Johann Christian Kittel

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Johann Christian Kittel

Johann Christian Kittel (18 February 1732 – 17 April 1809) was a German organist, composer, and teacher. He was one of the last students of Johann Sebastian Bach. His students included Michael Gotthard Fischer, Karl Gottlieb Umbreit, Johann Wilhelm Hässler and Christian Heinrich Rinck. See: List of music students by teacher: K to M#Johann Christian Kittel.

Biography

Kittel was born and died in

Predigerkirche
in 1762.

He refused many generous and more munificent offers, including one in 1790 from

Duchess Anna Amalia of Saxe-Weimar to travel to Italy, remaining in Erfurt for the rest of his life. He played many evening recitals there and was famous as a virtuoso organist; Goethe, Herder, and Wieland all went to hear him play, and he made a concert tour to Hamburg in 1800, remaining there for a year while preparing a book of chorales for Schleswig-Holstein
.

Compositions

He considered himself to be "grounded in the principles of Bach" and aimed "to awaken, maintain and heighten feelings of devotion in the hearts of his hearers by means of music". His teaching and composition fulfilled this aim by a restriction to simple forms which were best suited to

galant style, with a strong emphasis on melody. His piano sonatas of 1789 have features in common with the Viennese classical
school.

Piano

Organ

  • Der angehende praktische Organist, oder Anweisung zum zweckmässigen Gebrauch der Orgel bei Gottesverehrungen in Beispielen, textbook, 3 volumes (Erfurt, 1801–1808)
  • Vierstimmige Choräle mit Vorspielen ... für die Schleswig-Hollsteinischen Kirchen, 2 volumes (Altona, 1803)
  • 24 Choräle mit 8 verschiedenen Bässen über eine Melodie, ed. J. C. H. Rinck (Offenbach, 1811)
  • Grosse Präludien, 2 volumes (Leipzig)
  • 24 kurze Choralvorspiele (Offenbach)
  • Variationen über 2 Choräle (Leipzig)
  • 24 leichte Choral-Vorspiele (Bonn and Cologne)

Sources

  • Grove Music Online
    , ed. L. Macy (accessed 13 June 2007).

Further reading

External links