Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Italic title {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell, Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell,<ref>Template:Cite American Heritage Dictionary</ref><ref>"kapellmeister" (US) and Template:Cite dictionary</ref> {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), from German {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (chapel) and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", 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 theatres.

Historical usageEdit

In German-speaking countries during the approximate period 1500–1800, the word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 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 capella) largely referred to directors of music assigned to cathedrals and sacred institutions rather than those under royal or aristocratic patronage.

A Kapellmeister position was a senior one and involved supervision of other musicians. Johann Sebastian Bach worked from 1717 to 1723 as Kapellmeister for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen. Joseph Haydn worked for many years as Kapellmeister for the Esterházy family, a high-ranking noble family of the Habsburg monarchy. George Frideric Handel served as Kapellmeister for George, Elector of Hanover (who eventually became King George I of Great Britain).

A Kapellmeister might also be the director of music for a church. Thus, Georg Reutter was the Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, where his young choristers included both Joseph and Michael Haydn.

Becoming a Kapellmeister was a mark of success for professional musicians. For instance, Joseph Haydn once remarked that he was glad his father (a wheelwright) had lived long enough to see his son become a Kapellmeister.Template:Sfnp The term also implied the possession of considerable musical skill. When the 18th-century actor and musician Joachim Daniel Preisler heard the famous soprano Aloysia Weber (Mozart's sister-in-law) perform in her home, he paid her the following compliment in his diary:

The well-known Mozardt is her brother-in-law and has taught her so well that she accompanies from a score and plays interludes like a Kapellmeister.<ref>Template:Harvp. Preisler's assumption that Weber's skills came from Mozart's training is not specifically supported by modern scholarship.</ref>

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 a {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 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 Prince Anton Esterházy succeeded his father Nikolaus and dismissed almost all of the latter's extensive musical establishment.<ref>Haydn himself was retained in an essentially honorary role, but was free to pursue independent plans, his journeys to England; for details see Anton I, Prince Esterházy.</ref> 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."Template:Sfnp 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.

The case of MozartEdit

Mozart never was a Kapellmeister in the sense given above. In 1787, he was given a paid position in the court of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (chamber composer), but authority in matters musical at the court was exercised primarily by Antonio Salieri. In reviews, diaries, and advertising, Mozart was commonly referred to as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. 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.<ref>For extensive discussion of the use of "Kapellmeister" to describe Mozart, see Template:Harvp</ref>

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).Template:Sfnp

Similar terms and equivalentsEdit

Variant spellings capellmeister and capelle, to refer to the orchestra or choir,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> are sometimes encountered in English language works about composers who held the title.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} specified that the Kapellmeister worked at a nobleman's court ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}); a {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} held a somewhat less senior position.<ref>Peter Terrell, ed. Collins German–English, English–German Dictionary. 2nd edition, pp. 356, 405.</ref>

Equivalent positions existed in other European countries and were referred to with equivalent names. In Finnish kapellimestari is still the primary word used of conductors.

Composers who held the post of KapellmeisterEdit

(listed chronologically by date of birth)

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Contemporary usageEdit

In contemporary German, the term "Kapellmeister" has become less common than {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (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 a bandmaster.<ref>Peter Terrell, ed. Collins German–English, English–German Dictionary. 2nd edition, p. 380.</ref> The music director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra traditionally holds the old-fashioned title {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In other German opera houses, the term generally refers to a deputy conductor reporting to the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (general music director, usually also the chief conductor). An opera company may have several Kapellmeister, ranked as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (First...), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Second...), etc.

The conductor Christian Thielemann has offered a nuanced account of the Dirigent/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".Template:Sfnp

The term "Kapellmeister Tradition" is commonly used to describe these qualities, as exemplified by such historically important conductors as Otto Klemperer, Clemens Krauss, and Erich Kleiber, in the sense that they have "paid their dues" on their way to international fame.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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SourcesEdit

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