Kapellmeister (/kəˈpɛlmaɪstər/kə-PEL-my-stər,US also/kɑːˈ-/kah-,[1][2]German:[kaˈpɛlˌmaɪstɐ]ⓘ), fromKapelle ('chapel') andMeister ('master'), literally 'master of the chapel choir', is a word ofGerman origin that designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in its meaning and is today used for denoting the leader of a musical ensemble, often smaller ones used for TV, radio, and theatre.
Variant spellingscapellmeister andcapelle, to refer to the orchestra or choir,[3] are sometimes encountered in English language works about composers who held the title.[4][5][6][7]
The wordHofkapellmeister specified that the Kapellmeister worked at a nobleman's court (Hof); aKonzertmeister held a somewhat less senior position.[8]
Positions equivalent to Kapellmeister existed in other European countries and were referred to with equivalent names, as follows:
In German-speaking countries during the approximate period 1500–1800, the wordKapellmeister often designated the director of music for a monarch or nobleman. For English speakers, it is this sense of the term that is most often encountered, since it appears frequently in biographical writing about composers who worked in German-speaking countries. During that period, in Italy, the position (Italian:maestro di cappella) largely referred to directors of music assigned to cathedrals and sacred institutions rather than those under royal or aristocratic patronage.
Becoming a Kapellmeister was a mark of success for professional musicians. For instance, Joseph Haydn once remarked that he was gladhis father (awheelwright) had lived long enough to see his son become a Kapellmeister.[9] The term also implied the possession of considerable musical skill. When the 18th-century actor and musician Joachim Daniel Preisler heard the famous sopranoAloysia Weber (Mozart's sister-in-law) perform in her home, he paid her the following compliment in his diary:
The well-knownMozardt is her brother-in-law and has taught her so well that she accompanies from a score and plays interludes like a Kapellmeister.[10]
By the end of the 18th century, many of the nobility had declined in their economic power relative to the newly prosperous middle class. Eventually, the maintenance of aKapelle became too expensive for most nobles, which led to a decline in the number of Kapellmeister positions. A well-known instance occurred in 1790, when PrinceAnton Esterházy succeeded his fatherNikolaus and dismissed almost all of the latter's extensive musical establishment.[11] But Prince Anton was hardly alone in doing this; during this same period, "the steady decline in the number of orchestras supported by aristocratic families represented a ... change that affected all composers and their works."[12] This was a difficult time for musicians, who needed to find new ways to support themselves. For instance,Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) never worked as a Kapellmeister but was supported by a somewhat unreliable combination of noble patronage, publication, and concert income.
Mozart never was a Kapellmeister in the sense given above. In 1787, he was given a paid position in the court of the Austrian EmperorJoseph II asKammercompositeur (chamber composer), but authority in matters musical at the court was exercised primarily byAntonio Salieri. In reviews, diaries, and advertising, Mozart was commonly referred to as(Herr) Kapellmeister Mozart. It seems that Mozart's prestige, along with the fact that he frequently appeared in public directing other musicians, led to the use of "Kapellmeister" as a term of respect.[13]
In April 1791, Mozart applied to become the Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's Cathedral and was designated by the City Council to take over this job following the death of the then-ailing incumbent,Leopold Hofmann. This never took place, since Mozart died (December 1791) before Hofmann did (1793).[14]
In contemporary German, the termKapellmeister has become less common thanDirigent (conductor). When used today it designates the director or chief conductor of an orchestra or choir. It suggests involvement in orchestra or choir policy (for example, selecting repertoire, concert schedules, and guest conductors) as well as conducting. In military settings it refers to abandmaster.[15] The music director of theLeipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra traditionally holds the old-fashioned titleGewandhauskapellmeister.[16][17] In other German opera houses, the term generally refers to a deputy conductor reporting to theGeneralmusikdirektor (general music director, usually also the chief conductor). An opera company may have several Kapellmeister, ranked asErste Kapellmeister (First...),Zweiter Kapellmeister (Second...), etc.
The conductorChristian Thielemann has offered a nuanced account of theDirigent/Kapellmeister distinction in contemporary usage. He suggests that "Kapellmeister" has unfairly acquired a sense of routine or failure to project glamour: "a Kapellmeister now describes a pale, meek figure beating time. A policeman on duty at the podium directing the musical traffic, no more." In fact, Thielemann, who is fully aware of the historical usage of the term, would himself prefer to be called a "Kapellmeister": "it implies such virtues as knowledge of a work, great ability, and dedication to the cause of music".[18]
The term "Kapellmeister Tradition" is commonly used to describe these qualities, as exemplified by such historically important conductors asOtto Klemperer,Clemens Krauss, andErich Kleiber, in the sense that they have "paid their dues" on their way to international fame.[19]
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) had two Kapellmeister positions: first, from (probably) 1757 to 1761 forCount Morzin, then from 1761 on for theEszterházy family. (He was Vice-Kapellmeister from 1761 to 1766.)
Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach (1759–1845), grandson of Johann Sebastian, was also Kapellmeister of the Prussian Queen (1805–1811).
Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826) was Kapellmeister at the Bresault theater (1804–1807) and Kapellmeister at Dresden for Count Heinrich Vitzthum (1816–1826).
^Deutsch (1965), p. 324. Preisler's assumption that Weber's skills came from Mozart's training is not specifically supported by modern scholarship.
^Haydn himself was retained in an essentially honorary role, but was free to pursue independent plans, his journeys to England; for details seeAnton I, Prince Esterházy.
Griesinger, Georg August (1963) [1810, Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel]. "Biographical Notes Concerning Joseph Haydn".Haydn: Two Contemporary Portraits. Translated by Vernon Gotwals. Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin Press.ISBN978-0-299-02794-0.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Jones, David Wyn (2009). "Reception". In David Wyn Jones (ed.).Oxford Composer Companions: Haydn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
