Binder, Christlieb Siegmund (EN)

Binder Christlieb Siegmund, baptised 29 July 1723 Dresden, †1 January 1789 Dresden, German composer, harpsichordist, organist and pantaleonist (initially, the name pantaleon referred to an improved cymbal; between 1730 and 1800, many keyboard instruments were called pantaleon, pandalong, pandaleon or pantalon-clavier). He received his education from P. Hebenstreit, joined the orchestra of King Augustus III of Poland in Dresden in 1751, and became the organist of the Catholic Hofkirche there in 1764. Binder composed exclusively instrumental music, drawing on Baroque traditions on the one hand while incorporating Classical elements on the other. From the Baroque era, he adopted the suite form, the fugue form, references to the unmeasured prelude, the French overture, the Baroque concerto and the stylised dances. He also used polyphonic or polyphonic textures and contrapuntal techniques. Referring to the galant, empfindsamer Stil, Sturm und Drang and classical styles, he adapted a form similar to the sonata or sonata form, using periodicity, thematic work and homophonic texture, often emphasised by Alberti bass. He also used elaborate figurations, rich ornamentation, surprising harmonic changes, textures, types of movement, tempo, registers and character, as well as flowing melodics and the wide range of the instrument. 

He was one of the most important precursors of the new musical aesthetic that emerged in the 18th century and led to the consolidation of the classical style. His works for harpsichord are considered his most valuable, revealing the influence of C.Ph.E. Bach and J.A. Hasse. R. Engländer believed that “Binder had in the Dresden circle the same position as C.Ph.E. Bach in Berlin.”

Literature: P. Tkaczyk Stylistyczna różnorodność w twórczości Christlieba Siegmunda Bindera na przykładzie zbioru Sonat Klawesynowych op. 1 – między barokiem a klasycyzmem, Krakow 2017.