Zinck, Hardenack Otto Conrad (EN)

Zinck, Zink, Hardenack, Harnack, Hartnack, Otto Conrad, *2 July 1746 Husum, †15 February 1832, Copenhagen, German composer and instrumentalist, brother of Bendix Friedrich. He initially received basic musical training from his father. From 1767 to 1777 he lived in Hamburg, where he participated in concerts (also as a singer), taught music, and from 1768 continued his studies under C.Ph.E. Bach. In 1774 he married the alto singer Susanne Elisabeth Pontet (*1745), who was employed at the ducal court in Schwerin and Ludwigslust. Between 1777 and 1787 he served as flautist, chamber musician, and composer at the court in Ludwigslust. In autumn 1786 he travelled to Copenhagen, where he achieved success as flautist, clavichordist, and composer. In 1787, through the recommendation of J.A.P. Schulz, he was appointed first accompanist (Singmeister) at the royal court chapel, and his wife soon also obtained a court position. From 1789 to 1801 Zinck served as organist at Vor Frelsers Kirke. Between 1791 and 1811 he taught at the Blaagaard Seminary (relocated in 1808 to Jonstrup). Around 1800 he founded the Syngeinstitut in Copenhagen, (modelled on the Berlin Singakademie), and organized public concerts. He was a respected teacher and organizer of musical life. He published two works in Copenhagen and an arrangement of Choral-Melodier til den evangelisk-christelige psalmebog (1801). 

Hardenack Otto Conrad Zinck composed vocal-instrumental, chamber, and keyboard music. In Ludwigslust he wrote sacred works and occasional cantatas of popular character, often incorporating folk-song elements (e.g., in the oratorio Das Weltgericht), intended for public concerts initiated by Duke Friedrich Franz I. After moving to Copenhagen, he composed works with German and Danish texts, including four volumes of Kompositioner for sangen og klaveret, contributing, alongside composers such as J.F. Reichardt, C.F. Zelter, and J.A.P. Schulz, to the development of the 19th-century art song. In his songs, the text, both in meaning and versification, served as the starting point for a simple (sometimes more elaborate) musical setting, often with folk origins, characterized by lyrical melody and basic functional harmony. The accompaniment remained secondary, occasionally serving illustrative purposes. He treated musical material similarly in the singspiel Selim og Mirza, with a Danish libretto on an Oriental subject. 

Zinck’s keyboard works were significant in the development of Danish piano music. His sonatas are based on the transformation of a single thematic idea (without clear dual thematic contrast), using rhythmic, harmonic, and textural contrasts as well as improvisatory elements. In the preface to his 6 Clavier-Sonaten (1783), he referred to the works of C.Ph.E. Bach, J.Ph. Kirnberger, and the theoretical writings of F.W. Marpurg, which shaped his compositional approach. His poetic expressiveness and emotional depth evoke the Empfindsamer Stil, characteristic of C.Ph.E. Bach. The collection was highly praised by contemporary critics. In later works, influences of J.H. Rolle and Italian instrumental style became apparent, and he increasingly incorporated Danish folk and popular musical material. Gradually, he enriched traditional harpsichord ornamentation and figuration with pianistic effects (such as dynamic shading and resonance), which is why his works are still used in modern piano pedagogy and concert repertoire.

Literature: C.E Cramer, review of 6 Clavier-Sonaten, “Magazin der Musik” I, Hamburg 1783, repr. Hildesheim 1976; O. Kade Die Musikalien-Sammlung des Grossherzoglichen Mecklenburg-Schweriner Fürstenhauses aus den letzten zwei Jahrhunderten, 2 vols., Schwerin and Wismar 1893, repr. Hildesheim 1974; C. Meyer Geschichte der Mecklenburg-Schweriner Hofkapelle, Schwerin 1913; E. Winckel Hardenack Otto Conrad Zincks klaversonater, “Dansk musiktidsskrift” XXVI, 1951; J. Mulvad Om nodematerialer fra Jonstrup Seminarium og deres anvendelse 1811–1851, “Dansk aarbog for musikforskning” XIII, 1982; H. Glahn Omkring Hardenack Otto Conrad Zincks koralbog 1801. Nogle tilføjelser til facsimileudgavens efterskrift, “Dansk kirkesang arsskrift” XXXVI, 1998/99; F. Seils Die Ludwigsluster Choralkantaten, in: Musik in Mecklenburg, materials of the international colloquium in Rostock 24–27 September 1997, eds. K. Heller, H. Möller, A. Waczkat, Hildesheim 2000.