Johann Gottlieb Naumann (17 April 1741 – 23 October 1801) was a German composer, conductor, and

Kapellmeister ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (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 i ...

Life

Johann Gottlieb Naumann was born in

Blasewitz Blasewitz is a larger borough (''Stadtbezirk'') of Dresden, Germany in the city's eastern centre on the Elbe river. It consists of seven quarters (''Stadtteile''): *Blasewitz *Striesen-Ost *Striesen-Süd *Striesen-West *Tolkewitz/Seidnitz-Nord *S ...

and received his musical training from the teachers at his town school, where he was instructed in piano and organ. Later, he studied at the

Kreuzschule The ''Kreuzschule'' (German for "School of the Cross") in Dresden (also known by its Latin name, ''schola crucis'') is the oldest surviving school in Dresden and one of the oldest in Germany. As early as 1300, a schoolmaster (''Cunradus puerorum re ...

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

and was a member of the

Dresdner Kreuzchor The Dresdner Kreuzchor is the boys' choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden, Germany. It has a seven-century history and a world-wide reputation. Today, the choir has about 150 members between the ages of 9 and 19, from Dresden and the surroundin ...

. In Dresden he was taught by the organist and cantor of the Kreuzschule,

Gottfried August Homilius Gottfried August Homilius (2 February 1714 – 2 June 1785) was a German composer, cantor and organist. He is considered one of the most important church composers of the generation following Bach's, and was the main representative of the '' ...

, a student of

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

. In May 1757, he traveled to Italy with the Swedish violinist Anders Wesström. The composer

Giuseppe Tartini Giuseppe Tartini (8 April 1692 – 26 February 1770) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era born in Pirano in the Republic of Venice (now Piran, Slovenia). Tartini was a prolific composer, composing over a hundred pieces for the ...

encountered Naumann in 1762 and took an interest in his work. Later that year, he made his debut as an opera composer in Venice with ''Il tesoro insidiato.'' Following his successful 1764 production of ''Li creduti spiriti,'' he was engaged as the second church composer at the Dresden court, on the composer

Johann Adolf Hasse Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised 25 March 1699 – 16 December 1783) was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a co ...

's recommendation. The chord sequence which became known as the '' Dresden amen'' was composed by Naumann for use in the Court Church in Dresden. Such was its popularity that it spread to other churches in

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, both

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

. It was also used by later composers, including

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

(in his '' Reformation Symphony'') and

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 ...

(in his opera ''

Parsifal ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is freely based on the 13th-century Middle High German chivalric romance ''Parzival'' of th ...

''). In 1777, as a result of negotiations by Swedish diplomat Count Löwenhjelm, Naumann was appointed to reform the Stockholm Hovkapell and assist King Gustavus III in his opera plans. His work in Sweden led to the 1782 production of his opera ''Cora och Alonzo'' at the inauguration of the new opera house in Stockholm and the 1786 production of ''Gustaf Wasa,'' based on an idea of the king for a

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera () is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the centre of Sweden's capital, Stockholm, in the borough of Norrmalm (borough), Norrmalm, on the eastern si ...

. After a brief period as a guest composer in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

(1785–86), he returned to Dresden where he became Oberkapellmeister. In 1792 he married Catarina von Grodtschilling, daughter of a Danish vice-admiral. His grandson was composer Ernst Naumann (1832–1910). Naumann also wrote music for

masonic Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

rituals. Naumann died in

, aged 60.

Works (selected)

Operas: *''Il tesoro insidiato'' (1762) *''Li creduti spiriti'' (1764, in collaboration with two other composers) *''L’Achille in Sciro'' (1767) *'' Alessandro nelle Indie'' (1768) *''La clemenza di Tito'' (1769) *''Il villano geloso'' (1770) *''L’isola disabitata'' (1773) *''La villanella inconstante'' (aka ''Le nozze disturbate'', 1774) *''Ipermestra'' (1774) *''L’ipocondriaco'' (1776) *''Amphion'' (opéra-ballet 1778) *''Armida'' (1773, in German as ''Armide'' 1780) *''Elisa'' (1781) *''Osiride'' (1781) *''Cora och Alonzo'' (1782) *''Tutto per amore'' (1785) *'' Gustaf Wasa'' (1786) *''Orpheus og Eurydike'' (1786, Danish; 1787, German) *''La reggia d’Imeneo'' (1787) *''Medea'' (1788) *''Protesilao'' (1789) *''La dama soldato'' (1791) *''Amore giustificato'' (1792) *''Aci e Galatea'' (1801) Sacred Works: *Missa solenne in A-flat Major (1804) *Twenty other smaller masses *Twelve oratorios, including: **''

La Passione di Gesù Cristo LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

'' (1767) **''La morte d’Abel'' (1790) **''I pellegrini al sepolcro'' (1798) **''Betulia liberata'' (1805) *Psalms 69, 103 & 149 *Masonic music incl. 2 marches for organ Instrumental Works: *Twelve symphonies (1766–77) *Six quartets for harpsichord, flute, violin and bass (1786) *Twelve sonatas for piano or glass harmonica (1786–92) *Six sonatas for piano or glass harmonica, Op. 4

Notes

External links

*
Autograph of Orfeus
in the digital collections of the

Danish Royal Library The Royal Library () in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and the academic library of the University of Copenhagen. It is among the largest libraries in the world and the largest in the Nordic countries. In 2017, it merged with the ...

*
Bicentennial exhibit
in Dresden * Dieter Härtwig and Laurie Ongley: "Johann Gottlieb Naumann," Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 12 December 2006
(subscription access)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naumann, Johann Gottlieb 1741 births 1801 deaths Composers from Dresden German opera composers German male opera composers People from the Electorate of Saxony People educated at the Kreuzschule Pupils of Giovanni Battista Martini Pupils of Giuseppe Tartini German Classical-period composers Composers of masonic music Composers for piano 18th-century German composers Chief conductors of the Staatskapelle Dresden