Joseph Mainzer (21 October 1801 – 10 November 1851) was a German music teacher, who spent the last period of his life in the United Kingdom, promoting a vision of choral singing for the masses, as part of the singing-class movement.

Life

Born at

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

21 October 1801, Mainzer was educated in the maîtrise of

Trier Cathedral The High Cathedral of Saint Peter in Trier (german: Hohe Domkirche St. Peter zu Trier), or Trier Cathedral (german: Trierer Dom), is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the oldest church in Germany and the lar ...

, and learned several musical instruments. He worked subsequently in the

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...

coal mines with the view of becoming an engineer; and after a time was ordained a Catholic priest in 1826, afterwards being made an

abbé ''Abbé'' (from Latin ''abbas'', in turn from Greek , ''abbas'', from Aramaic ''abba'', a title of honour, literally meaning "the father, my father", emphatic state of ''abh'', "father") is the French word for an abbot. It is the title for lowe ...

. He was appointed singing-master to the college at Trier. Mainzer left Germany on account of his political opinions, and in 1833 went to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. There he wrote an opera, and acted as musical editor of ''L'Artiste''. Moving to Paris, he taught popular singing classes and contributed musical articles to journals. In 1839 Mainzer went to the United Kingdom, and in 1841 he competed unsuccessfully for the music chair at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. He was in Edinburgh till about 1848, when he left for Manchester. There he died, 10 November 1851.

Works

Mainzer's best-known work was ''Singing for the Million'', London, 1841. It passed through many editions, and its title was taken by

Thomas Hood Thomas Hood (23 May 1799 – 3 May 1845) was an English poet, author and humorist, best known for poems such as "The Bridge of Sighs" and " The Song of the Shirt". Hood wrote regularly for '' The London Magazine'', '' Athenaeum'', and ''Punch' ...

as the subject of a humorous poem. The system was the French method of

solfège In music, solfège (, ) or solfeggio (; ), also called sol-fa, solfa, solfeo, among many names, is a music education method used to teach aural skills, pitch and sight-reading of Western music. Solfège is a form of solmization, though the two ...

with absolute pitch: Mainzer himself had success with it. His other works include: *' 'Singschule: oder Praktische Anweisung zum Gesange'', Trier, 1831. * ''Treatise on Musical Grammar and the Principles of Harmony'' London, 1843. * ''The Gaelic Psalm Tunes of Ross-shire and the Neighbouring Counties'', Edinburgh, 1844, mostly recorders from the singing of the traditional teachers. * ''The Standard Psalmody of Scotland'', Edinburgh, 1845, based on the old tunes in

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordga ...

's ''Psalter''. * ''Music and Education'', London, 1848. ''Mainzer's Musical Times'', which he founded, was the basis of ''

The Musical Times ''The Musical Times'' is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom and currently the oldest such journal still being published in the country. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainze ...

'', still published. His musical compositions were largely ephemeral.

Notes

External links

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Mainzer, Joseph 1801 births 1851 deaths German music educators 19th-century German Roman Catholic priests German emigrants to the United Kingdom 19th-century German male musicians