Heinichen, Johann David (EN)

Heinichen, Heinchen, Haenichen, Haynichen, Hänichen, Heünichen, Heyninghen, Johann David, *17 April 1683 in Krössuln (now part of Teuchern, near Weissenfels), †16 July 1729 in Dresden, German composer and music theorist. 

He was the son of pastor David Heinichen, who probably taught him the basics of music. At the age of 13, he wrote his first compositions; these were church pieces, which he reportedly conducted himself in local churches. In 1696, he became a student at the Thomasschule in Leipzig, where he studied music with J. Schelle and then with J. Kuhnau (harpsichord and organ). Between 1702 and 1706, Heinichen studied law at the University of Leipzig. Probably in 1706, he began practicing law in Weissenfels, while also composing occasional music for the local ducal court. During this time, he established close contacts with the court Kapellmeister J.Ph. Krieger and R. Keiser (his acquaintance with Keiser resulted, among other things, in the staging of Heinichen’s opera Der Karneval von Venedig in Hamburg in 1711). In 1709, he returned to Leipzig and devoted himself exclusively to music. He composed works for the city theater and also directed the Collegium Musicum operating in Lehmann’s café (am Markte). The success of his early works led to his appointment as composer at the court of Duke Moritz Wilhelm von Sachsen-Zeitz (Heinichen’s operas Olimpia vendicata and Paris und Helena were staged at the theater he built in Naumburg). Between 1710 and 1716, Heinichen stayed in Italy, where he went, as he himself wrote, to perfect his musical taste. He was initially in Venice, and in 1712 he probably spent some time in Rome, where he made contact with Prince Leopold von Anhalt-Köthen (the future patron of J.S. Bach), whom he accompanied on a trip around Italy. He then returned to Venice, where his two operas, Le passioni per troppo amore and Mario, previously commissioned by the S. Angelo theater, were successfully staged during the 1713 carnival. His cantatas also brought him considerable fame and recognition in the local music community. In Venice, Heinichen made the acquaintance of many outstanding musicians, such as A. Vivaldi, M. Gasparini, A. Lotti, and F. Pollarolo. Thanks to the recommendation of Angioletta Bianchi, an amateur singer, he met the Elector of Saxony, Frederick Augustus, later King Augustus III of Poland, who was visiting Venice at the time. In August 1716, the prince signed a contract on behalf of his father, Augustus II the Strong, hiring Heinichen as Kapellmeister of the royal court in Dresden. Before Heinichen took up his new duties, for several months, he served Frederick Augustus, who was staying in Venice with his own musical ensemble; in connection with the prince’s birthday celebrations in 1716, Heinichen composed a serenade. From 1717, Heinichen worked at the court of Augustus II the Strong alongside J.C. Schmidt (chief Kapellmeister) and A. Lotti (opera Kapellmeister); his duties included supervising instrumental and church music, as well as replacing Lotti at the theater. In Dresden, Heinichen had at his disposal an orchestra considered the best in Europe at the time; the ensemble included F.M. Veracini (violinist), J.J. Quantz (flutist), Ch. Petzold (organist), S.L. Weiss (lutenist), P. Hebenstreit (pantaleonist), J.D. Zelenka (double bass player), and the Italian opera ensemble included singers such as F. Bernardi (known as Senesino) and Vittoria Tesi. In 1718, Heinichen developed symptoms of tuberculosis, so in 1719 Zelenka took over the supervision of church music. Heinichen played a significant role in 1719 during the wedding celebrations of Prince Frederick Augustus, enhancing them with two of his own serenatas: La gara degli Dei, performed in the palace garden, and Diana sull’Elba, performed on the river. Among the performers of these works was C.H. Graun, who at the time was a student at Dresden’s Kreutzschule. Heinichen’s only opera written for the Dresden court theater, Flavio Crispo (1719/20), was never fully completed and staged due to disagreements between the composer and the Italian castrato singers (M. Berselli and F. Bernardi), who refused to perform their parts. This event was the pretext for the dissolution of the Italian opera ensemble, after which Heinichen focused his creative efforts on church music. From the early 1720s, Heinichen worked on a new version of his treatise published in 1711, but did not complete it until 1728. A year later, at the height of his fame and creative powers, he died of tuberculosis. He was buried in St. John’s Cemetery in Dresden. His compositional legacy was purchased by the Dresden court.

