Gottfried August Homilius | |
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.jpg) Homilius in 1782 | |
| Born | (1714-02-02)2 February 1714 |
| Died | 2 June 1785(1785-06-02) (aged 71) Dresden, Saxony |
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| Organizations | |
Gottfried August Homilius (2 February 1714 – 2 June 1785) was a German composer,cantor and organist.[1] He is considered one of the most important church composers of the generation followingBach's,[2] and was the main representative of theempfindsamer style.
Homilius was born inRosenthal,Saxony, the son of aLutheran pastor, and was educated at theAnnenschule [de] inDresden. He then studied law atLeipzig University and the organ. It has often been repeated that he was a student ofJohann Sebastian Bach, but there is no written evidence to support this, and strong contextual evidence against it.[3] From 1742 he was organist at theDresden Frauenkirche, and from 1755 until his deathKreuzkantor, thecantor at theKreuzkirche in Dresden with the associated responsibility of music director at theKreuzkirche, theSophienkirche, and theFrauenkirche and theKreuzschule.[2] After the destruction of the Kreuzkirche during theSeven Years' War he worked mainly at the Frauenkirche.
Homilius predominantly composedchurch music. He is known for hisPassions for services on Good Friday. One of them, a cantata Passion, was printed during his lifetime in 1775. Of fouroratorio Passions after thefour Evangelists, his St. Matthew Passion in the preclassical style ofC. P. E. Bach and a worthy successor of J. S. Bach's best-knownwork of the same name, has been recorded on CD. Others were published later and recorded. He composed aChristmas oratorio in 1777 and an Easter oratorio, over 60motets, more than 150cantatas (sixarias from these appeared in 1786),chorales,preludes, and choral works. He composed also organ music: 36 Chorale preludes for organ. His students included eminent composerDaniel Gottlob Türk as well asJohann Adam Hiller. See:List of music students by teacher: G to J#Gottfried August Homilius. His vocal compositions enjoyed great popularity through the 19th century, as witnessed by the large number of copies still extant. A complete worklist and edition is in preparation atCarus Verlag; the Homilius-Werkverzeichnis numbers (HoWV) follow the dissertation of Karl Feld and the new edition in progress ofUwe Wolf.
Homilius composed at least five extendedPassions for Good Friday, one cantata Passion and four oratorio Passions quoting the complete biblical texts of the four Evangelists.
Homilius, Gottfried August
