Sebastiani Johann, *30 September 1622, near Weimar, †buried 2 February 1683 Königsberg [now Kaliningrad], German composer. He probably studied in Italy and settled in Königsberg around 1650, where, on 11 September 1661, he became Kapellmeister to the Elector of Brandenburg and music director at the Schlosskirche [castle church] and other churches in the city.
A central place in Sebastiani’s oeuvre is occupied by the St Matthew Passion, composed around 1663. It marked the beginning of the German tradition of large-scale Passion settings and – alongside similar works by H. Schütz (1666), C. Flora (1668) and J. Theil (1673) – is often compared to J.S. Bach’s Passion. It is also regarded as the first Passion to make use of chorales, often for solo voice with accompaniment. The repetition of certain chorale melodies serves to unify the multi-movement composition, which consists of a sequence of strophic arias, recitatives, five-part choruses and sinfonias. The instruments mostly duplicate the vocal parts; the violins accompany the part of Christ, whilst the violas accompany the other parts. In terms of compositional technique, Sebastiani’s Passion remains strongly influenced by the stile antico. Sebastiani’s songs, particularly those from the Parnass-Blumen collections, are in the style of J. Rist’s Hamburg school. They are characterised by simplicity of expression, chordal texture, a syllabic style and the use of folk melodies.
Literature: B. Smallman The Background of Passion Music. J.S. Bach and his Predecessors, London 1957, expanded edition 1970; W. Braun Die mitteldeutsche Choralpassion im 18. Jahrhundert, Berlin 1960; W. Braun Johann Sebastiani (1622–1683) und die Musik in Königsberg, in: Norddeutsche und nordeuropäische Musik, eds. C. Dahlhaus, W. Wiora, Kassel 1965; J. Trilupaitienė Dwa utwory Johanna Sebastianiego in: Complexus effectuum musicologiae: Studia Miroslao Perz septuagenario dedicata, ed. T. Jeż, Krakow 2003; W. Braun “Preussisches” im pastorello musicale von 1663, “Jahrbuch des Staatlichen Instituts für Musikforschung Preußischer Kulturbesitz” XXXVII, 2005; M. Lisiecka Nieznana aria Johanna Sebastianiego ze zbiorów Biblioteki Głównej Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu in: Czasy–muzyka–twórcy na Pomorzu i Kujawach, ed. M. Zieliński, Bydgoszcz 2014; M. Maul Zwischen Königsberg, Brieg, Venedig und Paris: Johann Sebastianis Pastorello musicale (1663) und sein Kontext in: Dichtung und Musik im Umkreis der Kürbishütte: Königsberger Poeten und Komponisten des 17. Jahrhunderts, eds. A. Walter, P. Tenhaef, Berlin 2016.
Compositions:
Christliche Betrachtung des Todes der Durchläuchtigste Fürst und Herr Boguslav Radziwill for 1 voice, 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 zither, basso continuo, Königsberg [now Kaliningrad] 1670
Das Leyden und Sterben unsers Herrn und Heylandes Jesu Christi nach dem heiligen Matthaeo, for 5 voices, 2 violins, 4 violas and basso continuo, Königsberg 1672
Erster Theil der Parnass-Blumen, 60 songs for 3–5 voices with basso continuo, including 4 by H. Albert, J. Reinhard and J. Weichmann, published in Königsberg in 1672
Christlicher Leich-Text, for 15 voices and basso continuo, Königsberg 1673
Ander Theil der Parnass-Blumen, 67 songs for solo voice with basso continuo, including 6 bearing the signature J.G., Hamburg 1675
11 works in: Preussisches neu verbessert-vollständiges (…) Gesangbuch, Königsberg 1675
Tanzen ist der Liebe Schul, wedding dance, Königsberg 1678
16 dirges for 5 voices and basso continuo, Königsberg 1663, 1664, 1666, 1667, 1670, 1676, 1678, 1679, 1680
4 motets for 7–15 voices, manuscript held at the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin and the Uppsala universitetsbibliotek
Pastorello musicale oder Verliebtes Schäferspiel, 1663, manuscript of Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
lost:
ca. 85 occasional pieces from 1653–82
4 sacred works from the former Königsberg Bibliothek
Works:
Kurtze Nachricht, wie die Passion am Char-Freytage in einer recitirenden Harmonie abgehandelt…, Königsberg 1686 (authorhip uncertain)
Editions:
13 songs in: Die Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder, ed. J. Zahn, vols. 1–6, Gütersloh 1889–93, reprint 1963
Matthäuspassion, ed. F. Zelle, «Denkmäler Deutscher Tonkunst» XVII, Leipzig 1904
Wer, o Jesu, deine Wunden, ed. J. Müller-Blattau, «Das Erbe Deutscher Musik», 2nd series, «Ostpreussen und Danzig», issue 1, Kassel 1939
Pastorello musicale oder Verliebtes Schäferspiel, ed. M. Maul, J. Röling, Beeskow 2005