Heinichen was one of the leading representatives of German musical culture in the late Baroque period, directing the rich and colorful musical life of one of the most splendid European courts of the time as Kapellmeister to Augustus II the Strong. He played an important role in Dresden, among other things as a composer of Catholic sacred music (alongside J.D. Zelenka and G.A. Ristori), while remaining a Lutheran himself. Along with J.J. Quantz, C.H. and J.G. Graun, J.A. Hasse, and L. Mozart, he is considered one of the most outstanding composers of the galant style. Although none of his approximately 270 compositions were published during his lifetime, he enjoyed popularity and recognition among his contemporaries. He was highly regarded by G.F. Handel, J. Mattheson, J.A. Scheibe, J.A. Hiller, and Ch. Burney described him as the German Rameau. Heinichen’s rich oeuvre covers almost all genres cultivated at the time, except for those intended for keyboard instruments; it is marked by the influences of German, Italian, and French music; in Germany, however, he was seen primarily as an expert on the Italian style. Indeed, his several years in Italy had a strong influence on his music, as evidenced not only by his cantatas (secular) and operas, but also by his instrumental music. Heinichen’s instrumental works are highly regarded, especially his concertos and sonatas, which are clearly influenced by Vivaldi’s music; he is considered to have been one of the most interesting composers of his time in terms of instrumentation. However, Heinichen went down in music history primarily as the author of a treatise on basso continuo (the 1728 edition is in fact a new work, much broader than the original version from 1711), which for a long time was one of the most important textbooks on composition and is now a valuable source of information not only on the realization of basso continuo, but also on the aesthetic and theoretical aspects of contemporary compositional technique.

Literature: M. Fürstenau Beiträge zur Geschichte der Königlichen Sächsischen musikalischen Kapelle, Dresden 1849; M. Fürstenau Zur Geschichte der Musik und des Theaters am Hofe zu Dresden, Dresden 1861/62; G.A. Seibel Das Leben des Königlichen Polnischen und Kurfürstlichen Sächsischen Hofkapellmeisters Johann David Heinichen nebst chronologischem Verzeichnis seiner Oper und thematischem Katalog seiner Werke, Leipzig 1913, repr. Farnborough 1969; R. Tanner Heinichen als dramatischer Komponist, Leipzig 1916; G. Hausswald Johann David Heinichens Instrumentalwerke, Wolfenbüttel 1937; J. Becker-Glauch Die Bedeutung der Musik für die Dresdner Hoffeste bis in die Zeit Augusts des Starken, Kassel 1950; G.J. Buelow junior Heinichen’s Treatment of Dissonance, “Journal of Music Theory” VI, 1962; G.J. Buelow Thorough-Bass Accompaniment According to Johann David Heinichen, Berkeley (California) 1966; G.J. Buelow The „Loci Topici” and Affect in Late Baroque Music Heinichen’s Practical Demonstration, “The Music Review” XXVII, 1966; E. Schmitz Die Messen Johann David Heinichens, Hamburg 1967 (thesis); W. Horn Die Dresdner Hofkirchenmusik 1720–1745. Studien zu ihren Voraussetzungen und ihrem Repertoire, Stuttgart, Kassel, etc. 1987; R. Lorber Die italienischen Kantaten von Johann David Heinichen (1683–1729). Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Musik am Dresdner Hof in der ersten Hälfte des 18. Jh., Regensburg 1991; W. Horn Johann David Heinichen und die Musikalische Zeit. Die ›quantitas intrinseca‹ und der Begriff des Akzenttakts, “Musiktheorie” 7 (1992); K. Miehling Autographe Aufführungsdauerangaben in der Kirchenmusik von J. D. Heinichen – Ein vorläufiger Bericht, “Music und Kirche” 63 (1993); G. J. Buelow The Italian Influence in Heinichen’s ‘Der General-Bass in der Composition’ (1728), “Basler Jahrbuch für historische Musikpraxis” 18 (1994); W. Horn Notation als Repräsentation der Akzentstruktur. Die Erscheinungsformen des Zweier- und Dreiertaktes in den Autographen Johann David Heinichens, in: “Musiktheorie” 9 (1994); S. Herzog Die Sepolcri Johann David Heinichens im Umkreis der katholischen Kirchenmusik am Dresdner Hof zur Zeit Augusts des Starken, “Neues Musikwissenschaftliches Jahrbuch” 7 (1998); M. Fechner Studien zur Dresdner Uberlieferung von Instrumentalkonzerten deutscher Komponisten des 18. Jahrhunderts, Laaber 1999; W. Hader Requiem-Vertonungen in der Dresdner Hofkirchenmusik von 1720 bis 1764, Tutzing 2001; G. Poppe Über historisches Gedächtnis in der Kirchenmusik – zur Bearbeitung zweier Messen von Johann David Heinichen durch Joseph Schuster, “Händel-Jahrbuch” 47 (2001); W. Horn Heinichen, Johann David, in: Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart online (Kassel 2002); L. Lütteken Die Natur der Musik. Kompositorischer Prozeß und ästhetisches Urteil bei Johann David Heinichen, in: «‘Natur’, Naturrecht und Geschichte», Heidelberg 2010.