Johann Mattheson

Johann Mattheson, (born September 28, 1681, Hamburg [Germany] died April
17, 1764, Hamburg), composer and scholar whose writings are an important
source of information about 18th-century German music.
Mattheson befriended George Frideric Handel while serving as a singer and
conductor at the Hamburg Opera. In 1706 he became secretary to the English
ambassador, and he later served as ambassador ad interim. He was cantor and
organist at Hamburg cathedral from 1715 to 1728, when his deafness forced
him to resign.
Mattheson’s compositions include oratorios, operas, and instrumental works,
but his influence lies mainly in his scholarly writings. Most notable is a
biographical dictionary, Grundlage einer Ehrenpforte (1740; “Foundation of a
Triumphal Arch”), which includes 148 composers. Also among his writings are
two works on the basso continuo and Der vollkommene Kapellmeister (1739;
“The Complete Chapel-Master”), an encyclopaedia of his musical ideas.
Mattheson advocated the merging of the separate Italian, French, and German
styles into an integrated musical style and felt that sacred music could be
revitalized by the inclusion of secular elements (e.g., operatic elements in
church cantatas). His translations from English to German include John
Mainwaring’s biography of Handel and Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders.