Georg Matthias Monn facts for kids

Georg Matthias Monn was an Austrian composer, organist, and music teacher. He was born in Vienna on April 9, 1717, and passed away there on October 3, 1750. Monn lived during an important time when music was changing. It moved from the older, more complex Baroque style to the clearer, more balanced Classical style.

Together with other composers like Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Monn helped create the "Viennese Pre-Classical" movement. These composers are not as famous today, but their ideas were very important. Monn helped introduce the idea of a "secondary theme" in symphonies. This was a big step for later famous composers like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert.

Who Was Georg Matthias Monn?

His Life and Work

Not much is known about Monn's personal life. We mainly know about his jobs as an organist. He first worked at Klosterneuburg, a town near Vienna. Later, he became an organist in Melk, Lower Austria. He also worked at the Karlskirche church in Vienna. Sadly, he died from tuberculosis when he was only 33 years old.

Monn had a brother named Johann Christoph Mann who was also a composer. Sometimes, their music has been confused. This is because many of Monn's pieces only exist as copies made after he died.

Music Style: From Old to New

Monn was part of a group of Austrian composers. They studied the rules of counterpoint, a complex way of writing music, from masters like Johann Sebastian Bach. But they also helped change music from the fancy, grand Baroque style to a simpler, more graceful style called Galante music.

These composers also improved the "sonata form," which is a way of structuring a piece of music. They made the ideas of a "secondary theme" and "musical development" much bigger. Later, famous composers like Michael Haydn and Joseph Haydn took these ideas and made them even more developed.

What He Wrote

Georg Matthias Monn wrote many different types of music. His works include:

• Sixteen symphonies, such as:
  • Symphony in G major
  • Symphony in B♭ major
  • Symphony in B major
  • Symphony in F major
• Six Quartets (music for four instruments)
• Concertos (pieces for a solo instrument with an orchestra), including:
  • Concerto for Violin, Strings & Continuo In B♭ Major
  • Keyboard concerto in D major
  • Cello concerto in D major (this was arranged by Arnold Schoenberg from Monn's harpsichord concerto)
  • Concerto for Cello (or Double Bass) in G Minor
  • Concerto for Harpsichord, Strings & Continuo In G Minor
  • Concerto for Harpsichord in G Minor
  • Concerto for Harpsichord, Strings & Continuo in D Major
  • Concerto in A for Fortepiano and Strings
• Sonata in G minor
• Partitas (a type of musical suite), including:
  • Partita a tre no. 2 in G Minor
  • Partita a tre no. 7 in D Major

He also wrote music for the organ:

• 5 Preludia und Fugue
• Fugue in C
• Versetten for Organ

See also

In Spanish: Georg Monn para niños