Matthias Weckmann facts for kids
Matthias Weckmann (born around 1616 – died February 24, 1674) was a German musician and composer from the Baroque time. He was born in Niederdorla, Germany, and later passed away in Hamburg.
Life Story
Matthias Weckmann started his music training in Dresden. He was a singer in the Saxon Court choir, learning from the famous composer Heinrich Schütz. Later, he moved to Hamburg and studied with Jacob Praetorius, a well-known organist at Saint Peter's Church.
Schütz had traveled to Italy when he was younger. There, he learned about new music styles like the concertato style, which mixes voices and instruments. He also learned about polychoral music, which uses multiple choirs, and monodic music, which focuses on a single voice. Weckmann learned these styles too. He also learned from students of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, who were living in Hamburg.
In 1637, Weckmann went to Denmark with Schütz. From 1638 to 1642, he worked as an organist in Dresden. He returned to Denmark and stayed there until 1647, during a time called the Thirty Years' War.
From 1649 to 1655, Weckmann was back in Dresden. During this time, he met another composer, Johann Jakob Froberger, in a music competition. They became good friends and kept in touch. In 1655, after another competition, Weckmann became the main organist at Saint James Church in Hamburg. He stayed there for the rest of his life.
In Hamburg, he started a famous music group called the Collegium Musicum. This was a very busy time for him. In 1663, he wrote music that used religious texts. These pieces were about a terrible plague that hit Hamburg that year. The plague sadly took the lives of his first wife and many of his friends, including another composer named Heinrich Scheidemann.
Matthias Weckmann died in Hamburg. He was buried in his family's grave inside St. James's Church, right under the organ.
His Music
Weckmann wrote music for the organ and harpsichord, including pieces called chorale preludes. His music combined ideas from Italian and French styles. He also wrote different sonatas for three or four instruments. Besides these, he composed sacred music for orchestras and singers.
His music often followed the new trends of his teacher, Schütz. This included using the concertato style and making music more complex. He used more chromaticism (notes outside the main scale) and counterpoint (different melodies played at the same time). Weckmann's music was quite advanced for his time.
For a long time, many of Weckmann's works were almost forgotten. But in the 1800s, people became interested in finding music by composers who came before J.S. Bach. Thanks to this interest, Weckmann's amazing music was rediscovered and is enjoyed today.
See also
In Spanish: Matthias Weckmann para niños
- 7587 Weckmann, an asteroid named after him
