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Born: July 22, 1642 - Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Died: June 18, 1686 - Pirna, near Dresden, Saxony, Germany |
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Johann [Johannes] Quirsfeld was a German composer, Kantor, writer on music and clergyman. He attended the Universität Wittenberg, where he studied philosophy and earned a master's degree in philosophy.
Johann Quirsfeld worked as Kantor of St Marien, the principal church at Pirna, from 1670 until his death, and at the Kollege der Dritten Klasse at the school in the Pirna. After a few years of successful work, he was appointedin 1679 Deacon in Pirna, a member of the clergy, and was subsequently was promoted to Archdeacon.
Johann Quirsfeld wrote several theological edification books about the gospel. He achieved greater fame, however, through the publication of a musical textbook, in which he recorded his practical experience as Kantor and which was well received by his contemporaries. The title of this textbook was Breviarium musicum (Pirna, 1675), is an elementary singing manual for school use; solmization is still dealt with, but Quirsfeld also accepted the use of letter names for notes as advocated by Ambrosius Profe in his Compendium musicum (1641). A few years before his death, Martin Gabriel Hübner published a second edition of this textbook in Dresden in 1683. For this second edition Quirsfeld added 12 two-part canons to the musical appendix, which originally consisted of 12 fugues in the 12 modes. After his death, three more editions followed, the last one in 1717.
Johann Quirsfeld also wrote a choral book entitled Geistlicher Harfenklang auf zehn Saiten u. s. w. in einem vollständigen Gesangbuche, darinnen über 1000 Lieder zu finden, nebst ihren gewöhnlichen Melodeien und Kirchen-Collecten u. s. w. It appeared in Leipzig in 1679. The work Aurifodina mathematica de sono, printed in Leipzig in 1675, is also attributed to him. In 1689 his Geistlicher Myrrhen-Garten also appeared. |
