Johann Friedrich Fasch (15 April 1688 – 5 December 1758) was a German violinist and composer. Much of his music is in the Baroque-Classical transitional style known as galant.
Life Fasch was born in the town of Buttelstedt, 11 km north of Weimar, the eldest child of schoolmaster Friedrich Georg Fasch and his wife Sophie Wegerig, from Leißling near Weißenfels. After his father's death in 1700, Fasch lived with his maternal uncle, the clergyman Gottfried Wegerig in Göthewitz, and it was presumably in this way that he made the acquaintance of the Opera composer Reinhard Keiser.
Fasch was a choirboy in Weissenfels and studied under Johann Kuhnau at the St. Thomas School in Leipzig. It was in Leipzig in 1708 that he founded a Collegium Musicum. In 1711 he wrote an opera to be performed at the Peter-Paul Festival in Naumburg, and a second one for the festival in 1712.Gottfried Küntzel, "Johann Friedrich Fasch," entry in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, retrieved from Grove Music OnlineNovember 29, 2014
In 1714, unable to procure aristocratic patronage for a journey to Italy, Fasch instead travelled to Darmstadt to study composition for three months under his former Leipzig prefect Christoph Graupner and Gottfried Grünewald. He then traveled extensively in the Holy Roman Empire, becoming a violinist in the orchestra in Bayreuth in 1714, was an amanuensis in Gera till 1719 and from 1719 until 1721 held a court post as organist in Greiz.
His next major post was Prague, where he served for two years as Kapellmeister and court composer to Count Morzin.Kapsa, Vaclav (2012) Account books, names and music: Count Wenzel von Morzin’s Virtuosissima Orchestra. Early music 40, 2012, p. 605–620 In 1722, he "reluctantly accepted the position"Gottfried Küntzel, "Johann Friedrich Fasch," entry in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, retrieved from Grove Music OnlineNovember 29, 2014 of court Kapellmeister at Zerbst, Saxony-Anhalt, a post he held until his death. (The organist Johann Ulich was his assistant.) Also in 1722, he was invited to apply for the position of Thomaskantor in Leipzig at his alma mater, the St. Thomas School, but he chose to withdraw his name from the competition.Gottfried Küntzel, "Johann Friedrich Fasch," entry in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, retrieved from Grove Music OnlineNovember 29, 2014 The Leipzig opening was eventually filled by Johann Sebastian Bach, who had considerable esteem for Fasch.
Works His works include cantatas, concertos, symphonies, and chamber music. None of his music was published in his lifetime, and according to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians in 2014, "it appears that most of his vocal works (including 9 complete cantata cycles, at least 14 masses and four operas) are lost, while the instrumental works are mostly extant."Gottfried Küntzel, "Johann Friedrich Fasch," entry in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, retrieved from Grove Music OnlineNovember 29, 2014 However, his music was "widely performed" in his day Malcolm Boyd, entry on Johann Friedrich Fasch from the Oxford Composer Companion: J. S. Bach (Oxford University Press, 1999) and was held in high regard by contemporaries. Georg Philipp Telemann performed a cycle of his church cantatas in 1733 in Hamburg;Gottfried Küntzel, "Johann Friedrich Fasch," entry in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, retrieved from Grove Music OnlineNovember 29, 2014 an organ work once attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach as BWV 585 is now known to be an arrangement of movements from a Fasch trio sonata;Malcolm Boyd, entry on Johann Friedrich Fasch from the Oxford Composer Companion: J. S. Bach (Oxford University Press, 1999) and Bach's Collegium Musicum in Leipzig (a different group than the one founded by FaschMalcolm Boyd, entry on "collegium musicum" from the Oxford Composer Companion: J. S. Bach (Oxford University Press, 1999)) performed some of Fasch's Orchestral Suites (ten of them, according to Hugo Riemann in 1900,Hugo Riemann: "Johann Friedrich Fasch und der freie Instrumentalstil," Blätter für Haus- und Kirchenmusik, iv (1900), 82, 102 based on his examination of copies in the library of the St. Thomas School, which Riemann said were partly in Bach's hand. Only one of these suites survived World War II; it had in Fasch's era fallen into the hands of Bach's student Carl Gotthelf Gerlach).Andreas Glöckner, "Fasch-Ouverturen aus Johann Sebastian Bachs Notenbibliothek?" Bach-Jahrbuch 76 (1990), pp. 65-69
In 1900, Riemann asserted that Fasch's style was an important link between the Baroque and Classical periods, and that he was one of those who "set instrumental music entirely on its feet and displaced fugal writing with modern 'thematic' style’";Hugo Riemann: "Johann Friedrich Fasch und der freie Instrumentalstil," Blätter für Haus- und Kirchenmusik, iv (1900), 82, 102 - translation from New Grove New Groves entry on Fasch states, "Later research has largely confirmed [Riemann's] assessment."
