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Johann Christian Kittel (Composer, Organ, Teacher, Copyist, Bach's Pupil) |
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Born: February 1732 (baptised: February 18, 1732) - Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany
Died: April 17, 1809 - Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany |
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Biography |
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Johann Christian Leberecht Kittel was a German organist, composer, and teacher. He was born the son of Johann Salomon Kittel (hosiery manufacturer in Erfurt). He attended the Predigerschule (preacher school) and then the Ratsgymnasiums (council high school) in Erfurt, where he was a pupil of Jacob Adlung. He studied at Universität Erfurt (enrolled on September 22, 1746). He studied privately with J.S. Bach in Leipzig from 1748 to 1750. He was a favourite - and last - pupil of J.S. Bach until his death in 1750.
Johann Christian Kittel worked from 1751 to 1756 as organist and girls' schoolmaster in Langensalza; from 1756 to 1762 as organist at the Barfüßerkirche in Erfurt; from 1762 as organist at the Predigerkirche in Erfurt, where he remained for the rest of his life and was influental as a teacher. Among his pupils were the celebrated organist and composer Johann Christian Rinck (1770-1846; J.C. Kittel's pupil: 1786-1789), Carl Christian Kegel (1770-1843), Michael Gotthard Fischer (1773-1829), Karl Gottlieb Umbreit (1763-1829), and Johann Wilhelm Hässler (1747-1822). 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.
Johann Christian Kittel mentioned his studies with J.S. Bach in his applications for Langensalza in 1751 and Zeitz in 1756. In addition, he often referred to his teacher in his publications and founded a Thuringian organ tradition through his own teaching activity, which was based on the model of J.S. Bach. According to GerberL, probably authentic portraits of J.S. Bach that no longer survive were once owned by J.C. Kittel (from the estate of the Countess of Weißenfels) and by J.N. Forkel.
References: Koska: A-60; GND: 118811266; Bach Digital: 00000401 |
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Works |
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Johann Christian Kittel 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 liturgical use. He wrote some large-scale organ works such as double chorale variations based on J.S. Bach's examples, though he was influenced by the contemporary galant style, with a strong emphasis on melody. His piano sonatas of 1789 have features in common with the Viennese classical school.
Piano:
6 Sonaten ... nebst einer Fantasie (Gera, 1789)
6 Veränderungen, über ... Nicht so traurig (Saint Petersburg, 1797)
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, edited by Johann Christian Rinck (Offenbach, 1811)
Grosse Präludien, 2 volumes (Leipzig)
24 kurze Choralvorspiele (Offenbach)
Variationen über 2 Choräle (Leipzig)
24 leichte Choral-Vorspiele (Bonn and Cologne) |
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Works of Bach he copied [Manuscript No. in Bach Digital / Work / Performance/Copy date] |
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A-Wn Mus. Hs. 5003: BWV 1079/1, 4g, 2, 4i, 4k, 4a-f
D-B Mus.ms. 11419: Emans 15, 80, 10; J. M. Bach: In dich hab' ich gehoffet Herr
D-B Mus.ms. 12013/4: J. L. Krebs: Partita 4 (darin Fuge in a = Anh. 181), Krebs-WV 825; Kopftitel: "Fantasia ex A [Auflösungszeichen](= "moll") von J. L. Krebs"
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 275, Faszikel 1: BWV 646, 645, 647, 649, 648, 650
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 275, Faszikel 4: J. L. Krebs: Präludium und Fuge in C (Tittel Nr. 1 = Krebs-WV 400)
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 291, Faszikel 4: BWV 654a
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 419: BWV 806-807/1, m. 4; BWV 910
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 772 [Konvolut]: Wq 62.3, 62.2, 62.1, 65.3, 65.5, 65.6, 65.10, 65.12, 69, 65.21, 65.23, 65.43, 65.39; H 22, 20, 2, 5, 13, 15, 19, 23, 53, 52, 57, 192, 176
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 772, Faszikel 3: Wq 62.1; H 2
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 885: BWV 933, 934, 935, 936, 937, 938
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 1009: BWV 655a, 540/1
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 1067: BWV 772a, 773, 774, 775, 776, 777, 778, 779, 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 1068: BWV 787, 788, 789, 790, 791, 792, 793, 794, 795, 796, 797, 798, 799, 800, 801
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 1169: BWV 1079/2 [14.10.1752]
D-B Mus.ms. Bach St 588: BR-WFB C 9; Fk 41 [c1750]
D-RUl RH-B 30: BWV 226
US-NH Misc. Ms. 338: BWV 988
US-NYhenry BWV 988 (1): BWV 988
Verschollen BWV 226, J. C. L. Kittel [identisch mit D-RUl RH-B 30]: BWV 988
Verschollen BWV 525 (1), J. C. L. Kittel: BWV 525
Verschollen BWV 539 (3), J. C. L. Kittel: BWV 539
Verschollen BWV 569 (1), J. C. L. Kittel (1): BWV 569
Verschollen BWV 599-644 (4), J. C. L. Kittel: BWV 599, 600, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 620, 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, 626, 627, 628, 629, 630, 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 636, 637, 638, 639, 640, 641, 642, 643, 644
Verschollen BWV 709 (2), J. C. L. Kittel: BWV 709
Verschollen BWV 825-830 (5), J. C. L. Kittel: BWV 825, 826, 827, 828, 829, 830
Verschollen BWV 1014-1019 (6), J. C. L. Kittel [1]: BWV 1014, 1015, 1016, 1017, 1018, 1019
Verschollen BWV 1080 (5), J. C. L. Kittel: BWV 1080 |
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Portrait [01] |
Handwriting sample (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin)
[HW-02] |
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Handwriting sample (Bach Digital) [HW-01] |
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Sources:
1. Oxford Composer Companions J.S. Bach (Editor: Malcolm Boyd, OUP, 1999)
2. Bernd Koska: Bachs Privatschüler in Bach-Jahrbuch 2019, English translation by Aryeh Oron (May 2020)
3. Wikipedia Website (January 2020)
4. Bach Digital Website (January 2020)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (June 2014, May 2020); Thomas Braatz (January 2011) |
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Links to other Sites |
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Kittel, Johann Christian (Bach Digital)
Johann Christian Kittel (Wikipedia) |
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Bibliography |
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Sources 2: Dok III, Nr. 638, 684; Dok VII, S. 56; Löffler 1929/31, Nr. 54; Löffler 1936, S. 119f.; Löffler 1953, Nr. 72; MGGo; BJ 2008, S. 305–308 (H. Brück); S. McCormick, Johann Christian Kittel and the long overlooked multiple bass chorale tradition, Dissertation Belfast 2015
Sources 3: Karl Gustav Fellerer: "Kittel, Johann Christian", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 13 June 2007).
Further reading 3:
Albert Dreetz: Johann Christian Kittel, der letzte Bach-schüler (Berlin, 1932)
J. P. Anthony: The Organ Works of Johann Christian Kittel (dissertation, Yale University, 1978)
J. Burg: "Johann Christian Kittel (1732–1809), un grand pédagogue de l'orgue, maillon important dans la tradition de Jean-Sébastien Bach", in L’orgue: cahiers et mémoires, no. 228 (1993) |
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