1789

Mozart in a list of a composers whose music is suitable for practice on the organ

[Sebastian Prixner], Kann man nicht in zwey, oder drey Monaten die Orgel gut, und regelmäßig schlagen lernen? Mit Ja beantwortet, und dargethan vermittelst einer Einleitung zum Generalbaße. Verfaßt für die Pflanzschule des fürstlichen Reichsstiftes St. Emmeram.  Landshut: mit Hagenschen Schriften, 1789.

[54]

      XIIItio. Ehe wir noch weiter schreiten, rathe ich, daß man sich in erwähnten Gesetzen
der Applikatur / (ohne sich in Galanterie, oder Partiturangelegenheiten zu fruhzeitig
hineinzuwagen) so lange übe, bis man / es im Stande ist, alle Oktavtourn der zwölf Moll-
und Dur -Töne, dann andere verschiedene schwerere / Passagen auf, und ab, mit link, und
rechter Hand, geschwinde, und deutlich durchzuwandern. Diese Vor= / sorge eines
aufmerksamen Lehrmeisters kömmt eben zu rechter Zeit vielen Ungereimtheiten seiner
Lehrlinge vor, / in welche selbe sonst geriethen, so ferne ihnen die Applikatur nicht hinlänglich
bekannt, und handgeläufig ist. / In dieser Absicht könnten ihnen kleinere, dann auch schwere
Gallanterie Divertiments vom erhabeneren Ge= / schmacke, als jene des Klementi, Heyden, Bach,
Rosseti, Richl, Benda, Mozart, Schobert, / Wagenseil, Kozeluck, Häsler, Stephan, Küfner,
Schrötter, Lang, &c &c. zu so nützlich, als / angenehmer Uebung vorgelegt werden, damit die
Kenntniß der Klaviere behänder, die Finger zu jeden sol= / chen Versuchungen geläufiger, und
gewagter werden, und auch die Denkungskraft an erhabeneren Concepten / immer reicher werde:
welches alles zur Vervollkommnung eines Organisten ungemein beyträgt.

1789-Prixner

[translation:]

⁣⁣          13. Before we move on, I advise that one practice the previously mentioned rules of fingering
for long enough (without venturing too soon into galant pieces or score reading) so that one is in
the position to play through the scales in the twelve minor and major keys, as well as various other
more difficult passages up and down, with the left and right hand, rapidly and clearly. This precaution
by an attentive master would come at the right time for many inconsistencies of his students, into
which they would otherwise fall if fingering is not sufficiently well known or fluent. To this end,
shorter and then also difficult galant divertimenti of more elevated taste, such as those of Clementi,
Haydn, Bach, Rosetti, Rigel, Benda, Mozart, Schobert, Wagenseil, Kozeluch, Hässler, Stephan, Küffner,
Schroeter, Lang, etc. etc., can be put before them for practice; these will be as useful as they are
enjoyable, so that knowledge of the keyboard becomes more nimble, the finger at each such attempt
more familiar and more confident, and the comprehension of more elevated concepts ever richer: all
of which contributes immensely to the perfection of an organist.

Commentary

Pater Sebastian Prixner (1744–1799), born Peter Prixner, was the second son of the Klosterrichter (monastery judge) at the Benedictine abbey of Reichenbach in the Upper Palatine (Oberpfalz). He studied in Regensburg, and was taken into the Abbey of St. Emmeram there in 1763 as Frater (Brother) Sebastian, where he spent the rest of his life, becoming ordained in 1768 and holding a variety of positions at the abbey, including choirmaster (Chorregent). In addition to having a reputation as an excellent organist, Prixner is said to have studied with Joseph Riepel, Kapellmeister at the court of the Prince of Thurn und Taxis; extracts in Prixner’s hand from Riepel’s writings on music theory survive in BSB (see Emmerig 2002c, 34–35). Prixner also composed, although little of his work is known to survive. Apart from the examples in his organ method (the work cited here), the only known works are a Mass in G and a versicle “Deus in adjutorum” for four voices and organ (BSB, Mus. ms. autogr. Prixner 2M; for a facsimile from the autograph organ part of this work, see Emmerig 2002c, 37).

