Johann Ernst Altenburg (1734 – 1801) was a German
composer, organist and trumpeter. He is not to be
confused with a similarly named composer in the 1620s
who contributed to the collection Angst der Hellen und
Friede der Seelen. He was born in Weißenfels. His
father, Johann Kaspar Altenburg (1688–1761), worked
from 1709 as a field trumpeter under Johann Adolf II,
Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, and from 1711 as head
trumpeter for the duke's brother, Duke Christian von
Sachsen-Weissenfels at his re...(+)
Johann Ernst Altenburg (1734 – 1801) was a German
composer, organist and trumpeter. He is not to be
confused with a similarly named composer in the 1620s
who contributed to the collection Angst der Hellen und
Friede der Seelen. He was born in Weißenfels. His
father, Johann Kaspar Altenburg (1688–1761), worked
from 1709 as a field trumpeter under Johann Adolf II,
Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, and from 1711 as head
trumpeter for the duke's brother, Duke Christian von
Sachsen-Weissenfels at his residence, Castle
Neu-Augustusburg in Weissenfels. Here, Johann Ernst
Altenburg was born on 15 June 1734. By age 18 the young
Altenburg had received a formal acquittal as trumpeter.
He studied organ for at most two years with Johann
Theodor Roemhildt and Johann Christoph Altnikol.
From Merseburg and Landsberg near Halle, where he
worked for a brief time as an organist, he went to
Bitterfeld in 1767 and received his lifetime post as an
organist. He stayed at this post until his death on 14
May 1801, although the post was hardly sufficient.
As a composer he is most well known for his six
harpsichord sonatas. Altenburg achieved musicological
importance through his publication Versuch einer
Anleitung zur heroisch-musikalischen Trompeter- und
Paukerkunst (An Essay on the Introduction to Heroic and
Musical Trumpeters' and Kettledrummers' Art) (Halle,
1795). These can be considered the oldest printed
German trumpet studies and are thus the most meaningful
resource of old trumpet technique. At the time of the
printing, the greater part of the text had been in
development for about 25 years. An advertisement for
the publication appears in Johann Adam Hiller's
Musikalischen Nachrichten in 1770. The earliest known
reference to the manuscript is found in a letter of
Altenburg's from February 1767.
Altenburg drew together the entire "knowledge" of the
art of the trumpet of his time—certainly a concern
considering his embossed, interpretive ways. He uses at
least 108 works from at least 104 notably well-known
authors, as well as new, further, anonymous authors.
However, the literature he quotes mainly covers topics
in general history, law, and religion. Altenburg's work
is associated with contemporary instrumental technique.
The examples cover a broad scope of trumpet history,
which emerge with thorough analysis as back projection
of Altenburg's ideal picture of trumpet practice in his
society. Altenburg constructs an unbroken tradition of
trumpet practice from Old Testament times (Aron's son)
to his own time and lifts from that the claim of an
even higher societal reputation for the trumpeter.
In this work some small compositions of mostly unclear
authorship are offered. For example, there is a tiny
duet for two clarion, a bourée for two clarion, a trio
in the form of a polonaise, and a chorale for three
clarion, principal trumpet, and drum, among others.
Furthermore, he offers an addendum containing a
concerto for seven clarion with drums. A small fugue
for two clarion lifted from a work by Heinrich Ignaz
Franz Biber nearly a century earlier also appears.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Ernst_Altenburg).
Although originally written for 7 Clarion & Drums, I
created this Interpretation of the Concerto in C Major
for Woodwind Quintet (Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, French
Horn & Bassoon).
PARTITION