- Thomas Stoltzer
Thomas Stoltzer, also Stolczer, Scholczer (ca. 1480,
Schweidnitz ,Silesia - 1526, nearZnaim ,Moravia ) was a German composer of the Renaissance.Life
Nothing is known of Stoltzer's early life, though he is thought to have come from the same family as Clemens Stoltzer, who was a town clerk in Schweidnitz. Stoltzer may have studied with
Heinrich Finck ; while no concrete evidence of this association exists, he was at the least intimately familiar with Finck's work since he quotes from Finck's music copiously.He served as a
priest inBreslau from 1519, and was a supporter of theReformation , though he never made public his sentiments.Ludwig II appointed him "magister capellae" inOfen at the Hungarian court on May 8, 1522. Ludwig's wife, Mary, asked him to setMartin Luther 's translations ofpsalm s xii, xiii, xxxviii and lxxxvi, which he did between 1524 and 1526. One personal letter of Stoltzer's is still extant, dated February 23, 1526 and addressed toDuke Albrecht of Prussia inKonigsberg ; in this letter Stoltzer relates the news of a recently completed psalm setting and intimates that he would like to join Albrecht's court. On this letter, there is additional writing, dated March 1526, which refers to him as "the late Thomas". It was previously thought that he had died at theBattle of Mohacs in August 1526, but this is erroneous.Works
Stoltzer's extant works amount to some 150 pieces, gathered in 30 publications and 60 manuscripts. None of them date from Stoltzer's own lifetime. Stoltzer was most popular in
Saxony , in the areas most directly affected by the Reformation;Georg Rhau was one of his most dedicated printers, issuing at least 70 of Stoltzer's works in his publications. His works remained in general circulation in German-speaking countries up until the end of the 16th century. While he composed in all of the standard sacred forms of his day, he concentrated onmotet s. His early motets often make use of numerological signifiers of religious importance; later works show influence from theNetherlands school of composers, such as imitation and the use of multiple choirs. Among his most popular motets was "O admirabile commercium", which survives today in 11 sources.He composed four masses, as well as fourteen
introit s spanning thechurch year fromChristmas toEaster . His hymns were particularly beloved by Rhau, who printed 39 of them in 1542.Editions
*"Newe deudsche geistliche Gesenge (1544)", ed. J. Wolf, "Denkmäler deutscher Tonkunst", 1908
*"Das deutsche Gesellschaftslied in Österreich von 1480–1550", ed. L. Nowak, "Denkmaler der Tonkunst im Österreich", 1930
*"Thomas Stoltzer: Sämtliche lateinische Hymnen und Psalmen", ed. H. Albrecht and O. Gombosi, "Denkmäler deutscher Tonkunst", 1931
*"Thomas Stoltzer: Ausgewählte Werke", vol. i ed. H. Albrecht, "Das Erbe deutscher Musik", 1942; vols. ii-iii ed. L. Hoffmann-Erbrecht, 1969, 1983
*"Georg Forster: Frische teutsche Liedlein (1539–1556)" ed. K. Gudewill, "Das Erbe deutscher Musik", 1942
*"Georg Rhau: Sacrorum hymnorum liber primus", ed. R. Gerber, "Das Erbe deutscher Musik", 1942-43
*"Georg Rhau: Vesperarum precum officia", ed. H.J. Moser, "Musikdrucke aus den Jahren 1538 bis 1545 in praktischer Neuausgabe", 1960References
*Lothar Hoffmann-Erbrecht, "Thomas Stoltzer". "
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians " online.
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