Johann Sonnleitner (Harpsichord, Organ)

Born: 1941 - Trofaiach, Styria, Austria

The Austrian-born organist, harpsichordist, composer, musicologist and music pedagogue, Johann Sonnleitner, studied at the Wiener Musikhochschule organ (Alois Forer), harpsichord (Eta Harich-Schneider) and music education as well as at the Universität Wien history and education and completed his training by attending master-classes with Gustav Leonhardt, Anton Heiller, Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini, Marie-Claire Alain, Cor Keeand and others. He was a prize-winner at the International Harpsichord Competition in Bruges in 1968.

Johann Sonnleitner has had an international career as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist.

Johann Sonnleitner began his teaching began at the Wiener Musikhochschule in the subjects improvisation and score reading and continued for 6 years as assistant of Nikolaus Harnoncourt at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 1979 he came to Musikhochschule Zürich as a teacher of historical keyboard instruments. From 1983 to 2003 he taught in and made research at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. He initiated more than two decades, master-classes for keyboard instruments in the frame of the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik. Among his pupils are: Margarete Kopelent, Marie-Luise Dähler, Yasunori Imamura and Naoki Kitaya, Thomas Ragossnig; and in his courses have participated artists like Oscar Milani, Christine Schornsheim and Gudrun Schaumann.

Johann Sonnleitner published his teaching and research activities in the fields of performance practice (especially regarding the historical tempo and metronome markings) in a series of essays and together with musicologist Clemens-Christoph von Gleich in the study work Bach: Wie schnell?

Sonnleitner is known for numerous premieres of new organ and harpsichord music as a participant in the Vienna Ensemble Die Reihe of Friedrich Cerha and set music in expanded tonality, inspired by the works, and the research work of Heiner Ruland. Sonnleitner has composed Lieder, choral works, chamber music and music for 24-tone keyboard instruments (quarter-tone music).

Works (selection)

Cantatas:
Die Oelberg-Apokalypse
Der himmlische Reiter
Die Waffenrüstung Gottes

Vesper:
An der Schwelle des Abends

Oratorios:
Klingendes Licht
Das Traumlied des Olaf Astenson

Source: German Wikipedia Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (October 2014)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (October 2014)

Johann Sonnleitner: Short Biography | Bach Discography: Recordings of Instrumental Works

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Organ

Cantatas Vol. 1: CD-1: BWV 1, BWV 2, BWV 3; CD-2: BWV 4, BWV 5, BWV 6; CD-4: BWV 11; CD-6: BWV 17, BWV 18, BWV 19
Cantatas Vol. 3: CD-1: BWV 38
Cantatas Vol. 4: CD-6: BWV 78
BWV 37, BWV 38, BWV 41, BWV 42, BWV 43, BWV 44, BWV 47, BWV 48, BWV 49, BWV 50, BWV 57, BWV 58, BWV 59, BWV 60

Links to other Sites

Prof. Johann Sonnleitner (Zürcher Hochschule der Künste) [German]
Johann Sonnleitner (Wikipedia) [German]
Internationaler Telemann-Wettbewerb [German]