Johann Ernst Eberlin facts for kids

Johann Ernst Eberlin (born March 27, 1702 – died June 19, 1762) was a talented German composer and organist. He lived during a time when music was changing from the Baroque style to the Classical style. Eberlin wrote a lot of music, especially for church organs and choirs. Some famous musicians, like Leopold Mozart (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's father), thought he wrote music very quickly, just like other well-known composers of his time.

A Musician's Life

Johann Ernst Eberlin started learning music in 1712. He went to a special school called a Gymnasium in Augsburg, which was run by Jesuits. There, his teachers, Georg Egger and Balthasar Siberer, taught him how to play the organ.

In 1721, he began studying law at the Benedictine University in Salzburg. But by 1723, he decided to focus on music instead.

Rising to Fame

Eberlin's big break came in 1727. He became the organist for Count Leopold von Firmian, who was the Archbishop of Salzburg at the time. He reached the highest point in his career when he worked for Archbishop Andreas Jakob von Dietrichstein.

By 1749, Eberlin held two very important jobs at the same time: Court and Cathedral chapel master (Hof- und Domkapellmeister). This was a huge achievement! Even famous musicians who came after him, like Michael Haydn, Leopold Mozart, and Mozart himself, never managed to hold both positions at once.

Mozart's Opinion

Leopold Mozart thought very highly of Eberlin's music. He even sent some of Eberlin's well-known keyboard pieces to his son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. However, the young Mozart later grew tired of them. In a letter from 1782, Mozart wrote that Eberlin's works were "far too trivial" to be compared to the music of Handel and Bach.

Despite Mozart's later opinion, Eberlin was greatly respected during his lifetime. He composed many pieces and performed often at church concerts. After he died, his strict choral pieces, written in an older style called stile antico, became less popular. Only some of his keyboard works were remembered, but not widely.

His Music

Eberlin composed many different types of music. He wrote toccatas (fast, showy pieces) and fugues (pieces where a short tune is repeated and layered). He also wrote masses (music for church services), including the famous Missa secundi toni.

He also composed cantatas (pieces for singers and instruments), a Requiem (music for a funeral service), and psalm settings (music for religious texts). Eberlin even wrote operas, which are plays set to music.

Oratorios

Eberlin composed several oratorios in German. An oratorio is like an opera but usually without costumes or staging, often based on a religious story. Some of his oratorios include:

• Giuseppe riconosciuto [de] (Joseph Recognized) from the 1750s.
• La passione di Gesù Cristo (The Passion of Jesus Christ), performed in Salzburg in 1755.
• Sant’Elena al Calvario [de] (St. Helena on the Calvary), likely composed between 1753 and 1763 in Salzburg.

Modern Recordings

Even today, you can find recordings of Eberlin's music. Some popular recordings include:

• Sacred Choral Music by the Rodolfus Choir.
• The 9 Toccatas & Fugues played by David Titterington.
• Salzburger Kirchenmusik by La Banda and Camerata Vocale Günzburg.

See also

In Spanish: Johann Ernst Eberlin para niños