Composer
Gustav Merkel
German musician (1827-1885)
1827–1885
13 works in the index
- Born
- 1827
- Died
- 1885
- Birthplace
- Oderwitz
- Place of death
- Dresden
- Citizenship / historical state
- Kingdom of Saxony
- Period (estimated from birth year)
- Romantic
Biography
Gustav Adolf Merkel (November 12, 1827, Oberoderwitz, Kingdom of Saxony – October 30, 1885, Dresden) was a German organist and composer.
Having been given some lessons by Schumann in his youth, Merkel spent most of his career in Dresden, concentrating on organ-playing from 1858. A Lutheran himself, he nevertheless held an appointment at the Catholic Church of the Court of Saxony from 1864 until his death. During the same period he taught the organ at Dresden's Conservatory.
His compositions include nine organ sonatas (which have been recorded several times, as well as occurring quite often in organ recitals), of which the first sonata (Op.30) is written for two organists, and several dozen miniatures (some of them based on Protestant chorale melodies). In these works, his style is broadly conservative, very much influenced by Mendelssohn, and with similarities to the output of his younger contemporary Josef Rheinberger. He also produced choral and piano pieces; his salon piece "Schmetterling" ("Butterfly"), Op. 81, No. 4 is particularly well-known.
Biography excerpt from Wikipedia contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting and reference markers have been removed; the introduction may be shortened. View contributors and article history.
Life and musical career
- Occupations
- composer
- Teachers
- Ernst Julius Otto
- Instruments played
- organ
- Languages used
- German
- VIAF ID
- 56807248
- ISNI
- 000000010975232X
- GND ID
- 119149575
- Library of Congress ID
- n85388717
- MusicBrainz ID
- fdce70b3-a4d5-4c83-9d99-5d3985100384
Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.
In this catalogue
- Common listed instruments
- Organ, Piano
- Genres represented
- Classical
- Works with composition dates
- 0 of 13
These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.
Catalogue
Works
Years are composition dates where known. Instruments describe editions in our catalogue and may include arrangements. A dash means the detail is not recorded.
| Work | Year composed | Catalogue / opus | Key in title | Listed instruments | Genre | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butterfly, Op.81, No.4 | — | Op.81, No.4 | — | Piano | — | 0 |
| Hunter's Horn | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Sonatina, Op 126, No 2 | — | Op 126, No 2 | — | — | — | 0 |
| Frühlingslied No.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Chorale In The Bass | — | — | — | Organ | Classical | 0 |
| Chorale In The Soprano | — | — | — | Organ | Classical | 0 |
| Andante (Sonata G.1) [Torelli, Giuseppe] | — | — | — | Organ | — | 0 |
| Postlude | — | — | — | Organ | — | 0 |
| Prelude | — | — | — | Organ | — | 0 |
| Triplefugue | — | — | — | Organ | — | 0 |
| Four Trios Op.39 | — | Op.39 | — | Organ | — | 0 |
| Air | — | — | — | Organ | — | 0 |
| Allegretto | — | — | — | Organ | — | 0 |
Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. Authority record: VIAF 56807248. Portrait: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.