting his duties.
*Material above concerning Mozart is taken from Deutsch, Otto Erich (1965)
Mozart: A Documentary Biography. English translation by Eric Blom, Peter Branscombe, and Jeremy Noble. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
