Erlebach, Philipp Heinrich

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Erlebach, Philipp Heinrich

Erlebach, Philipp Heinrich, important German composer; b. Esens, East Frisia, July 25, 1657; d. Rudolstadt, April 17, 1714. He was in the service of the Rudolstadt court by the winter of 1678–79, where he was Hofkapellmeister from 1681. He was a significant composer of sacred music, especially cantatas. All of his oratorios and most of his cantatas are lost. His surviving cantatas reveal the influence of Heinrich Schiitz. He also composed 4 operas, but only a few arias from 2 of these are extant. His instrumental works number about 120 in all, but only 6 overtures, 6 trio sonatas, and a march are extant. His suites reveal the influence of Lully, while his sonatas follow Italian precepts.

Works

6 overtures (Nuremberg, 1693; 2 in Organum, III/15–16, Leipzig, 1926); sonatas for Violin, Viola da Gamba, and Basso Continuo (Nuremberg, 1694; 1 in Organum, HI/5, Leipzig, 1924, and 2 in Hortus Musicus, CXVII-CXVIII, 1954); a number of secular songs, including Harmonische Freude musicalischer Freunde (2 vols., Nuremberg, 1697, 1710; ed. in Denkmaler Deutscher Tonkunst, 46/47, 1914); Gott-geheiligte SingStunde, 12 cantatas (Rudolstadt, 1704).

Bibliography

B. Baselt, Der Rudolstadter Ho/kapellmeister P. H. E. (diss., Univ. of Halle, 1963); K. H. Wiechers, P. H. E. (Aurich, 1964).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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