Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer (some authorities use the spelling Johann Kasper Ferdinand Fischer) (died 1746) was a German Baroque composer. Johann Nikolaus Forkel ranked Fischer as one of the best composers for keyboard of his day, however, partly due to the rarity of surviving copies of his music, he has been practically forgotten today. // Events Catharine de Ricci (born 1522) canonized. ... Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750 (see Dates of classical music eras for a discussion of the problems inherent in defining the beginning and end points). ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Johann Nikolaus Forkel (February 22, 1749–March 20, 1818), was a German musician, musicologist and music theorist. ...

Life

Fischer seems to have been of Bohemian origin, possibly born at Schönfeld, but details about his life are sketchy. The first record of his existence is found in the mid-1690s: by 1695 he was Kapellmeister to Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden, and he may have remained with the court until his death in Rastatt. Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ; German: ) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... A Kapellmeister is nowadays the director or conductor of an orchestra or choir. ... Louis William, Margrave of Baden called the Türkenlouis or shield of the empire. ... Map of Germany showing Rastatt Rastatt is a city in the District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ...

Works

Much of Fischer's music shows the influence of the French Baroque style, exemplified by Jean Baptiste Lully, and he was responsible for bringing the French influence to German music. Fischer's harpsichord suites updated the standard Froberger model (Allemande - Courante - Sarabande - Gigue); he was also one of the first composers to apply the principles of the orchestral suite to the harpsichord, replacing the standard French ouverture with an unmeasured prelude. Both Bach and Handel knew Fischer's work and sometimes borrowed from it. Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750 (see Dates of classical music eras for a discussion of the problems inherent in defining the beginning and end points). ... Jean-Baptiste Lully, originally Giovanni Battista Lulli (November 28, 1632–March 22, 1687), was an Italian-born French composer, who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. ... Harpsichord in the Flemish style A harpsichord is any of a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument currently called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... It has been suggested that Suite_de_Danses be merged into this article or section. ... Johann Jakob Froberger (May 18, 1616 – May 7, 1667) was a German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. ... An allemande (also spelled allemanda, almain, or alman) (from French German) is a type of dance popular in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite, generally the first or second movement. ... The courante, corrente, coranto and corant are just some of the names given to a family of triple metre dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era. ... In music, the sarabande (It. ... The gigue or giga is a lively baroque dance in a compound metre such as 3/8, 6/8, 6/4, 9/8 or 12/16. ... Unmeasured or non-measured prelude is a prelude in which the duration of each note is left to the performer. ... Bach in a 1748 portrait by Haussmann Places in which Bach resided throughout his life Johann Sebastian Bach (pronounced ) (21 March 1685 O.S. – 28 July 1750 N.S.) was a prolific German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments drew together the... George Frideric Handel, 1733 George Frideric Handel (23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-born British Baroque composer who was a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ...

Many compositions by Fischer were published during his lifetime. These published pieces include:

