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The German composer and violinst, Christian Heinrich Aschenbrenner, was son of the ducal Kapellmeister at Wolfenbüttel. Amongst his teachers were Heinrich Schütz, Theile, and finally Schmelzer of Vienna.
Although Christian Heinrich Aschenbrenner held at intervals some good appointments, and played on one occasion (in 1690) before the Emperor of Austria, to whom he dedicated 6 violin sonatas, his existence was, throughout, a very struggling one, and he died poor. His most important appointments were in the ducal chapels of Zeitz and Merseburg (first violin in the former, 1677-1681, and musical director 1695-1713; first violin at Merseburg 1683-1690 and Kapellmeister 1713-1719), Duke Wilhelm of Merseburg eventually allowing him a very small pension. His best-known work has the following title, 'Gast und Hochzeitfreude, bestehend in Sonaten, Präludien, Allemanden, Couranten, Balletten, Arien, Sarabanden, mit drei, vier und fünf Stimmen, nebst dem basso continuo,' (1673). It is uncertain, according to Fetis, if the above.mentioned 6 violin sonatas were ever published. |
