Re : Re: Handel, Carrillo, Ives, Kirnberger, enharmonic

Johnny Reinhard:

> Apparently, Werckmeister was hired at the same time as Buxtehude to a post of
> administrative assistant. This is from a biography of Buxtenude on the net.
>
> "Buxtehude est choisi le 11 avril 1668. Au meme moment, il faut omme
> Werkmeister, un poste comprenant les taches de secretaire, de tresorier et
> d'agent administratif de l'eglise; ce poste, comportant un salaire distinct,
> etait normalement devolu a l'organiste."
>
> Wim, can you or someone else help give a specific translation?
>
> Well, this helps explain the close connection between Bux and W.
>
> Johnny Reinhard

Johnny, obviously this French text is a translation out of Buxtehude's
biography in the New Grove dictionary of Music. The original reads as
follows (Vol.3, page 526):

With he death of Franz Tunder on 5 November 1667 the position of organist of
the Marienkirche at L�beck, one of the most important in north Germany,
became vacant. After several other organists had applied for the post and
been rejected, Buxtehude was chosen on 11 April 1668. At he same time he was
appointed Werkmeister, a post encompassing the duties of secretary,
treasurer and business manager of he church; it carried a separate salary
but as this period was given to the organist.

"Werkmeister" doesn't mean Andreas Werckmeister. It's the german word for
chief or office-manager. That's why its spelled with a capital.

However, there is a link between Buxtehude and Werckmeister The Grove
biography of Buxtehude reads on page 527:

"Poems by Buxtehude also appear in the Harmonologia musica (1702) of Andreas
Werckmeister; it was Werckmeister who conveuyed many of Buxtehude's organ
compositions to J.G.Walther, whose copies are still extant."

--Wim Hoogewerf

Ah, thanks, Wim, I finally got it. Werkmeister is the position and
Werckmeister is the person. Still, the person Werckmeister must have met up
with B. sometime during their earlier days. It would explain the
Werckmeister III small organ at St. Jacobi church in Lubeck more easily.

Johnny Reinhard