- Georg Muffat
Georg Muffat (baptized June 1, 1653 - February 23, 1704) was a Baroque
composer .Life
He was born in
Megeve ,Savoy , (now in France), and of Scottish descent. He studied inParis withJean Baptiste Lully between 1663 and 1669, then became an organist inMolsheim andSélestat . Later, he studied law inIngolstadt , afterwards settling inVienna . He could not get an official appointment, so he travelled toPrague in 1677, then toSalzburg , where he worked for the archbishop for some ten years.About 1680, he traveled to Italy, there studying the organ with
Bernardo Pasquini , a follower of the tradition ofGirolamo Frescobaldi ; he also metArcangelo Corelli , whose works he admired very much. From 1690 to his death, he was "Kapellmeister " to thebishop of Passau .This composer should not be confused with his son Gottlieb Theophil, also a successful composer.
Works
His works are strongly influenced by both French and Italian composers:
*Sonatas for various instruments ("armonico tributo" 1682);
*Orchestral suites ("florilegium primum & secundum" 1695);
*12 Concerti grossi ("auserlesene... instrumental Musik" 1701) re-using some thematic material from "armonico tributo"
*12Toccata s for the organ as well as other pieces : passacaglia, chaconne, air with variations ("apparatus musico-organisticus" 1690);
* some partitas for the harpsichord, kept as a manuscript
* several religious works (notably three masses, Salve Regina, etc.) from which only "Missa in labore requies" for twenty-four parts is preserved.Muffat was, as
Johann Jakob Froberger before him, andHandel after him, a cosmopolitan composer who played an important role in the exchanges between European musical traditions. His music books contain useful indications on musical practice during his life.He was the father of
Gottlieb Muffat .Media
Recordings
*"Armonico Tributo" by
Les Muffatti (Ramée RAM0502)
*"12 Concerti Grossi 1701"Musica Aeterna Bratislava (Naxos Records 8.555096, 8.555743)External links
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