Johann Friedrich Reichardt

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Johann Friedrich Reichardt -- (b. November 25, 1752 in Königsberg in Prussia; d. June 27, 1814 in Giebichenstein near Halle) was a German composer, writer and music critic.

[edit] Biography

Reichardt was born in Königsberg in Prussia, a son of the city musician and lutenist Johann Reichardt. Johann Reichardt was a student of Timofey Belogradsky, who in turn was a student of Sylvius Leopold Weiss.He began his musical training, in violin, keyboard, and likely lute as well, as a child. When he was ten years old, his father took his "Wunderknaben" (lit. magical boys -- the name of his boys' choir) on a concert tour in East Prussia. After being encouraged by Immanuel Kant, Reichardt studied Jurisprudence and Philosophy in his hometown and in Leipzig from 1769 to 1771. In 1771, he escaped civil service by touring as a virtuoso. He returned to Königsberg in 1774 and became the Kammersekretär (Chamber Secretary) in Ragnit. After Reichardt sent his opera Le feste galanti as a sample piece to Friedrich II, he was appointed to the position of the Royal Prussian Court Kapellmeister, a position previously held by Carl Heinrich Graun. Two years later, he married the singer, pianist and Lieder composer Juliane Benda, a daughter of Georg Anton (Jiri Antonin) Benda (b. 1752, Berlin; d. May 9, 1783, Berlin). Of their progeny one daughter, Louise Reichardt became a noted Lieder composer.

On the return from his first trip to Italy in 1783, Reichardt stopped in Vienna, where he met Kaiser Joseph II and Gluck. Further musical trips to France and England did not produce anticipated success, he therefore returned unwillingly to Berlin. In 1786, he developed close friendships with Goethe, Herder, Schiller and Hamann. Further attempts to gain new ground in Paris failed, yet he had become zealous with revolutionary ideas. After the appearance of his Vertrauten Briefe (lit. Intimate Letters) in 1792, he was released in 1794 without pay from his position as Court Kapellmeister for being sympathetic to the French Revolution. He lived first in Hamburg, where he released the journal Frankreich (German France), but from 1794, he lived in Giebichenstein near Halle (Saale). In 1796, he was pardoned for his support of the revolution. From Halle, he often traveled to Berlin to lead the premieres of his compositions.

Another trip to Paris (1802) lessened his fascination for the French and French politics considerably: he became an opponent of Napoleon. Four years later, when his manor was plundered by French troops, he fled to Danzig where he was a patriot and freedom fighter. Napoleon's brother Jérôme, located in Kassel, allowed Reichardt to return and named him to Theater Director in 1807. This stint lasted only nine months. In November of 1809, he traveled to Vienna looking for success. After experiencing the music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, he became receptive to the Viennese Classic, although he was too late. However, he soon returned to Giebichenstein, where on June 27, 1814, he died alone from a gastric illness. His contemporaries quickly forgot him and his works.

Reichardt traveled frequently: 1783 to Italy, Switzerland, Vienna and Hamburg; 1785 and 1792 to London; 1785/86/87, 1792, 1802 to Paris; 1790 to Italy; 1793 to Copenhagen and Stockholm.

His first son, Wilhelm, died young: 1777-1782. His daughter, Luise Reichardt (b. April 11, 1779, Berlin; d. November 17, 1826, Hamburg) achieved some recognition through her Lieder.

[edit] Works

Much of Reichardt's reputation as a composer rests on his settings of Goethe's texts, some of which were known to, and influenced, Schubert. He was also known by his Singspiele, a genre that he refined with Goethe's support. He also wrote 49 songs to Herder's texts. Aside from his music, his work as an essayist has maintained its value up to this day. The collection of poems Des Knaben Wunderhorn is, in the epilogue, dedicated to Reichardt. This was probably in the expectation that he would set the text to music. However, such a setting from Reichardt was never composed.

Singspiele

Brenno (1789)
Claudine von Villa Bella (1789)
Erwin und Elmire (1790)
Jery und Bätely (1790)

Writings

Briefe eines aufmerksamen Reisenden, die Musik betreffend (1774-76) (Letters of an observant traveler, as it pertains to music)
Über die deutsche komische Oper (1774) (About German Comic opera)
Musikalische Kunstmagazin (1781-1792) (Musical Art Magazine)
Studien für Tonkünstler und Musikfreunde (1793) (Studies for musicians and music enthusiasts)
Vertraute Briefe aus Paris (1804) (Intimate letters from Paris)
Vertraute Briefe aus Wien (1810) (Intimate letters from Vienna)
Other writings on music and his travels