Carl Friedrich Zelter

Biography

He was born in Berlin, and trained to become a mason like his father, but his musical talent showed through. He studied composition under Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, joining his Berlin Singakademie in 1791. When Fasch died in 1800, Zelter became director. He also started an orchestra to accompany the Singakademie, called the Ripienschule (1808). The following year, he became a faculty member of the Royal Academy of the Arts in Berlin and also founded the Liedertafel, for which he wrote choral music. In 1822 he founded the Royal Institute for Church Music.

Zelter became friendly with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and his works include settings of Goethe's poems. During his career, he composed about two hundred lieder, as well as cantatas, a viola concerto and piano music.

Amongst Zelter's pupils (at different times) were Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny Mendelssohn and Giacomo Meyerbeer. Felix Mendelssohn was perhaps Zelter's favourite pupil and Zelter wrote to Goethe boasting of the 12-year old's abilities. Zelter communicated his strong love of the music of Bach to Mendelssohn, one consequence of which was the latter's 1829 revival of J. S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion at the Singakademie under Zelter's auspices. This sparked a general re-evaluation and revival of Bach's works which by that time were largely forgotten and regarded as old-fashioned and beyond resuscitation. Mendelssohn had hoped to succeed Zelter on the latter's death as leader of the Singakademie, but the post went instead to Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen.

Zelter was married to Julie Pappritz in 1796, one year after his first wife, Sophie Eleonora Flöricke, née Kappel had died. Julie was a well-known singer at the Berlin Opera.

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