Nicolas-Joseph Wackenthaler

Nicolas-Joseph Wackenthaler (6 December 1840 – 19 May 1913) was a French organist and composer.

Life

Born in Sélestat (Bas-Rhin), Wackenthaler belonged to a large family of Alsatian organists:[1][2][3]

  • His grandfather, François-Joseph Wackenthaler (9 December 1767 - 17 February 1828), became organist at the St. George's Church, Sélestat around 1800 and remained so until his death in 1828.
  • His father, François-Charles Wackenthaler (31 October 1806 - 13 February 1859), 8th child of Franz Joseph, succeeded him, after his death in 1828, as organist at Saint-Georges de Sélestat Church and remained so for 31 years until his death in 1859.
  • His uncle, Joseph Wackenthaler (20 November 1795 - 3 March 1869), 2nd child of François-Joseph, was Kapellmeister from 1819, then organist from 1833 to 1869 at the Strasbourg Cathedral.
  • His uncle, François-Louis Wackenthaler (18 September 1811 - 24 May 1849), 10th child of Franz Joseph, was appointed organist at the St. Faith's Church, Sélestat around 1830 and held this position until his death in 1849.
  • His cousin, François-Xavier Joseph Wackenthaler (5 December 1823 - 11 October 1856), 2nd child of Joseph, was an organ teacher at the École Niedermeyer de Paris from the opening of the school in 1853 until his death in 1856. A young twenty years old, he was an organist at the Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune Protestant Church, then from 1847 to 1849 at the St. George's Church, Haguenau, then at the Église Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs in Paris from 1854 to his death in 1856.[4][5]

From 1853 to 1859, Wackenthaler studied at the École Niedermeyer de Paris[6] where he was a student of Louis Dietsch[7] and Georg Schmitt.[8] In 1858, he won the Grand Prix for composition[7] and the second prize for organ.[8]

From 1858 to 1876, he was employed at the École Niedermeyer as an organ and improvisation teacher.[8]

On 19 February 1859[2] in his 19th year, he succeeded his late father as organist at the St. George's Church, Sélestat.[9]

On 31 January 1867, in Geispolsheim, he married Catherine Nuss.[1]

In 1869 he settled in Dijon as a piano teacher.[7][9] A young priest, Father Trub, was subsequently appointed as organist at the St. George's Church of Sélestat.[2]

In 1875, he was appointed organist of the great organ of the Dijon Cathedral[10] succeeding thus Jacques-Reine Pâris[11] and he took office on Sunday, November 21.[7]

In 1909, when he was ill, he resigned from his position as organist.[7] After more than two years of vacancy at the console of Saint-Bénigne, his successor, Émile Poillot, was appointed on 21 December 1911.[12]

He died in Dijon, at his home at 12, rue de la Liberté, on May 19, 1913,[7] at the age of 72.

According to the testimony of his contemporaries, Wackenthaler was more appreciated as an instrumentalist and as a teacher than as a composer.[7] His organ works were sometimes attributed to his more famous uncle Joseph, because he often published them under the first name Joseph.[9]

Works

  • L’adoration des bergers, fantaisie pastorale pour les fêtes de Noël, à Madame la Comtesse de Bresson.[13]
  • Communion, dédiée à M. R. Grosjean.[14]
  • Fugue pour Orgue, dédiée à son ami M. l'Abbé Trub.[15]
  • Introduction et Fugue en ré mineur (Grand Chœur), à la mémoire de L. Niedermeyer, son illustre et regretté Maître.[16]
  • Noël varié, variations sur le Noël On dit que dans une étable.[17]
  • Offertoire, dédié à son oncle Jg. Wackenthaler, de Dieuze.[18]
  • Offertoire brillant, dédié à M. le Chanoine Naegelen, Curé de St. Georges à Schlestadt.[19]
  • Sortie - Scherzo, à son ami A. Jessel, Maître de Chapelle de la Cathédrale de Nancy.[20]
  • Verset.[21]
  • 3 Romances sans Paroles pour piano, Op.7 (1863), at S. Richault, publisher in Paris, R. 13661.[22]
  • Toccata pour orgue, Op.8.[23]

