Johann David Heinichen

Johann David Heinichen (1683–1729) was a German Baroque composer and music theorist. He was born in the small village of Krössuln near Weissenfels. Johann David attended the Thomasschule Leipzig. There he studied music with Johann Schelle and later received organ and harpsichord lessons with Johann Kuhnau. Heinichen enrolled in 1702 to study law at the University of Leipzig and in 1705–1706 qualified as a lawyer. He practiced law in Weissenfels until 1709. However, Heinichen maintained his interest in music and was concurrently composing operas. He went to Italy and spent seven formative years there, mostly in Venice, with great success with two operas. In 1712, he taught music to Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, who took him as composer. The same prince would appoint Johann Sebastian Bach Kapellmeister at the end of 1717. In 1716, Heinichen met in Venice Prince Augustus III of Poland, son of King Augustus II the Strong, and thanks to him was appointed the Kapellmeister in Dresden. His pupils included Johann Georg Pisendel. His music began to be better known after 1992 when Musica Antiqua Köln under Reinhard Goebel recorded a selection of Dresden Concerti, followed by a recording of Heinichen's Lamentationes and Passionsmusik. His sole opera for Dresden, Flavio Crispo (1720), was never performed and was not recorded until 2018.