• Le journal du printemps (1695), a collection of eight orchestral suites (ouvertures) for strings (the first and last with two trumpets ad libitum, that is, optional.) Each suite begins with an introductory ouverture and ends with a chaconne or a passacaglia. Le Journal du printemps and Georg Muffat's Florilegium (published the same year) were the first collections of orchestral suites published in Germany.
• Pièces de Clavessin (1696), several harpsichord suites. The suites explore different styles and genres: for instance, the 5th one consists of an aria and nine variations, and the 8th only includes a prelude and a chaconne. This collection was later expanded by Fischer and the new version was published in 1698 under the title Musicalisches Blumen-Büschlein.
• Vesperae seu Psalmi vespertini (1701), a collection of sacred music.
• Ariadne musica (also known as Ariadne musica Neo-organoedum, 1702). This is a collection of pipe organ pieces (most written for manuals only or have optional pedal) in two parts:
  • The first part contains twenty preludes and fugues in nineteen different keys and one in the Phrygian mode based on E. It is considered a significant precursor to Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier - not only Bach held Fischer's work in high regard, but he also borrowed a subject from the E major fugue of Ariadne musica for his E major fugue from the second book of the WTC.
  • The second part contains five ricercars based on chorale melodies.
• Lytaniae Lauretanae VII (1711), a collection of sacred music.
• Blumen-Strauss (before 1736), a collection of organ pieces.
• Musikalischer Parnassus (Musical Parnassus, c. 1738), nine dance suites for harpsichord, each named after one of the Muses. The suites represent a fusion of German and French styles, updating the old Froberger model by inserting many additional movements, making use of the latest dance forms of the time and using new ideas such as double minuets and double rigaudons. As a result, some of the suites include as many as nine parts and are quite long. The longest movement of all in the Musikalischer Parnassus and the longest movement by Fischer still extant is the Passacaglia from the Uranie suite, which some experts believe may recount the tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice (source: comments made by harpsichordist William Porter during a 23 April 2006 performance of the Uranie suite at the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments).

Evidence exists of numerous lost works, among them an opera in Italian style, miscellaneous chamber works, court music and keyboard pieces. In music a chaconne is a musical form. ... In music a passacaglia (French: passacaille, Spanish: pasacalle) is a musical form and the corresponding court dance. ... Georg Muffat (baptized June 1, 1653 - February 23, 1704) was a Baroque composer. ... Ariadne musica is a collection of organ music by Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer, first published in 1702. ... Organ in Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany // The pipe organ (Greek ὄργανον, órganon) is a musical instrument that produces sound by admitting pressurized air through a series of pipes. ... A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. ... The 30-note pedalboard of a Rieger organ with expression pedal and coupler switches. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition, for a fixed number of parts or voices (referred to as voices regardless of whether the work is vocal or instrumental). ... In music theory, the key identifies the tonic triad, the chord, major or minor, which represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section. ... Due to historical confusion, Phrygian mode can refer to two very different musical modes or diatonic scales. ... Bach in a 1748 portrait by Haussmann Places in which Bach resided throughout his life Johann Sebastian Bach (pronounced ) (21 March 1685 O.S. – 28 July 1750 N.S.) was a prolific German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments drew together the... Title-page of Das wohtemperierte Klavier A flat major (As-dur) fugue from the second part of Das wohtemperierte Klavier (manuscript) The Well-Tempered Clavier (Das wohltemperierte Klavier in German -- Klavier means piano, but the English word clavier (which means keyboard) looks more like the German title) consists of two... A ricercar (or ricercare; the terms are interchangeable) is a type of late Renaissance and mostly early Baroque instrumental composition. ... A chorale was originally a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... Mount Parnassus (also Mount Parnassos) is a mountain in central Greece that towers above Delphi. ... In Greek mythology, the Muses (Greek , Mousai: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root *men- think[1]) are a number of goddesses or spirits who embody the arts and inspire the creation process with their graces through remembered and improvised song and stage, writing, traditional music and dance. ... Johann Jakob Froberger (May 18, 1616 – May 7, 1667) was a German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. ... A minuet, sometimes spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two persons, usually in 3/4 time. ... Rigaudon, rigadon, or rigadoon. ... The head of Orpheus, from an 1865 painting by Gustave Moreau. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ...

Reference

• Walter, Rudolf. Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer, Hofkapellmeister der Markgrafen von Baden (Quellen und Studien zur Musikgeschichte von der Antike bis in die Gegenwart), Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang (1990) ISBN 3-8204-9976-8

External links

• General reference:
  • Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer im Verlag Dohr Extensive biography and miscellaneous details about keyboard compositions (German/English)
  • Review of "L'Œuvre pour orgue (Intégrale)" at abeillemusique.com Includes a large essay about Fischer's life and organ works (French)

• Scores:
• Free scores by Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer in the Werner Icking Music Archive