Georg Muffat | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1653-06-01)1 June 1653 |
| Died | 23 February 1704(1704-02-23) (aged 50) |
| Genres | Baroque |
| Occupations | Composer, organist |
| Instrument | Organ |
Georg Muffat (1 June 1653 – 23 February 1704) was aBaroquecomposer and organist. He is best known for the remarkably articulate and informative performance directions printed along with his collections of string piecesFlorilegium Primum andFlorilegium Secundum (First and Second Bouquets) in 1695 and 1698.
Georg Muffat was born inMegève,Duchy of Savoy (now in France), of André Muffat (of Scottish descent) and Marguerite Orsyand. He studied in Paris between 1663 and 1669, where his teacher is often assumed to have beenJean Baptiste Lully. This assumption is largely based on the statement "For six years ... I avidly pursued this style which was flowering in Paris at the time under the most famous Jean Baptiste Lully."[1] This is ambiguous (in all of the languages in which it was printed) as to whether the style was flourishing under Lully, or that Muffat studied under Lully.[2] In any case, the style which the young Muffat learned was unequivocally Lullian and it remains likely, though unevidenced, that he had at least some contact with the man himself.
After leaving Paris, he 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 forthe archbishop for some ten years. In about 1680, he traveled to Italy, there studying the organ withBernardo Pasquini, a follower of the tradition ofGirolamo Frescobaldi; he also metArcangelo Corelli, whose works he admired very much. From 1690 to his death, he wasKapellmeister to thebishop of Passau.
Georg Muffat should not be confused with his sonGottlieb Muffat, also a successful composer.
His works are strongly influenced by both French and Italian composers:
Muffat was, asJohann Jakob Froberger before him, andHandel after him, a cosmopolitan composer who played an important role in the exchanges between European musical traditions. The information contained within theFlorilegium Primum andSecundum is nearly unique. These performance directions were intended to assist German string players with the idiom of the French dance style, and include detailed rules for the tempo and order of bow strokes in various types of movement, as well as more general strategies for good ensemble playing and musicianship. These texts remain extremely valuable for modern historically-interested musicians.
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