Aschenbrenner, Christian Heinrich

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Aschenbrenner, Christian Heinrich

Aschenbrenner, Christian Heinrich, German violinist and composer; b. Altstettin, Dec. 29, 1654; d. Jena, Dec. 13, 1732. He studied violin with his father, a town musician. After composition lessons with Johann Theile (1668), he completed his training in composition with J. H. Schmeltzer in Vienna (1676–77). He was a violinist in the Zeitz Hofkapelle (1677–82). After serving as Konzertmeister of the Merseburg Hofkapelle (1683–95), he returned to Zeitz and was director of music until 1713. He then returned to Merseburg as Hofkapellmeister, retiring in 1719 to Jena. Only two of his sacred vocal works are extant.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire