Christian Cannabich

The Classical period in classical music is generally given as 1730 to 1820, not quite a century and much of which galant serves as a bridge from baroque. Christian Cannabich is firmly planted in the soil of the classical period and helped make the Mannheim school an important bridge to the classical with its large symphonic orchestra of fifty instruments. Like the origins of rock n roll to which one can pin a lot of early R&B artists over a range of several years without naming any singular "father" of rock, so is Cannabich joined to a bunch consisting of such as Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, Johann Christian Bach, Joseph Haydn and Leopold Hofmann as a so-called patriarchy of the Classical. Though Cannabich and Mozart, the latter a generation younger, led separate careers they associated on numerous occasions. Mozart instructed Cannabich's daughter, Rose, at piano and dedicated his 'Piano Sonata 7 in C Major' to her.

The new age neoclassical group formed in 1974, Mannheim Steamroller [YouTube], was named after the Mannheim Roller of the Mannheim school which is a rising crescendo over an ostinato bass line. Other characteristics of the Mannheim school included the disappearance of the baroque basso continuo and minimal use of counterpoint. The Mannheim symphony of four movements employed the sonata form for its first and introduced the menuet as its third.

Cannabich left behind forty ballets, thirty sonatas and 75 symphonies amidst much else. Popped from the oven in Mannheim (Holy Roman Empire / Germany) in 1731 for cooling off with baptismal waters on 28 December, Cannabich's father was a flute and oboe player to the Mannheim court. Cannabich became a scholar violinist in the Mannheim court orchestra in 1744 as he studied under Johann Stamitz, then a full member two years later. In 1750 he visited Rome on the Palatinate's (Duke Charles Theodore of Sulzbach) tab to study beneath Niccolò Jommelli. He studied under Giovanni Battista Sammartini in Milan in 1756. By 1757 Cannabich was ready to assume Stamitz' position as first violinist to the court of Mannheim.

Cannabich's first of not a few trips to Paris occurred in 1764. He was granted royal permission to publish in France in 1766. One source has this resulting in one book of symphonies and one book of trios (probably involving flute and violin). In 1774 Cannabich became director of the Mannheim court orchestra, requiring him to compose for ballet though he had already been busy with that form since at least 1768. This orchestra was moved to Munich in 1778 when Theodore became elector of Bavaria.

There is no proper verseichnis of complete works for Cannabich of which I know. To date his compositions or publications is a helter skelter dive, arriving here via "the best that I can determine." Only symphonies are addressed in Hugo Riemann's 'Sinfonien der Pfalzbayerischen Schule' of 1902 which has Christian composing symphonies as early 1766. Cannabich's Opus 1 was 'Six Quartets' scored for flute, violin, viola and continuo. IMSLP hesitates to give Op 1 a publishing date, though Earsense provides 1767. Cannabich's Op 2 is 'Six Duettes for Flute and Violin'. Again, IMSLP demurs to estimate a date, though Musicalics proffers 1774. There is a difference between Cannabich numbers (his own) and Op numbers. For all I can ascertain Op numbers ascribed to Cannabich own discrepancies as well, since IMSLP has Christian's Op 3 which is 'Six Trios a deux Violons et Violoncelle' arriving in 1773, yet lists 'Six Symphonies' as Cannabich's Op 4 published earlier in 1766. His Op 5 which is 'Six String Quartets' saw print in 1767 according to Earsense, IMSLP and RISM. Cannabich's Op 6 and Op 9 are nowhere mentioned online at all that I can find. His Op 7 contains quintets for flute at an unknown date. His Op 8 was probably a set of six symphonies also published at an unknown time. His Op 10 which saw print in 1772 contains six symphonies. What opuses followed are indeterminable.

Cannabich's stage works aren't assigned opus numbers. His determinably earliest ballets are listed at Musicalics as 'Renaud et Armide' and 'Roland Furieux' as of 1768. Cannabich's melodrama, 'Electra', probably arrived about 1781. His opera, 'Le croisée' ('The Crossroads'), arrived as late as 1788, his last work with an estimable date, albeit with ten years left to his career. Cannabich's stage works were reportedly meh at the time and are in no great demand now. He more excelled at chamber, concert or symphonies, including Mozart's seal of approval, though of all that he wrote only a small number receive attention. (Mozart, by the way, was a friendly critic, a guy with a compliment for one and all. Which probably helped as a teacher.)

Titles below are not in chronological order. We begin with the ballet suite, 'Les fetes du seraïl' ('Facts of the harem'), with a Turkish theme set in a seraglio. It isn't known when Christian authored or premiered this work including Turkish instruments, though it was probably inspired by Jean-Georges Noverre's 'Les fêtes du sérail' of 1758. Cannabich's chamber quartet from Op 1 was published in 1767 per Earsense. Of the several symphonies, I've identified the date of only the first, Op 10 No.6, which is Cannabich No.52 of 1772. I wrap this presentation with Christian's melodrama, 'Electra', of 1781.

Cannabich died on 20 January 1798 while visiting his son who also played violin, Carl Cannabich, in Frankfurt. Carl had played in his father's orchestra and succeeded him at Munich in 1800.

Artraria

Mozart Forum

VF History (notes)

Wikipedia English

Wikipedia Español

Wikipedia Français

Audio of Cannabich: Classical Archives   Naxos   Presto   Tracklib

Compositions / Works:

All Music

Sinfonien der Pfalzbayerischen Schule (Mannheimer Symphoniker) (Hugo Riemann / Breitkpf & Hartel / 1902)

The Mannheim School:

Conservapedia

Gerald Drebes

LCS Productions

Chris Whent (HOASM)

Wikipedia

Recordings of Cannabich: Catalogs:

Discogs   Music Brainz   Muziekweb   RYM

Recordings of Cannabich: Select:

Die Mannheimer Schule (by the Camerata Bern directed by Thomas Furi / 1992)

Symphonies Nos. 47-52 (1772) (Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia / Uwe Grodd / Naxos / 2000)

Symphonies Nos. 59, 63, 64, 67 and 68 (Lukas Consort / Viktor Lukas / Naxos / 2000)

Scores / Sheet Music:

Gallica (digital copies)

IMSLP (digital copies)

Internet Archive (digital copies)

Musicalics (vendor)

ScorSer

Authority Search: BNF Data   Deutsche Nationalbibliothek   VIAF

Other Profiles: HOASM   Wikipedia Deutsch   Wikipedia Japanese