Thomaskantor


Thomaskantor is the common name for the musical director of the Thomanerchor, now an internationally known boys' choir founded in Leipzig in 1212. The official historic title of the Thomaskantor in Latin, Cantor et Director Musices, describes the two functions of cantor and director. As the cantor, he prepared the choir for service in four Lutheran churches, Thomaskirche, Nikolaikirche, Neue Kirche and Peterskirche. As director, he organized music for city functions such as town council elections and homages. Functions related to the university took place at the Paulinerkirche.
Johann Sebastian Bach was the most famous Thomaskantor, from 1723 to 1750.

Position

Leipzig has had a university dating back to 1409, and is a commercial center, hosting a trade fair first mentioned in 1165. It has been mostly Lutheran since the Reformation. The position of Thomaskantor at Bach's time has been described as "one of the most respected and influential musical offices of Protestant Germany.
The readings and required music of the Lutheran services in Leipzig were regulated in detail. The Church Book lists the prescribed readings, repeated every year. The church year began with the First Sunday in Advent and was divided in feast days, fasting
periods and the feast-less time after Trinity Sunday. For music, there was mainly no concert music such as a cantata during the fasting times of Advent and Lent. Modest music was performed during the second half of the church year, and rich music with more complex instrumentation and more services per day on feast days. Christmas, Easter and Pentecost were celebrated for three days each, and many other feast days were observed. The library of St. Thomas contained works in vocal polyphony from the fifteenth century onward.
The Thomaskantor reported to the city council, the rector of the Thomasschule and the church superintendent. He had the duty to prepare the choir for service in the city's four Lutheran churches: the main churches Thomaskirche and the Nikolaikirche, and also the Neue Kirche and the Peterskirche.
As cantor, the Thomaskantor had to compose and take care of copying, rehearsals and performances. He also had to teach music and general subjects. He took part in the admission process for new students to the school. The choir was divided in groups: the most advanced singers performed a cantata every Sunday, alternating between St. Thomas and St. Nicholas, a second group sang at the other church, beginners on feast days at the smaller churches. On high holidays, the cantata was performed in both churches, a morning service in one and a vespers service in the other. To earn additional funding, the choir performed also for weddings and funerals.
As director of music, the Thomaskantor was Leipzig's "senior musician", responsible for the music on official occasions such as town council elections and homages. Functions related to the university took place at the Paulinerkirche.
Today, the Thomaskantor leads the music in services at the Thomaskirche, including weekly afternoon services called Motette which often contain a Bach cantata. He also conducts the choir in recordings and on tours.

Known holders of the position

The following table shows the names of the known people in the position, and their time of service, in chronological order from the Reformation to now.
No.No. after BachImageNameTenureBornDiedNotes
1Georg Rhau1518–1520
in Eisfeld
in Wittenberg
2Johannes Galliculus1520–1525
in Dresden
in Leipzig
3Valerian Hüffeler1526–1530
4Johannes Hermann1531–1536 1515
in Zittau		 22 April 1593
in Freiberg
5Wolfgang Jünger1536–1539
in Sayda		 4 March 1564
in Großschirma
6Johannes Bruckner1539–1540
7Ulrich Lange1540–1549 1549
in Leipzig
8Wolfgang Figulus1549–1551
in Naumburg		 1589
in Meißen
9Melchior Heger1553–1564 in Brüx
10Valentin Otto1564–1594 1529
in Markkleeberg		 April 1594
11Sethus Calvisius1594–1615
in Gorsleben		 24 November 1615
in Leipzig
12Johann Hermann Schein1615–1630 20 January 1586
in Grünhain
in Leipzig
13Tobias Michael1631–1657 13 June 1592
in Dresden		 26 June 1657
in Leipzig
14Sebastian Knüpfer1657–1676 6 September 1633
in Asch		 10 October 1676
in Leipzig
15Johann Schelle1677–1701 6 September 1648
in Geising		 10 March 1701
in Leipzig
16Johann Kuhnau1701–1722 6 April 1660
in Geising		 5 June 1722
in Leipzig
17Johann Sebastian Bach1723–1750 21 March 1685
in Eisenach		 28 July 1750
in Leipzig
181Johann Gottlob Harrer1750–1755 1703
in Görlitz		 9 July 1755
in Karlsbad
192Johann Friedrich Doles1756–1789 23 April 1715
in Steinbach-Hallenberg		 8 February 1797
in Leipzig		Longest-serving in the role.
203Johann Adam Hiller1789–1801 25 December 1728
in Wendisch-Ossig		 16 June 1804
in Leipzig		1781–1785 Gewandhauskapellmeister
214August Eberhard Müller1801–1810 13 December 1767
in Northeim		 3 December 1817
in Weimar		1810–1817 Großherzoglich-Sächsischer Hofkapellmeister
225Johann Gottfried Schicht1810–1823 29 September 1753
in Reichenau		 16 February 1823
in Leipzig
236Christian Theodor Weinlig1823–1842 25 July 1780
in Dresden		 7 March 1842
in Leipzig		1814–1817 Kreuzkantor
247Moritz Hauptmann1842–1868 13 October 1792
in Dresden		 3 January 1868
in Leipzig
258Ernst Friedrich Richter1868–1879 24 October 1808
in Großschönau		 9 April 1879
in Leipzig
269Wilhelm Rust1880–1892 15 August 1822
in Dessau		 2 May 1892
in Leipzig
2710Gustav Schreck1893–1918 8 September 1849
in Zeulenroda		 22 January 1918
in Leipzig
2811Karl Straube1918–1939 6 January 1873
in Berlin		 27 April 1950
in Leipzig
2912Günther Ramin1939–1956 15 October 1898
in Karlsruhe		 27 February 1956
in Leipzig
3013Kurt Thomas1957–1960 25 May 1904
in Tönning		 31 March 1973
in Bad Oeynhausen
31141961–1972 29 December 1903
in Mauersberg / Marienberg
in Leipzig
3215Hans-Joachim Rotzsch1972–1991 25 April 1929
in Leipzig		 24 Sept. 2013
in Leipzig
3316Georg Christoph Biller1992–2015
in Nebra
3417Gotthold Schwarz2016–
in Zwickau