Christoph Gottlieb Schröter

Christoph Gottlieb Schröter (10 August 1699 – 20 May 1782[1]), was a German composer and organist, who is best known for his contributions to the tangent piano, which in 1717 he invented a keyboard instrument whose strings were not plucked, but struck by hammers.[2]

Schröter, c. 18th century, portrait engraving by an unknown artist

Biography edit

Born in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Schröter showed his musical ability as a choirboy in the Staatskapelle Dresden, becoming a student of Johann Christoph Schmidt. In 1717, at the age of 18, he went to the Kreuzschule in Dresden and studied theology. While studying, his mother died, to which he went back to the Staatskapelle to study music and was recommended as a amanuensis to composer Antonio Lotti, which to him was a great honour.[3][4]

Schröter was later employed as a secretary and musical associate to an unknown man, who he would travel with throughout Germany, Netherlands and England. Schröter would later in 1724 settle in Jena where he would teach open lectures about music theory at the University of Jena. In 1726, he became an Organist at the St. Martini Church in Minden, he was called "one of the bravest organists of our time" by Ernst Ludwig Gerber. He would reside in Minden until 1732 when he traveled to Nordhausen, where he would continue being an Organist at the St. Nikolai Church until his death in 1782.[3]

Literature edit

  • Deutliche Anweisung zum Generalbaß (1772)[5]
  • Lezte Beschäftigung mit musicalischen Dingen (1782)[6]

References edit

  1. ^ "Christoph Gottlob Schröter". Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Das Klavier". Chemnitzer Schulmodell. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b Eitner, Rob. "Schröter, Christoph Gottlieb". Deutsche Biographie (in German). Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  4. ^ Altmann, Hans Peter (14 May 2005). "Ein fleißiger Komponist und Erfinder". sächsische.de (in German). Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  5. ^ Deutliche Anweisung zum General-Baß, in beständiger Veränderung des uns angebohrnen harmonischen Dreyklanges: mit zulänglichen Exempeln ; wobey ein umständlicher Vorbericht der vornehmsten vom General-Basse handelnden Schriften dieses Jahrhunderts. Groß. 1772. Retrieved 11 December 2021 – via Bavarian State Library.
  6. ^ Christoph Gottlieb Schröters Organistens zu Nordhausen Lezte Beschäftigung mit musicalischen Dingen: Nebst sechs Temperatur-Planen und einer Noten-Tafel. 1782. Retrieved 11 December 2021 – via Bavarian State Library.