Wolfgang Weßnitzer (Composer)

Born: August 1629 (baptised: August 27, 1629) - Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany
Died: August 31, 1697 - Celle, Lower Saxony

Wolfgang Wessnitzer [Weßnitzer] was a German organist and hymn composer. Wessnitzer was a pupil of Johann Heinrich Scheidemann. In 1654 he had applied in vain for an organist position in Hamburg, but was instead appointed in August 1655 as the successor of his competitor Albert Schop as Court Organist in Celle. In 1679 he also took over the office of city organist. He was also editor of the Celle-Lüneburgischen Gesangbücher of 1661 and 1665.

Wolfgang Wessnitzer wrote in 1661 the melody to the hymn of Jesu, meines Lebens Leben (EG 86), whose text was written in 1659 by Ernst Christoph Homburg.

Source: German Wikipedia Website (February 2018), English translation by Aryeh Oron (September 2018)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (September 2018)

Chorale Melodies used in Bach’s Vocal Works

Jesu, meines Lebens Leben (1661; Zahn 6794)

Links to other Sites

Wolfgang Wessnitzer (Wikipedia) [German]

Bibliography