Töpfer, Johann Gottlob

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Töpfer, Johann Gottlob

Töpfer, Johann Gottlob, famous German organist, teacher, and writer on organ building; b. Nied-errossla, Dec. 4, 1791; d. Weimar, June 8, 1870. He studied with the cantor Schlomilch, then at Weimar with Destouches and A.E. Müller. He also attended the Weimar Seminary, where he became a teacher of music in 1817; from 1830 he was town organist of Weimar. An expert on organ construction, he wrote Die Orgelbauku-nst (Weimar, 1833-34), Die Scheibler’sehe Stimm-Methode (Erfurt, 1842), Theoretisch-praktische Orgelschule (Erfurt, 1845), and Lehrbuch der Orgelbaukunst (4 vols., Weimar, 1855; 2nd ed., rev, 1888 by M. Allihn as Die Theorie und Praxis des Orgelbaus; 3rd ed., rev., 1936 by P. Smets). He composed Orgelweihe for Organ, Chorus, and Tenor, various preludes, fugues, chorale preludes, and choral fantasias for Organ, a Piano Trio, and a Piano Sonata.

Bibliography

A. Gottschalg, J.G. T (Berlin, 1870).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire