Abstract
In my PhD dissertation the theoretical and compositional vieuw of Johann David Heinichen as presented in his Neu erfundene und gründliche Anweisung (Hamburg 1711) [H 1711] and in Der General-Bass in der Composition (Dresden 1728) [H 1728] have been examined. Heinichen’s life as theoretician and composer can be defined by
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place of residence. Heinichens early professional period took place in Leipzig, with studies in music at the Thomasschule and law at the University of Leipzig. During this period Heinichen was engaged at the Leipzig Opera as composer and thorough-bass-player. Both university and opera provided the social and cultural context within which he wrote his Neu erfundene und Gründliche Anweisung. This early study advocates independent critical thinking, free from all speculative influences. This stance supported Christian Thomasius’ independent, objective acquisition of knowledge as proposed in his Vernunfftlehre (1691). Johann Walch in his Philosophisches Lexicon (1726) defines this new knowledge as “Weltweisheit”: independent, objective reasoning purely focused on human and worldly problems. In H 1711 the harmony is simple, based on major and minor scales, dissonances are avoided. Chords are played in four part-arrangements, placing the bass-note in the left hand and three notes in the right hand. This way of playing chords was a break with previous notation-traditions. In the second part of H 1711 the new practice of not-figured basses of the new theatrical style are practiced. Heinichens’s second period took place in Venice (1711-1716/1717) where he found himself in the middle of the gallant tradition of opera. During his third period (1717- 1729) Heinichen stayed at the Court of Dresden, where he was tasked with writing compositions to celebrate the marriage of Friedrich August II. 1722 marks the first drafts of Der General-Bass in der Composition, (H 1728) a study self-published in 1728 after numerous setbacks. This second study promotes the new gallant style. Numerous and lengthy footnotes, containing personal observations and discussions on musical and esthetical principles make this work strikingly different from the Anweisung (1711). In the ‘Einleitung’ innovation is present in theoretical ideas about composition in which “der Gout”, “the personal taste”, plays a new and important role; the emphasis on personal taste was from now on the aim of compositions. This focus places Heinichen at the center of an esthetic transformation in which personal pleasure was considered the purpose of a composition. Individual pleasure took precedence over God’s honor: personal taste became a strong factor in the independent thinking of “Weltweisheit” and in the gallant thinking about music. However there are several elements in Heinichen’s compositions contradicting the new gallant style, where the melody is all important. So are Heinichen’s architectural importance of the bass and his preference for full-voiced chords and dissonances, “falsae”, characteristics of an earlier baroque way of music-thinking. The musical taste of the early eighteenth century evolved from a rich language to graceful melodies with sober basses. This new gallant music experience was remote from Heinichen’ architectural harmonic language as proposed in H 1728.
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