Johann Friedrich Fasch facts for kids
Johann Friedrich Fasch (born April 15, 1688 – died December 5, 1758) was a German violin player and composer. He wrote many pieces in a style called "galant." This style was a bridge between the older Baroque and the newer Classical music periods.
Life of a Composer
Fasch was born in a town called Buttelstedt, which is in Germany. He was the oldest child of Friedrich Georg Fasch, who was a schoolmaster. When his father passed away in 1700, Fasch went to live with his uncle.
He sang in a choir in Weissenfels and later studied at the St. Thomas School in Leipzig. This school was famous for music. In 1708, while in Leipzig, he started a music group called a Collegium Musicum. He even wrote two operas to be performed at festivals in 1711 and 1712.
In 1714, Fasch wanted to travel to Italy to learn more about music. But he couldn't get money from rich people to go. Instead, he went to Darmstadt for three months. There, he studied how to compose music with his old teacher, Christoph Graupner.
After that, he traveled a lot around Germany. He played the violin in an orchestra in Bayreuth in 1714. He also worked in Gera and was an organ player in Greiz until 1721.
His next big job was in Prague. He worked there for two years as a Kapellmeister (a music director) for Count Morzin. In 1722, he took a job as the court Kapellmeister in Zerbst. He stayed in this important job until he died.
Also in 1722, he was asked to apply for a job at his old school, the St. Thomas School in Leipzig. This was the same job that Johann Sebastian Bach later got. Fasch decided not to apply, and Bach ended up getting the position. Bach actually thought very highly of Fasch's music!
Fasch's Musical Works
Fasch wrote many different kinds of music. His works include cantatas (pieces for singers and instruments), concertos (for a solo instrument with an orchestra), symphonies (large pieces for orchestra), and chamber music (music for a small group of instruments).
None of his music was printed and sold while he was alive. Many of his vocal works, like operas and church cantatas, are now lost. But most of his instrumental music still exists today.
Even though his music wasn't published, it was very popular and performed often during his time. Other famous composers thought his music was excellent. For example, Georg Philipp Telemann performed some of Fasch's church cantatas. Also, a piece of organ music once thought to be by Johann Sebastian Bach was actually an arrangement of Fasch's music! Bach's own music group in Leipzig also played some of Fasch's orchestral suites.
Music experts today agree that Fasch's style was very important. He helped change music from the older Baroque style to the newer Classical style. He moved away from complex "fugal" writing and helped create the more modern "thematic" style of music.
Fasch's Legacy
Johann Friedrich Fasch passed away in Zerbst when he was 70 years old, on December 5, 1758. His son, Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, also became a well-known musician.
The city of Zerbst/Anhalt in Germany has been holding special music events called International Fasch Festivals since 1983. Since 1993, these festivals happen every two years. They celebrate Fasch's music and his importance in history. The 17th International Fasch Festival is planned for June 2023.
Images for kids
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Johann Friedrich Fasch Concerto in D for Three Choirs ("Royal Fireworks Music"), FWV L:D13, movement no 2 "Andante"
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See also
In Spanish: Johann Friedrich Fasch para niños
