Himmel, Friedrich Heinrich (EN)

Himmel Friedrich Heinrich, *20 November 1765 Treuenbrietzen, †8 June 1814 Berlin, German composer and pianist. He took his first piano and organ lessons from the organist in Treuenbrietzen. From 1785, he studied theology in Halle. In 1786, he applied for the position of military chaplain in Potsdam; on this occasion, Frederick William II noticed his piano skills and awarded him a scholarship for music studies, which Himmel completed in 1787–92 with J.G. Naumann in Dresden and after, he became the court composer of the King of Prussia. He then traveled to Italy. There he received news of his appointment as royal Kapellmeister and returned to Germany in 1795. Between 1798 and 1800, while on leave, he stayed at the courts of the rulers of Russia, Denmark, and Sweden, enjoying great artistic and financial success. In 1800, he returned to Berlin. The premiere of his opera Vasco di Gama (12 January 1800) and the performance of Rosmonde by J.F. Reichardt (6 February 1801) sparked a debate in Germany about opera style, with Himmel advocating the Neapolitan school of opera and Reichardt favoring the style of Gluck’s opera. Between 1808 and 1810, Himmel stayed with the royal court in Königsberg. Until the end of his life, he traveled extensively throughout Germany and also visited Rome, Vienna, Paris, and Prague, enjoying success as a composer and pianist.

Due to his position at court, Himmel wrote many occasional compositions. His prolific output, almost forgotten by the mid-19th century, was nevertheless popular with his contemporaries and enjoyed many editions. His songs and stage works were particularly popular, including the liederspiel Frohsinn und Schwärmerey and the singspiel Fanchon das Leyermädchen. The simplicity and lightness of their melodies stemmed from Italian arias, while their simple strophic structure corresponded to the ideal of the Berlin school of song. The popularity of Himmel’s melodies also extended to Polish lands in the 19th century, as evidenced by, among others, the publication of the piano piece Polonoise favorite by the I. Klukowski Bookshop in Warsaw in a four-hand arrangement (1823), the song with a Polish text by Fr. F. Kowalski entitled Modlitwa przed bitwą (Prayer before the Battle 1832), as well as collections containing his works. Professional critics, however, did not find any innovative elements in Himmel’s music. Beethoven succinctly characterized him as a composer: “a polite talent, nothing more.” Music historians (H.J. Moser, E. Bücken) attribute a pioneering significance to some of his works – the magical opera Die Sylphen was regarded as a forerunner of Weber’s operas, while the song cycle Alexis und Ida is seen as an anticipation of Schubert’s song cycles.

Literature: M. Steuer Die Erstaufführung von Himmels „Fanchon” 1804, “Signale für die Musikalische Welt” XXXIV, 1904; A. Kohut Friedrich Heinrich Himmel, “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik” LXXXI, 1914; L. Odendahl Friedrich Heinrich Himmel. Bemerkungen zur Geschichte der Berliner Oper um die Wende des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts, a dissertation at the University of Bonn, 1914, Bonn 1917 (a fragment); L. Gelber Die Liederkomponisten A. Harder, F.H. Himmel, F.F. Hurka, C.G. Hering. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des musikalischen Liedes zu Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts, Berlin 1936; M. Erfurt-Freund Friedrich Heinrich Himmel (1765–1814). Zur Gattungsproblematik deutschsprachiger Bühnenwerke in Berlin um 1800, Saarbrücken 1993.