Legacy Fasch died in Zerbst at the age of 70 on 5 December 1758. He was the father of Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, born on 18 November 1736, like his father a musician of note. The city of Zerbst/Anhalt has been hosting International Festivals since 1983, biennially since 1993. The Sixteenth International Fasch Festival (2021) was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Works list This listing is based on Rüdiger Pfeiffer's now out-dated Fasch Werke Verzeichnis. The Internationale Fasch Gesellschaft e.V. has been working on a new online Fasch-Verzeichnis, which is now called Fasch-Repertorium. Its main contributor, Dr. Gottfried Gille, gave a paper on the project's progress at the 2013 international Fasch conference, held on the occasion of the twelfth International Fasch Festival (18-21 April 2013). All papers presented at the conference were published in vol. 12 of Fasch-Studien.OperasFwv A \ Operas (lost)SerenatasFwv B: 1 \ Serenata (lost) Fwv B: 2 \ Serenata (lost) Fwv B: 3 \ Freudenbezeugung der vier Tageszeiten, autograph score at D-DS Fwv B: 4 \ Beglückter Tag (for the birthday of Catherine the Great, 1757), autograph score and performing materials in the Sing-Akademie Berlin archive, D-B; performed at 10th Fasch-Festtage on 10 April 2008Sacred cantatas for occasionsFwv C:B 1 \ Beständigkeit bleibt mein VergnügenSacred cantatasFwv D:B 1 \ Bewahre deinen Fuss Fwv D:D 1 \ Dein allerhöchster Adel Fwv D:D 2 \ Der Gottlose ist wie ein Wetter Fwv D:D 3 \ Die den Herrn vertrauen Fwv D:D 4 \ Die Gerechten müssen sich freuen Fwv D:D 5 \ Die so das Land des Lichts bewohnen Fwv D:D 6 \ Die Starken bedürfen des Arztes nicht Fwv D:D 7 \ Die Starken bedürfen des Arztes nicht Fwv D:D 8 \ Du bist Christus, des lebendigen Gottes Sohn Fwv D:D 9 \ Du bist mein Gott, ich bitte dich Fwv D:D10 \ Du sollst Gott, deinen Herrn, lieben Fwv D:E 1 \ Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe Fwv D:E 2 \ Er hat grosse Dinge an mir getan Fwv D:E 3 \ Es erhub sich ein Streit Fwv D:E 4 \ Es haben dir, Herr, die Hoffärtigen Fwv D:E 5 \ Es wird des Herrn Tag kommen Fwv D:E 6 \ Es wird ein unbarmherzig Gericht Fwv D:G 1 \ Gehet zu seinen Toren ein Fwv D:G 2 \ Gelobet sei der Herr täglich Fwv D:G 3 \ Gottes und Marien Kind Fwv D:G 4 \ Gott hat die Zeit der Unwissenheit übersehen Fwv D:G 5 \ Gott ist die Liebe Fwv D:G 6 \ Gott ist die Liebe Fwv D:G 7 \ Gott ist ein rechter Richter Fwv D:G 8 \ Gott will, dass allen Menschen Fwv D:G 9 \ Gott wir warten deiner Güte Fwv D:G10 \ Gott wir warten deiner Güte Fwv D:H 1 \ Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht Fwv D:H 2 \ Herr, lehre uns bedenken Fwv D:H 3 \ Herr, wenn Trübsal da ist Fwv D:I 1 \ Ich bin der Weg Fwv D:I 2 \ Ich danke dem Herrn von ganzem Herzen Fwv D:I 3 \ Ich freue mich im Herrn Fwv D:I 4 \ Ich halte mich, Herr, zu deinen Altar Fwv D:I 5 \ Ich hebe meine Augen auf Fwv D:I 6 \ Ich hoffe darauf, dass du so gnädig bist Fwv D:I 7 \ Ich war tot, und siehe, ich bin lebendig Fwv D:I 8 \ In der Welt habt ihr Angst Fwv D:J 1 \ Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt; Edition 2008 Gottfried Gille for Prima la musica! Fwv D:K 1 \ Kommet her zu mir alle Fwv D:K 2 \ Kündlich gross ist das gottselige Geheimnis Fwv D:L 1 \ Leben wir, so leben wir dem Herrn Fwv D:L 2 \ Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele Fwv D:L 3 \ Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele Fwv D:M 1 \ Mein Seel erhebt den Herren mein Fwv D:N 1 \ Niemand kennet den Sohn Fwv D:N 2 \ Niemand kennet den Sohn Fwv D:R 1 \ Rast und tobt, ihr stolzen Feinde Fwv D:S 1 \ Sage mir an, du, den meine Seele liebet Fwv D:S 2 \ Sanftes Brausen, süsses Sausen; Edition 2008 Gottfried Gille for Prima la musica! Fwv D:S 3 \ Seid untereinander freundlich, herzlich Fwv D:S 4 \ Sei getreu bis in den Tod Fwv D:S 5 \ Selig sind, die nicht sehen und doch gläuben Fwv D:S 6 \ Siehe um Trost war mir sehr bange Fwv D:S 7 \ Siehe zu, dass deine Gottesfurcht nicht Fwv D:T 1 \ Trachtet am ersten nach dem Reiche Gottes Fwv D:U 1 \ Unser Wandel ist im Himmel Fwv D:W 1 \ Wachet und betet, das ihr nicht in Anfechtung Fwv D:W 2 \ Welt und Teufel, tobt ihr noch Fwv D:W 3 \ Welt, du magst mich immer hassen (fragment) Fwv D:W 4 \ Wer sich selbst erhöhet Fwv D:W 5 \ Wie Gott liebt und vergibt Fwv D:W 6 \ Will mir jemand nachfolgen Fwv D:W 7 \ Wirf dein Anliegen auf den Herrn Fwv D:W 8 \ Wir müssen alle offenbar werden Fwv D:W 9 \ Wir wissen, dass der Sohn Gottes Fwv D:Z 1 \ Zion mach in deinen Toren Fwv D:Z 2 \ Zur Mitternacht war ein Geschrei (fragment)MotetsFwv E:B 1 \ Beschliesset einen RatPassion oratoriosFwv F: 1 Passio Jesu Christi ("Brockes Passion")MassesFwv G:B 1 \ Missa brevis in B flat major Fwv G:D 1 \ Mass in D major Fwv G:D 2 \ Mass in D major Fwv G:D 3 \ Missa brevis in D major Fwv G:D 4 \ Missa brevis in D major Fwv G:D 5 \ Missa brevis in D major Fwv G:D 6 \ Credo in D major Fwv G:D 7 \ Credo in D major - NOT FASCH, but Johann David Heinichen Fwv G:e 1 \ German Mass in E minor Fwv G:F 1 \ Mass in F major Fwv G:F 2 \ Missa brevis in F major Fwv G:F 3 \ Quoniam in F major Fwv G:g 1 \ Missa brevis in G minorCanticlesFwv H:G 1 \ Magnificat in G majorPsalm settingsFwv I:B 1 \ Beatus vir in G major Fwv I:C 1 \ Confiteor in D major Fwv I:D 1 \ Dixit Dominus in G major Fwv I:L 1 \ Laetatus sum in F sharp minor Fwv I:L 2 \ Lauda Jerusalem in D major Fwv I:L 3 \ Laudate Pueri Dominum in A major Fwv I:N 1 \ Nisi Dominus in D majorOrchestral suites(Unless otherwise stated, these are scored for 2 oboes, bassoon, strings and Basso continuo Fwv K:A 1 \ Suite for violin, 2 oboes & 2 bassoons in A major Fwv K:A 2 \ Suite for 2 flutes, 2 oboes & bassoon in A major Fwv K:A 3 \ Suite for 2 oboes & bassoon in A major Fwv K:a 1 \ Suite for 2 flutes, 2 oboes & bassoon in A minor Fwv K:a 2 \ Suite for 2 oboes & 2 bassoons in A minor Fwv K:a 3 \ Suite for 2 oboes & 2 bassoons in A minor Fwv K:a 4 \ Suite for 2 oboes & bassoon in A minor Fwv K:B 1 \ Suite for 2 orchestras (3 flutes, 3 oboes, 2 bassoons, strings and basso continuo in each orchestra) Fwv K:B 2 \ Suite for 2 flutes, 2 oboes & bassoon in B flat major Fwv K:B 3 \ Suite for 2 flutes, 2 oboes & bassoon in B flat major Fwv K:B 4 \ Suite for 2 flutes, 2 oboes & bassoon in B flat major Fwv K:B 5 \ Suite for 2 oboes & bassoon in B flat major Fwv K:B 6 \ Suite for 2 oboes & bassoon, strings and b.c.in B flat major* Modern edition by W.Jaksch http://www.imslp.org Fwv K:B 7 \ Suite for 2 oboes & bassoon in B flat major Fwv K:B 8 \ Suite for 2 oboes & bassoon in B flat major Fwv K:B 9 \ Suite for 2 oboes & bassoon in B flat major Fwv K:B10 \ Suite for 2 oboes & bassoon in B flat major Fwv K:C 1 \ Suite for 2 oboes & 2 bassoons in C major * Modern edition: Hans-Heinrich Kriegel; Bochum: 1998 Fwv K:C 2 \ Suite in C major (lost) Fwv K:C 3 \ Suite for 2 oboes & bassoon in C major (lost) Fwv K:D 1 \ Suite for 3 trumpets & winds in D major Fwv K:D 2 \ Suite for 3 trumpets & winds in D major Fwv K:D 3 \ Suite for 2 trumpets, 3 oboes & bassoon in D major