A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Knecht, Justin

by George Grove

KNECHT, Justin Heinrich, a musician of the last century, who, though now forgotten, was a considerable person in his day. He was born Sept. 30, 1752, at Biberach in Suabia, received a good education, both musical and general (Boeckh was one of his masters), and filled for some time the post of professor of literature in his native town. By degrees he gravitated to music, and in 1807 became director of the opera and of the court concerts at Stuttgart; but ambition or ability failed him, and in a couple of years he resigned the post and returned to Biberach, where he died Dec. 11 [App. p.692 "Dec 1"], 1817, with a great reputation as organist, composer, and theoretician. In the last-named department he was an adherent of Vogler. The list of his productions as given by Fétis embraces 27 numbers of compositions, and 19 theoretical and didactic works. Two of these only have any interest for us, and that from an accidental cause. The first (Bossier, Spire) is a Musical ^[1]portrait of Nature, a grand symphony for 2 violins, viola, and bass, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets, and drums ad lib., in which is expressed:—1. A beautiful country, the sun shining, gentle airs, and murmuring brooks; birds twitter, a waterfall tumbles from the mountain, the shepherd plays his pipe, the shepherdess sings, and the lambs gambol around. 2. Suddenly the sky darkens, an oppressive closeness pervades the air, black clouds gather, the wind rises, distant thunder is heard, and the storm approaches. 3. The tempest bursts in all its fury, the wind howls and the rain beats, the trees groan, and the streams rush furiously. 4. The storm gradually goes off, the clouds disperse, and the sky clears. 5. Nature raises its joyful voice to heaven in songs of gratitude to the Creator' (a hymn with variations). The second (if it be not an arrangement of a portion of the preceding) is another attempt of the same kind—'The Shepherds' pleasure interrupted by the storm, a musical picture for the organ.' These are precisely the subjects which Beethoven has treated, and Fétis would have us believe that Knecht actually anticipated not only the general scheme of the Pastoral Symphony but some of its figures and passages. But this is not the case. The writer purchased the score and parts of Knecht's work at Otto Jahn's sale, and is able to say that beyond the titles the resemblances between the two works are obviously casual. Knecht's being in addition commonplace, entirely wanting in that 'expression of emotions' which Beethoven enforces, and endeavouring to depict the actual sights and sounds, which he deprecates. [See Pastoral Symphony.]

[ G. ]

1. Fétis gives the title incorrectly. It is 'Le Portrait musical de la Nature,' etc., not 'Tableau musical.' He also gives its date as 'Leipzig, 1794.' It is really published at Spire by Bossier, with no year; but the date may very well be 1784, since the list on the back contains the three early sonatas of Beethoven, which were published by Bossier in 1783. But the coincidence is curious. Beethoven must have been familiar with Bossier's advertisement page, on which his own first sonatas were announced, and which contains all the above particulars.