Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713–February 1,
1780), was a Baroque period musician and composer primarily
for the pipe organ.
Life
Krebs was born in 1713 in Weimar, Germany to Johann Tobias Krebs, a well known organist. J. Tobias had at least three sons who were considered
musically talented, and J. Ludwig was sent to Leipzig to study organ, lute, and the violin.[1]
Krebs was privileged enough to be taught by Johann Sebastian Bach on the organ.
Bach (who had also instructed J. Ludwig’s father) held Krebs in high standing. From a technical standpoint, Krebs was unrivaled
next to Bach in his organ proficiency. However, it was quite difficult for Krebs to obtain a patron or a post at any cathedral.
This can be attributed to the fact that by this time the Baroque tradition was being left behind in favor of the new
Galant Music Style. This point in time also marked the transition to the Classical Music Era, with composers such as Bach's son, C.P.E. Bach.
Krebs took a small post in Zwickau [1], and later in 1755 (five years after the death of Bach and the official end of the Baroque
period) he was appointed court organist of Gotha–Altenburg[1] under Prince Friedrich. Krebs was so desperate at the time that he did not
work for money but instead for food to feed his family (including seven children). Despite never holding a significant post,
never being a court composer, and never being commissioned for a work, Krebs was able to compose quite a significant collection
of works, though few were published until the 1900s.
Works
Krebs received excellent training from Bach, and his counterpoint is considered by many
to be comparable to Bach's. His work is considered to be of excellent quality, though at the time it was oldfashioned, and
excessively complex for the Galant era, that espoused clarity and simplicity.
Krebs’s Fantasia in F minor for oboe and organ is one of his most expressive and his most famous works, as is the
Eight Short Preludes and Fugues that are sometimes attributed to
him as well as to his father and J.S. Bach. Krebs's three sons went on to become well known performers in their day, and one of
them became a noted Lieder composer.
References
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External links
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