The Career of an Eighteenth-Century Kapellmeister

A unique look at the career of a little-known contemporary of Haydn and Mozart, presented against a fascinating background of court musical life in late eighteenth-century Germany.

A unique look at the career of a little-known contemporary of Haydn and Mozart, presented against a fascinating background of court musical life in late eighteenth-century Germany.

Today the classical style is defined by the music of a handful of composers, Haydn and Mozart being the most prominent. As a result, the accomplishments of these masters have all but eclipsed the music of most of their contemporaries. In this book, Sterling Murray examines one of the most talented of this group, Antonio Rosetti. Born around 1750 and trained in Bohemia, Rosetti spent most of his creative life in Germany, where he served as music director to the Prince of Oettingen-Wallerstein between 1773 and 1789 and then the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin until his death in 1792.
The Career of an Eighteenth-Century Kapellmeister offers the first comprehensive study of Rosetti's life. The events of the composer's biography are unfolded against a vivid picture of musical life at the two small German courts where Rosetti was employed. The second half of the book is devoted to an examination of formand style in Rosetti's music, illustrated with full-score musical examples in the text and on a complementary website. What emerges from this investigation is a portrait of a composer who, having conquered the stylistic languageof his day, challenged those conventions to produce imaginative and highly creative works of great beauty.

Sterling E. Murray is professor emeritus of the School of Music at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Introduction
Becoming a Musician, 1750-73
Setting the Stage: The Early Years of the Oettingen-Wallerstein Hofkapelle
Kraft Ernst Builds a Hofkapelle, 1773-76
Wallerstein Court Musician, 1773-81
The Oettingen-Wallerstein Hofkapelle in the 1780s
Music for a Prince: The Wallerstein Court Repertory
Rosetti in Paris, 1781-82
Years of Achievement and Recognition, 1782-89
Rosetti and the Mecklenburg-Schwerin Hofkapelle, 1789-92
Symphonies
Concertos
Harmoniemusik
Nonliturgical Music for Voice and Orchestra
Music for the Church
Serenade for a Prince and Requiem for a Princess
Chamber Music
Domestic Music: Keyboard Pieces and Lieder inBlumenlese für Klavierliebhaber
Rosetti in Perspective
Notes
Bibliography
Index