At Munich the list is also striking—Johann Kaspar Kerll (d. 1693), most famous as an organist, who as court-choirmaster led the way with 4 operas (1657-68); Giuseppe Ercole Bernabei (d. 1688), choirmaster from 1671, with 5 (1674-86), though chiefly engaged in church music; Giuseppe Antonio Bernabei (d. 1732), his son and successor, with 15 (1678-91); Agostino Steffani (d. 1728), a protégé of the Elector from boyhood, court-organist in 1675-88 (see Hanover below), a highly trained and efficient composer, who brought out here his first operas (from 1681); and, as a link with the next century, Pietro Torri (see sec. 125).
At Dresden the dominant influence in the middle of the century was that of Schütz, whose two early dramas have been mentioned. But the Italian Giovanni Andrea Bontempi (d. 1705), coming from Venice to be court-choirmaster about 1650, brought out here 3 operas (1662-73); and Carlo Pallavicino ended his career here in 1688, his last work being completed by Strunck. For a quarter-century operatic interest was slight, until revived by the important works of Lotti in 1717.
At Hanover the one name of importance is Steffani, already named at Munich, who was court-choirmaster from 1688 till succeeded in 1710 by Handel, producing some 10 operas with signal success, his mature style comparing favorably with that of his greater contemporaries. It was here that his gifts as a political agent secured him honors from the Elector and a bishopric from the Pope.
At Brandenburg and Berlin under the patronage of the Prussian court the giving of operas began just before 1700 with some small works by Karl Friedrich Rieck (d. 1704), the royal choirmaster, and a few by visiting musicians. Progress then waited till the opening of an opera-house and the advent of Graun about 1740.
That which gave Hamburg its peculiar eminence in opera at
the opening of the 18th century was the marked ability of two
composers, Kusser and Keiser, both Germans, but both sensitive
to cosmopolitan influences.
Johann Sigismund Kusser [Cousser] (d. 1727), a musician's son at Pressburg,
received his first training there and at Stuttgart. He moved much from
place to place in his career, being from 1682 court-musician at Stuttgart, from
1683 at Strassburg, from about 1690 at Brunswick (or Wolfenbüttel), from 1693
director of the Hamburg opera, from 1698 at Stuttgart again, from 1704 teaching
singing in London, and from 1710 viceroyal choirmaster at Dublin. His
talents as organizer and leader immediately advanced the Hamburg opera to
importance, so that he is said to have been the first really to establish in Germany
the well-developed Italian art of dramatic singing. He wrote 11 operas,
of which 7 were produced at Brunswick (from 1690), 3 more at Hamburg (from
1693) and 1 at Stuttgart (1698). Only one, Jason (1697), has survived entire.
His style was not far removed from that of the singspiel.
Reinhard Keiser (d. 1739), born near Weissenfels in 1674 and trained by his father and at the Thomasschule in Leipsic, stands out as the most famous name in the early German opera, though in absolute genius not of the highest
