Kaspar Förster (also Caspar Foerster) (baptized 28 February 1616 in Danzig – 2 February 1673 in Oliva, near Danzig) was a German singer and composer. Förster studied music under his father Kaspar (1574-1652) and then under Marco Scacchi in Warsaw. He sang bass and conducted choirs at the Polish court in Warsaw from 1638 to about 1643, then served as ''

kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (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 ha ...

'' to Frederik III of Denmark in Copenhagen between 1652 and 1655. In 1655, a war broke out between Denmark and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, and Förster returned to Danzig, working as '' cantor'' at the Marienkirche there. He returned to the employ of Frederik from 1661 to 1667. During this time he visited

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

several times and played a role in bringing aspects of Italian musical style to northern Europe. He also studied under

Giacomo Carissimi (Gian) Giacomo Carissimi (; baptized 18 April 160512 January 1674) was an Italian composer and music teacher. He is one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque or, more accurately, the Roman School of music. Carissimi established the ...

in the 1660s. Late in his life he worked briefly in Hamburg before returning to his birthplace. Förster's surviving works are mostly sacred

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

s for three voices, with two

violins The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

and continuo. Some 35 survive, and they often contain very low and difficult bass parts. His other works include two oratorios, six trio sonatas, and four secular

References

*"Kaspar Förster". ''The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music''. Oxford University Press, 1994.

Recordings

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forster, Kaspar 1616 births 1673 deaths German classical composers German Baroque composers German male singers 17th-century classical composers German male classical composers 17th-century male musicians