HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg

Born on 21 November 1718 in Marpurgsdorf, Germany, Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg is representative of music criticism during the Age of Enlightenment (Age of Reason) stretching broadly from the humanism of the Renaissance to the Napoleonic defeat of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. It might be more narrowly dated from Isaac Newton's 'Principia Mathematica' in 1687, or the death of Louis XIV (Baroque Sun King) in 1715 commencing the reign of Louis XV (the Beloved), to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. Marpurg was less a composer then music theorist, joining Johann Mattheson (1681-1764) as one of the earliest music critics [music criticism / Ellis]. Antonie at Classical Music Diary (CMD) has Marpurg arriving to a well-off family with a mayor for a grandfather and probably private tutoring as a youth. Come 1738 he was studying law at the University of Jena before transferring to Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in 1739. While at university Marpurg wrote something troublesome concerning a high-ranking academic at Jena. Just what this was remains a mystery to me, but it was sufficient to get him sentenced to prison by Frederick I (Soldier King) of Prussia, father of Frederick II (aka the Great). Making flight to Normandy, he there studied the French music of Jean-Philippe Rameau and François Couperin [CMD].

Frederick II himself had run away from his father in 1738. His return and subsequent reign in 1740 upon the death of Frederick I spelled Marpurg's ability to return to Prussia. In either 1744 or 1746 he became secretary to Prussian general, Friedrich Rudolf von Rothenburg, in Paris where he now met Rameau as well as Jean le Rond d'Alembert and Voltaire, authors representative of the Enlightenment. Upon returning to Berlin with Rameau in mind, Marpurg pursued his education, presumably yet in law, to completion in 1748.

The first edition of Marpurg's weekly critical periodical appeared in 1749: 'Der Critische Musicus an der Spree' [digital copy]. As Marpurg's career was heavily literary, it is apt here to touch a little on the history of publishing. Gazettes had been written or carved since ancient times by Chinese and Romans, placed in public areas for reading. Books got copied by hand until Johannes Gutenberg's printing press circa 1440 which opened the gates to mass circulation, newspapers and other periodicals. As for publishing scores, plainchant saw print as early as Ulrich Han's 'Missale Romanum' of 1476. The first to print more difficult polyphony, however, was also the first major publisher of sheet music, Ottaviano Petrucci of Venice, starting with his 'Harmonice Musices Odhecaton' of 1501. Petrucci's triple plate method was improved circa 1520 in England by John Rastell's single plate pass, followed in France in 1528 by major publisher, Pierre Attaingnant's, 'Chansons nouvelles en musique à quatre parties'.

Marpurg published further works in prose in the fifties including two volumes of 'Abhandlung von der Fuge' in 1753 and 1754 [digital copy], then a volume of compositions in 1756 titled 'Neue Lieder zum Singen beim Klavier' [digital copy]. Dates for samples of Marpurg herein are unverified. 'Abhandlung von der Fuge' shares the same year as 'Fugue in D minor' below, but I've not been able to determine that they are related.

'Fugue in D minor' Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg Published in 1753

Organ: Rolf Uusväli

'Partita Sesta C major' Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg 1756

Sibelius / Harpsichord: Pau NG

Marpurg became employed with the Royal Prussian Lotteries in 1760, becoming director in 1763. Though a little off topic, lottery history is an interesting detour: Lotteries had been in use in China since before the birth of Christ. They were one way that the Great Wall of China got financed. Romans funded projects with lotteries as well. Lotteries disappeared during the Dark Ages to reemerge in the 15th century in towns of the Low Countries, then Milan in 1499. Though not the first European lottery, the first record of a town lottery in Netherlands was for walls and fortifications, documenting 4,304 tickets sold for a prize of 1,737 florins, about $170,000 today. Lotteries were also held to feed the poor. Lotteries are about making someone rich upon a mere stroke of luck. But what if instead of only playing the game you could game the system, which bankers have been doing for centuries via fractional reserve lending, a clever though less than straight and up front procedure, at the source of wars, civil wars and assassinations? Many are familiar with the legend of Nathan Mayer Rothschild making a dynastic fortune through the British stock market — another sort of lottery believe some — with the assistance of a pigeon and a false message as to who won the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon or Wellington, in 1815. A more modern example of gaming the system is George Soros who made a billionaire of himself by shorting the British pound on Black Wednesday of 1992. Enlightenment philosopher, Voltaire, made a multimillionaire of himself when Marpurg was ten years old by outmaneuvering the French Lottery in 1729 with the assistance of mathematician, Charles Marie de La Condamine, and some investors "in the know" along with a notary likewise who sold the tickets. Though not entirely honest it was scrupulous "enough" to be legal as compromise proved itself to be functional yet again for at least a few. The military industrial complex of which Eisenhower made aware, relevant as well to the assassination of a couple Kennedys and the destruction of several buildings on 9/11 of 2001, is nothing new. As soon as Voltaire got that version of the French lottery shut down because it could be scammed he kept his new-found snowball on the roll by investing in army equipment. Marpurg lived in the Age of Reason, having since advanced to such enlightenment as a lot of bad code on purpose or otherwise, hacking by the worthless so they can pretend any at all, and garbage galore in the form of smartphones. Jabba the Hutt is consuming as never before as some lucky though select few continue being richer than ever at someone else's expense.

Marpurg wrote numerous volumes of both music criticism and compositions throughout the sixties and into the seventies. As often goes with reasoning, the esteem with which Marpurg's books were held led to some long-enduring scholastic confusion upon his 1776 'Versuch über die musikalische Temperatur' in which he confused Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Das Wohltemperirte Clavier' with equal temperament. This somehow passed as the case for a century until later examination by Robert Holford Bosanque found Bach's well-temperament to be distinct from equal in his 1876 'An Elementary Treatise on Musical Intervals and Temperament' later supported in H. Kelletat's 'Zur musikalischen Temperatur' in 1960.

In 1786 Marpurg published his musical almanac, 'Legende einiger Musikheiligen'. His last known authorship was his 1795 treatise titled 'Abhandlung über die Orgel und Material zu einer Geschichte der Orgel' included in Ernst Ludwig Gerber's 'Neues historisch-biographisches lexikon der Tonku̇nstler' of 1812 [digital copy]. We wrap this presentation of Marburg further below with a chorale prelude for 'Jesu meine Freude' ('Jesus My Joy') composed on a date I've not been able to determine.