References

  1. 1 2 Pie Meyer-Siat (1974). "Les orgues Callinet de l'église Ste-Foy de Sélestat; La dynastie des Wackenthaler, organistes à Sélestat". Annuaire de la Société des Amis de la Bibliothèque de Sélestat (in French). XXIV. pp. 143–145. .
  2. 1 2 3 Paul Adam (1974). "§10. Les auxiliaires du service liturgique". Annuaire de la Société des Amis de la Bibliothèque de Sélestat (in French). XXIV. pp. 69–72. .
  3. ↑ Fr. Édouard Sitzmann (1910). "Wackenthaler, Joseph". Dictionnaire de biographie des hommes célèbres de l’Alsace (in French). 2. Rixheim (Alsace): F. Sutter et Cie. p. 933. .
  4. ↑ Orpha Ochse (1994). "Mid-Century Masters and Their Programs". Organists and Organ Playing in Nineteenth-Century France and Belgium. Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. p. 69. .
  5. ↑ "Les organistes de Saint-Nicolas des Champs depuis 1777". Cliquot des Champs (in French). .
  6. ↑ Denis Havard de la Montagne. "Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897)". Musica et Memoria (in French). .
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pierre-Marie Guéritey (1995). Le grand orgue de la cathédrale Saint-Bénigne de Dijon : 1745-1995 (in French). Euro Muses. pp. 80–81. ISBN 2-911373-00-6. .
  8. 1 2 3 Wolfgang Grandjean (2015). Orgel und Oper Georges Schmitt 1821-1900; Ein deutsch-französischer Musiker in Paris (in German). Hildescheim: Georg Olms Verlag AG. p. 165. .
  9. 1 2 3 "Nicolas-Joseph Wackenthaler". mixtur.ch (in German). .
  10. ↑ Eugène Fyot (1921). "Les orgues de Saint-Bénigne de Dijon". La Revue de Bourgogne (in French). 10. Dijon. pp. 461–466. ISSN 2021-0639. .
  11. ↑ François-Joseph Fétis (1867). "Pâris (Jacques-Reine)". Biographie universelle des musiciens et bibliographie générale de la musique (in French). 6. Paris: Firmin-Didot. p. 452. .
  12. ↑ Pierre-Marie Guéritey (1995). "Émile Poillot". Le grand orgue de la cathédrale Saint-Bénigne de Dijon : 1745-1995 (in French). Euro Muses. pp. 85–87. ISBN 2-911373-00-6.
  13. ↑ "L'adoration des Bergers (Wackenthaler, Nicolas-Joseph)". IMSLP Petrucci Music Library (in French). .
  14. ↑ "Communion (Wackenthaler, Nicolas-Joseph)". IMSLP Petrucci Music Library (in French). .
  15. ↑ "Fugue pour orgue (Wackenthaler, Nicolas-Joseph)". IMSLP Petrucci Music Library (in French). .
  16. ↑ "Introduction et Fugue (Wackenthaler, Nicolas-Joseph)". IMSLP Petrucci Music Library (in French). .
  17. ↑ "Noël varié (Wackenthaler, Nicolas-Joseph)". IMSLP Petrucci Music Library (in French). .
  18. ↑ "Offertoire (Wackenthaler, Nicolas-Joseph)". IMSLP Petrucci Music Library (in French). .
  19. ↑ "Offertoire Brillant (Wackenthaler, Nicolas-Joseph)". IMSLP Petrucci Music Library (in French). .
  20. ↑ "Sortie - Scherzo (Wackenthaler, Nicolas-Joseph)". IMSLP Petrucci Music Library (in French). .
  21. ↑ "Verset (Wackenthaler, Nicolas-Joseph)". IMSLP Petrucci Music Library (in French). .
  22. ↑ "Romances Sans paroles pour piano. Op. 7". BNF Gallica (in French). .
  23. ↑ "Joseph Wackenthaler Toccata" (PDF). partitions-musicales.net (in French). .
Preceded by
François-Charles Wackenthaler
1828-1859		 Titular organist of the St. George's Church, Sélestat
1859-1869		 Succeeded by
Abbé Trub
1869-1883
Preceded by
Jacques-Reine Pâris
1830-1875		 Titular organist of the Dijon Cathedral
1875-1909		 Succeeded by
Émile Poillot
1912-1948
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