Johann Kuhnau
Johann Kuhnau was a notable German composer and musician born on April 6, 1660, in Geising, Saxony. He began his musical education at a young age and later moved to Dresden to join his brother at Kreuzkirche, where he developed his skills further. In 1684, Kuhnau became the organist at the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, a position he held until his death in 1722. He served as the church's cantor from 1701 and is known for being succeeded by the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Kuhnau was also an academic, studying law at the University of Leipzig and becoming the musical director there in 1700.
In addition to his musical contributions, Kuhnau wrote several novels, including the politically infused "Der Schmid seines eigenen Unglückes" (1695) and the satirical "Der musickalische Quack-Salber" (1700), which critiqued Italian musical styles. His musical works include a variety of church cantatas and keyboard sonatas recognized for their expressive style. Although often overshadowed by his contemporaries, renewed interest in his work emerged in the early 1990s, highlighting his significance in the music and literary landscape of his time.
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Johann Kuhnau
Composer
- Born: April 6, 1660
- Birthplace: Geising, Saxony (now Germany)
- Died: June 25, 1722
Biography
German composer Johann Kuhnau was born in Geising, Saxony, on April 6, 1660. He studied music at an early age. A short while later, Kuhnau left Geising to join his brother at Kreuzkirche, a church in Dresden where the boys sang and received their education. Due to an outbreak of the plague, Kuhnau returned home for a short time and eventually returned to school. He became the organist at the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig in 1684, after the deaths of his friends who previously had been appointed to the position. He served as the cantor of this church from 1701 until his death, and then was succeeded by composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
Kuhnau studied law at the University of Leipzig and became the musical director of the university in 1700. In the late 1690’s and early 1700’s, Kuhnau wrote a handful of novels, including Der Schmid seines eignen Ungluckes (1695), which were received well but ultimately failed to earn much recognition. The novels were somewhat political in nature, based on Kuhnau’s interest and knowledge of the law. Kuhnau also wrote numerous church cantatas and keyboard sonatas which were recognized for their free style and romantic expression. In 1700, he published the novel Der musickalische Quack-Salber, a satire of Italian musical pretensions.
Kuhnau died in Leipzig on June 5, 1722. Though he is often overshadowed by some of his contemporaries, in the early 1990’s some literary and music scholars took a renewed interest in his work and made an effort to see that Kuhnau and his talents are not forgotten.