Christoph Graupner was born in Kirchberg in Saxony in January 1683 and died at Darmstadt in Hesse on 10 May 1760. A contemporary of J. S. Bach, he was much appreciated as a composer in his own lifetime as much as Handel or Telemann.
He also counted among his friends the composers Heinichen and Fasch.
After completing his studies in Leipzig with Kuhnau, the predecessor of J. S. Bach as Kantor in Leipzig, Graupner left in 1705 to become harpsichordist with the orchestra of the Hamburg Opera, under the direction of Reinhard Keiser.
Handel, then aged 21, was violinist in the same orchestra. During this period, Graupner composed several operas, which were a great popular success.
He was also joint composer of three operas, this time in collaboration with Keiser, a prominent figure in German opera. |
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