Prixner’s organ method was first published in 1789, with a second expanded edition appearing in 1795. The artlessly self-promotional title can be translated:

Can you learn to play the organ well and regularly in just two or three months? The answer is yes! Demonstrated by means of an introduction to thorough-bass.

The passage cited here names the composers of “galant divertimenti of more elevated taste” that might be used as material for organ students. In addition to Mozart, the composers named are Muzio Clementi, Joseph Haydn, Bach (probably Carl Philipp Emanuel), Antonio Rosetti, Benda (probably Georg), Johann Schobert, Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Leopold Kozeluch, Johann Wilhelm Hässler, Joseph Anton Stephan, Küffner (probably Johann Jakob Paul), Schroeter (probably Johann Samuel), and Johann Georg Lang.  “Richl” probably refers to Henri-Joseph Rigel (or Riegel); “Riegl” is named in the analogous list in Prixner’s second edition.

The second edition (30) gives a somewhat different list of composers:

Eine stäte Uebung in Koncerten, in Galanterien vom erhabnern Geschmacke, als des Klemen= / ti, Mozart, Bach, Vanhal, Starkel, Haydn, Kozeluct [sic], Benda, Riegl, Hofmeister, / Abeille &c. trägt sehr vieles bey, sowohl alles fertiger hinweg zu lesen, als auch die Denkungskraft / mit erhabnern Konzepten zo bereichern, und zu verfeinern, und in den wichtigern Fällen der Appl= / katur geübter zu werden.

Clementi, Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Kozeluch, Benda, and Rigel are retained from the previous edition. New to the 1795 edition are Johann Baptist Vanhal, Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel, Franz Anton Hoffmeister, and Ludwig Abeille.

Notes

For Prixner’s biography, see Lipowsky (1811, 257), and any of the articles by Emmerig (2002a–c), all of which repeat essentially the same biographical information.

RISM B/VI, Écrits imprimés concernant la musique (Munich: Henle, 1971, vol. 2, 672) records seventeen copies of Prixner’s first edition, and thirteen of the second.

Bibliography

Emmerig, Thomas. 2002a. “Choralgesang und Choralorganist. Pater Sebastian Prixner OSB und seine Orgelschule.” Musiktheorie, 17/2:171–175. The article is preceded by an extract from Prixner’s organ method: “Von der Orgelbegleitung by dem Choralgesang,” 163–69.

————. 2002b. “‘Kann man nicht in zwey oder drey Monaten die Orgel gut und regelmässig schlagen lernen?”. Pater Sebastian Prixner OSB und seine Orgelschule.” The Organ Yearbook, edited by Peter Williams. Vol. 31:59–72.

————. 2002c. “Pater Sebastian Prixner OSB und seine Orgelschule.” Musik in Bayern, 62:19–36.

Lipowsky, Felix Joseph. 1811. Baierisches Musik-Lexikon. Munich: Jakob Giel.

Credit: DE

Author: Dexter Edge

Link(s):

Google Books; BSB

Search Term: mozart

Source Library:

BSB, 4 Mus.th. 1180

Categories: Mozart in Literature

First Published: Sun, 7 Dec 2014

Updated: Fri, 8 Jul 2022

Print Citation:

Edge, Dexter. 2014. “Mozart in a list of a composers whose music is suitable for practice on the organ (1789).” In: Mozart: New Documents, edited by Dexter Edge and David Black. First published 7 December 2014; updated 8 July 2022. https://www.mozartdocuments.org/documents/1789-prixner/

Web Citation:

Edge, Dexter. 2014. “Mozart in a list of a composers whose music is suitable for practice on the organ (1789).” In: Mozart: New Documents, edited by Dexter Edge and David Black. First published 7 December 2014; updated 8 July 2022. [direct link]