Friedrich Lux (24 November 1820 – 9 July 1895) was a German

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

. He was born in the town of

Ruhla Ruhla () is a town situated in the forest of Thuringia in the district of Wartburgkreis in Germany, immediately next to the Rennsteig. Thal and Kittelsthal are parts of the town. History Within the German Empire (1871-1918), part of Ruhla belon ...

, son of composer Georg Heinrich Lux. His father gave him his first music lessons, and Lux later became a student of

Friedrich Schneider Johann Christian Friedrich Schneider (3 January 1786 in Alt-Waltersdorf – 23 November 1853 in Dessau) was a German pianist, composer, organist, and conductor. Schneider studied piano first with his father Johann Gottlob Schneider (senior), and ...

. Between 1841 and 1850, he was Director of the Opera in

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

and from 1851 to 1857 performed the same role in

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

for the Mainz Singing Academy.

Notable works

In 1882, he composed the

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

Der Schmied von Ruhla ''Der Schmied von Ruhla'' (English:''The Blacksmith of Ruhla'') is a German opera by Friedrich Lux with a libretto by Ludwig C. Bauer. It was premiered at the Stadtheater in Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and ...

'' (''The Smith of Ruhla''), with a libretto by Ludwig C. Bauer. In 1884, he composed the

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

''Die Fürstin von Athen'' (''

The Duchess of Athens ''The Duchess of Athens'' () is a German comic opera with music by Friedrich Lux and the libretto by writer Wilhelm Jacoby.Parsons p. 357 Jacoby, who was well known for his farces, based the work on a play by the Greek writer Aristophanes. The wor ...

''),Though customarily translated "Duchess" in this context, the German title ''Fürstin'' is more properly the title held by the sovereign ruler of a principality or the head of a noble family (or by the wife of such a sovereign ruler or family head), more usually translated as "Princess". with a libretto by

Wilhelm Jacoby Wilhelm Jacoby (1855-1925) was a German playwright, who concentrated largely on creating farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable ...

. In addition, Friedrich Lux wrote a ''missa brevis'', festival overtures, numerous organ pieces, three string quartets and a piano trio as well as numerous choral works for different voices. There has been renewed interest in Lux's works since his death. The Lux Festival Association has been organizing concert series in its hometown of Ruhla and the Wartburg region in Thuringia since 2011 and the Lux Festival since 2013.

Opus works

*Opus 21 – Coronation March for Orchestra (1861) *Opus 29 - Concert Fantasy on ''

O sanctissima "" (O most holy) is a Roman Catholic hymn in Latin, seeking the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and often sung in various languages on her feast days. The earliest known publication was from London in 1792, presenting it as a traditional song ...

'' for organ *Opus 32 - Romance from the opera ''Casilda'' by

Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Ernest II (; 21 June 181822 August 1893) was Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 29 January 1844 to his death in 1893. He was born in Coburg to Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. His father be ...

for organ *Opus 33 - Concert piece on the prayer from Weber's ''

Der Freischütz ' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...

'' for organ *Opus 52 – Concert Variations on a Theme ("

The Harmonious Blacksmith ''The Harmonious Blacksmith'' is the popular name of the final movement, ''Air and variations'', of George Frideric Handel's Suite No. 5 in E major, HWV 430, for harpsichord. This instrumental air was one of the first works for harpsichord pu ...

") by

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

for organ *Opus 53 - Concert Fantasy on Martin Luther's chorale '' Ein' Feste Burg'' ("

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (originally written in German with the title "") is one of the best known hymns by the Protestant Reformers, Protestant Reformer Martin Luther, a prolific hymnwriter. Luther wrote the words and composed the hymn ...

") for organ *Opus 55 - Great Religious March for the opening of church celebrations for organ *Opus 56 - Concert Fugue for Organ *Opus 57 –

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

for organ *Opus 58 – Quartet for 2 violins, viola and cello (D minor) *Opus 59 - Hymn: ''Sounds, celebratory song'' for soprano solo, male choir and organ *Opus 60 – Andante on the chorale melody '' How beautiful the morning star shines for us'' for organ and violoncello or horn *Opus 61 - Concert piece for organ, 2 horns and 3 trombones *Opus 63 – Sacred Song without Words for Organ *Opus 64 – Fantasy pastorale (concert piece) for organ *Opus 72 - Missa brevis et solemnis, for soloists and choir with accompaniment of orchestra and organ (harmonium) *Opus 72a - Benedictus from Missa brevis et solemnis for soprano solo and eight-part female choir with accompaniment of organ or harmonium *Opus 75 – Fantasy on Mozart's ordination song ''Brothers, give your hand to the league''

Organ Arrangements

*Adagio by

Louis Spohr Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten symphonies, ...

*Concerto in D major by Handel *Three pieces from Handel's ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

'' in the form of a sonata *Variations from

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

's '' Emperor Quartet'' *March from the 1st suite opus 113 by

Franz Lachner Franz Paul Lachner (2 April 180320 January 1890) was a German composer and conductor. Biography Lachner was born in Rain am Lech to a musical family (his brothers Ignaz, and Vinzenz also became musicians). He studied music with Simon Sec ...

*Introduction to Act 3 of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

's ''

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditio ...

'' *Meditation on

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

's 1st Prelude by

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

for organ alone *Seventy selected organ pieces by

Christian Heinrich Rinck Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck (18 February 1770 – 7 August 1846) was a German composer and organist of the late classical and early romantic eras. Life and career Rinck was born in Elgersburg (in present-day Thuringia), and died in Darms ...

arranged for organ without pedal (harmonium) and provided with fingering

Literature

*August Reissmann: ''Friedrich Lux. His life and works''.

Breitkopf & Härtel Breitkopf & Härtel () is a German Music publisher, music publishing house. Founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf, it is the world's oldest music publisher. Overview The catalogue contains over 1,000 composers, 8,000 works ...

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

(1888) *

Wilhelm Altmann Wilhelm Altmann (4 April 1862 – 25 March 1951) was a German historian and musicologist. Biography Wilhelm Altmann was born on 4 April 1862 in Adelnau, Poznań. He attended school in Breslau where he studied under Otto Küstner in music theor ...

: ''The Chamber Music Works by Friedrich Lux''. Diemer, Mainz (1920) *

Alfred Einstein Alfred Einstein (December 30, 1880February 13, 1952) was a German-American musicologist and music editor. He was born in Munich, and fled Nazi Germany after Adolf Hitler, Hitler's ''Machtergreifung'', arriving in the United States by 1939. He is b ...

: ''Hugo Riemann's music dictionary''. 11th edition. Tape 1: ''A - L''. Max Hesse's publishing house,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

(1929) * Christoph-Hellmut Mahling: ''A Musicological Anthology.

Hellmut Federhofer Hellmut Federhofer (August 6, 1911 – May 1, 2014) was an Austrian musicologist. Born in Graz, he studied music there and in Vienna at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, graduating in 1936. In 1937, he became a librarian at the l ...

on his 75th birthday'' (Mainz Studies on Musicology. Volume 21). H. Schneider,

Tutzing Tutzing is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the district of Starnberg (district), Starnberg in Bavaria, Germany, on the west bank of the Starnberger See. Just 40 km south-west of Munich and with good views of the Alps, the town wa ...

(1988) *Günter Wagner: ''Friedrich Lux (1820–1895). A forgotten Thuringian-Rhenish musician''.

References

Bibliography

* Short, Michael. ''Liszt Letters in the Library of Congress''. Pendragon Press, 2003.

External links

* * 1820 births 1895 deaths People from Ruhla 19th-century German composers {{Germany-composer-stub