In central Germany the drift away from contrapuntal methods was delayed by the influence of a few masters more or less of the older order:—
Johann Gottfried Walther (d. 1748) and J. S. Bach were closely related through their mothers, were intimate friends and artistically akin. Walther was brought up at Erfurt, where he was organist from 1702, removing thence in 1707 to be town-organist and later court-musician at Weimar. He was famous as a player and traveled much to perfect his knowledge of organ styles. Most of his extant works are chorale-elaborations, in which he was almost as successful as Bach. He was the author of the first musical dictionary (see sec. 141).
David Heinichen (d. 1729) attended the Thomasschule at Leipsic, studied law there and practised at Weissenfels, but from about 1709 devoted himself to music at Leipsic. In 1713, wealthy patrons, one of whom was the Prince of Cöthen whom Bach later served, enabled him to travel and work in Italy, whence in 1718 he returned to Dresden as court-choirmaster. Besides his operatic and instrumental works and a manual of figured bass (1711), he wrote much church music, chiefly masses and motets for the Catholic service, with 2 oratorios. At first he cultivated the older styles, but ultimately adopted the easier Italian methods. Technically he preceded Bach in advocating free fingering and the entire circle of keys in modulation. His assistant from 1719 and his successor was Johann Dismas Zelenka (d. 1745), a Bohemian whose tireless industry produced over 20 masses, 3 requiems, 100 psalms, 3 oratorios, many motets, etc. (from 1712).
Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel (d. 1749), after good training at Schneeberg, entered Leipsic University in 1707 and profited by the musical opportunities of the city. From 1710 he was busily engaged, chiefly upon opera-writing, at Breslau, in Italy, at Prague, Bayreuth and Gera successively, and in 1719 became court-musician at Gotha. He produced a prodigious amount of music, chiefly sacred, including 8 double annual cantata-cycles, 14 Passions, many masses, festival music, etc., besides secular works. He was an accomplished contrapuntist, especially notable for the vigor of his accompaniments and often for the difficulty of his voice-writing, and his work commanded the respect of Bach.
Johann Friedrich Fasch (d. 1758), fellow-student with Stolzel at Leipsic from 1707, diligently cultivated the popular style of Kuhnau and Telemann, was variously employed for some years at Naumburg, Darmstadt, Gera and Zeitz, and from 1722 was court-musician at Zerbst (having failed to win the cantorate at Leipsic which Bach secured). His church compositions include many Passions, oratorios, cantatas, etc., besides instrumental works.
Christoph Förster (d. 1745), pupil of Heinichen, from 1717 was court-composer at Merseburg. He is said to have written over 300 works, including a cantata-cycle and many other cantatas in the Italian style, but his works are confused with those of the earlier Kaspar Förster (d. 1673).
Two other prolific and learned writers of the period, in eastern and southern Germany respectively, were Georg Gebel [Sr.] (d. 1750), organist at Breslau from 1713, and Meinrad Spiess (d. 1761), of the monastery of Irrsee.
It is to be noted that all these composers were close contemporaries of
Bach and Handel, and serve with them to characterize the important
transitional period in German church music from 1700 to 1750.
