Page:Pratt - The history of music (1907).djvu/275



1697-1703 and organist from 1700. His works are confused with those of his more talented son and successor.

Johann Joseph Fux (d. 1741), a Styrian by birth, but of whose early training nothing is known, appeared at Vienna as organist at the Schottenkirche in 1696-1702, was assistant choirmaster at St. Stephen's from 1705 and chief from 1712, and in court service as composer or choirmaster from 1698. It is curious that he still clung to the old mediæval system of modes and to the strict a cappella methods of writing, with little yielding to the prevalent operatic and homophonic styles (except in his dramatic experiments). His best works were all sacred, including 54 masses, several, like the Missa canonica (1718), of great learning, 3 requiems, 2 Te Deums, many motets and psalms, etc., with 10 oratorios in the Italian manner, but including more attention to the chorus. He also wrote 8 operas and 12 other dramatic works, mostly for court festivities; of these Costanza e fortezza (1723, at Prague) was the most brilliant. His use of the orchestra was vigorous and rich, and he contributed worthily to chamber music. His great theoretical work was the Gradus ad Parnassum (1725), which remained for almost a century a standard treatise.

Antonio Caldara (d. 1736) was born at Venice and began opera-writing there as early as 1689. Apart from brief terms at Mantua and Rome, his work is wholly associated with Vienna, where he was greatly admired. Though most fertile in operas and oratorios (32 in 1712-35), he was also a strong writer of masses and other church music in contrapuntal style, with many cantatas, ranking with the masters of the Italian school. He also wrote much secular part-music and important chamber music.

Carlo Agostino Badia (d. 1738) was also a Venetian, well trained, but of no great genius. Besides numerous operas, he wrote some 15 oratorios (from 1694) and many cantatas.

Francesco Conti (d. 1732) came from Florence in his twentieth year (1701), being in request for his gifts as a theorbist. Except for a period of eight years (1705-13), he remained in the imperial service, producing, besides operas and serenatas, 9 Italian oratorios (1706-36) and over 50 cantatas. His style followed that of Scarlatti.

Gottlieb Muffat (d. 1770) was the son of Georg Muffat (see sec. 105), born at Passau. He was trained under Fux and served as court-organist and harpsichordist in 1717-63. His works include valuable fugues, toccatas, etc., for the organ, besides many clavier-pieces.

Matteo Pallota (d. 1758) was born at Palermo, and was favorably known as a church composer by 1720, though not called to Vienna as court-composer till 1733. Of his works several masses and motets remain, besides a MS. treatise on Plain-Song.

Georg Reutter [Jr.] (d. 1772), the son of the earlier Reutter above, had a long and distinguished career at St. Stephen's and the court from about 1725. He was a facile composer of some brilliance, especially in opera. He left a large number of masses and motets, with 8 oratorios (1727-40). He discovered Haydn in 1740 and was his master till 1749, when he turned him off abruptly because his voice was no longer available.

Franz Tuma (d. 1774), a Bohemian theorbist, studied under Czernohorsky of Prague and Fux of Vienna, was choirmaster to the Empress Elizabeth in