HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Georg Andreas Sorge

Born on 21 March 1703 in Mellenbach, Thuringia, in Germany, Georg Andreas Sorge is more famous as a music theorist than composer. He wrote exercises and sonatas for clavier (keyboard: harpsichord, organ), fugues, choral preludes, et al. He was hired as an organist in 1721/22 by Count Heinrich XV in Lobenstein, serving that court the remainder of his career. Beyond his literary works little is known about his life except that he was a friend of J.S. Bach.

The BachBib search engine has Sorge publishing 'Clavier Ubung bestehend in sechs nach Italiaenischen Gusto gesetzten Sonatinen' ('Clavier practice consisting of six sonatas set according to Italian tastes') as early as circa 1736.

In 1741, Sorge published his first work in music theory, 'Genealogia allegorica intervallorum octavae diatono-chromaticae' ('An allegorical genealogy of diatono-chromatic octave intervals'). More ubungen (exercises) followed circa 1739, 1740 and 1742.

In 1744 Sorge dedicated 'Drittes halbes Dutzend Sonatinen vors Clavier und Italienischen Gusto' ('Third half dozen sonatinas for piano and Italian gusto') to J.S. Bach. Come 'Erste Lieferung von XII Sonaten' ('First Delivery of 12 Sonatas') circa 1745. From 1745 to 1747 Sorge released three volumes of 'Vorgemach der musicalischen composition' ('Preparatory for musical composition') in which he examined his discovery of the combination tone, that is, the creation of a third artificial tone by the simultaneous production of two other tones. Giuseppe Tartini independently discovered the same phenomenon much earlier but didn't write about it until 'Trattato di musica secondo la vera scienza dell'armonia' in 1754. Between the sonata and chorale prelude for c 1745 below, I've not identified which preceded the other.

'Moderato' of 'Sonate I in B-Dur' Movement 1 of 4 Georg Andreas Sorge

Sonata I of III from 'Erste Lieferung von XII Sonaten' C 1745

Organ: Andreas Osiander

'Nun lob mein Seel den Herren' ('My Soul Now Praise Thy Maker') Georg Andreas Sorge

Chorale prelude from 'Vorgemach der musicalischen Composition' 1745

Organ: Andreas Osiander

Another work in which Sorge addressed temperament was his 1748 'Gespräch zwischen einem Musico theoretico und einem Studioso Musices von der Prätorianischen' ('Conversation between a Musico theorico and a Studio Musices from the Praetorian'). He published another bunch of organ sonatas that year as well. Temperament was the subject once again in 'Zuverlassige anweisung clavier und orgel tu tempiren und tu stimmen' ('Reliable instructions on how to properly temper and tune pianos and organs') of 1758. His 'Compendium harmonicum' followed in 1760 along with his first volume concerning organ design and construction, 'Die geheim gehaltene kunst der mensuration der orgelpfeiffen' ('The secret art of the scale of organ pipes'). 'Anleitung zur Fantasie' of 1767 addressed extemporaneous composition. Sorge's last publication is thought to have been another volume on organ design and construction published in 1773: 'Der in der Rechen und messkunst wohlerfahrne orgelthaumeister' ('The master organ builder who is well experienced in the art of calculation and measurement'). I wrap this little excursion into Sorge with a toccata of mysterious date. Whether from his early, middle or late career I couldn't say.