Gottlieb Muffat

Muffat worked between 1690 and 1770 across organist and composer. This article rests on 100 catalogued compositions, 7 issued recordings and 29 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Background — person • Name — Gottlieb Muffat • Born — 25 April 1690 • Died — 9 December 1770 • Genre — Classical, Baroque • Occupation — Composer, organist • Instrument — Organ • Years Active — 1711–1763

It is well established that Handel borrowed copiously from his contemporaries, including Muffat. While it would be easy to cast aspersions at Handel for this seemingly dishonest practice, it hardly diminishes his stature as a composer and probably would not have created much consternation for either party. It is not known with certainty whether Handel and Muffat had any personal knowledge of each other, but their positions as leading musicians in major European capitals might imply at least a mutual awareness. There is a copy, in Muffat's own hand, of Handel's Suites des pieces (1720) which Muffat supplied with numerous ornaments along with a few variants of his own design. Modern edition by Hogwood 2007. Muffat as well did his own version of Handel's 6 Fugues for Keyboard (1735) HWV 605–610, first edition from the manuscript by Hogwood 2008. For his part, Handel seems to have borrowed extensively from Muffat's Componimenti Musicali with at least 18 of these pieces appearing 30 times in Handel's output. Handel's Ode to St. Cecilia's Day seems to owe the greatest debt to Muffat, with material from five pieces being reworked into the score. Not only were themes reused in their entirety, but also counter subjects and continuing phrases were put to use by Handel. More such examples appear in Handel's oratorios Joshua, Samson, and Judas Maccabeus. The spirited fugue in the second movement of the Overture to Samson makes extensive use of a Muffat fugue from Componimenti Musicali and a similar borrowing occurs in the third movement of the Overture to Judas Maccabeus. The March which begins Act II of Joshua is a reworking of a Rigaudon by Muffat.

• 2001: Gottlieb Muffat: Harpsichord Music Joseph Payne. CD Centaur: 2502. • 2009: Gottlieb Muffat: Componimenti Musicali per il Cembalo Mitzi Meyerson. CD Glossa: GCD921804. • 2013: Gottlieb Muffat: Suites for Harpsichord (vol 1) Akutagawa Naoko. CD Naxos: 8.572610 • 2019: Gottlieb Muffat: Suites for Harpsichord (vol 2) Akutagawa Naoko CD Naxos: 8.573275 • 2021: Gottlieb Muffat: Suites for Harpsichord (vol. 3) Akutagawa Naoko CD Naxos: 8.574098 • 2024: Muffat: Componimenti Musicali per il cembalo (1736) Roberto Loreggian CD Brilliant Classics: 96340.

• 2002: Gottlieb Muffat: Missa F-Dur for Organ + Toccatas. Wolfgang Baumgratz CD Ambiente 4357933 • 2004: Gottlieb Muffat: 72 Versetl sammt 12 Toccaten (1726) Wolfgang Baumgratz CD Ambiente: 3641001 • 2009: Orgelmusik am Wiener Hof: Georg und Gottlieb Muffat Wolfgang Kogert CD NCA: 60206 • 2010: Gottlieb Muffat toccatas, capriccios, canzonas, and ricercars Jörg Andreas Bötticher CD Pan Classics: PC10224 • 2025: Gottlieb Muffat: Organ-Music from the Archive of the Minorites in Vienna: ricercate, canzoni, toccate, capricci Pier Damiano Peretti CD Ambiente: ACD2023

Gottlieb Muffat was born on 25 April 1690 in Passau. Muffat studied under Johann Joseph Fux. Recorded father: Georg Muffat. Muffat worked as organist and composer. Muffat played the pipe organ and the organ. Muffat worked in German and French. Muffat is placed by the collections within Baroque music.

Muffat's compositional output is primarily limited to keyboard music. He shows considerable skill as a contrapuntist in the short liturgical fugues published in his first collection 72 Versetl sammt 12 Toccaten (Vienna, 1726). These pieces reflect a conservative approach to liturgical music in that they are organized in the order of the church tones with an introductory toccata and a regular number of versets for each tone. His second publication, Componimenti musicali per il cembalo (Augsburg, ca. 1736), is more progressive in its outlook. This collection of six suites, while maintaining the traditional Allemande, Courante and Saraband format, is more lavishly ornamented than was characteristic of Austro-German music of that era. Some of the movements are even given fanciful French titles like La Coquette or L'aimable Esprit as were popular among the clavecinistes. Short, simple phrases and clear motives characterize the pieces in this set. The preface to this work contains an ornamentation table with symbols and performance instructions for 57 ornaments. Much of Muffat's output remains unpublished, though it nonetheless contains much music of great interest. His manuscript containing 32 ricercare and 19 canzonas is remarkable in that it is the largest body of work from his era based on 17th century models. Like all pupils of Fux, Muffat would have studied the music of Frescobaldi and Froberger during his years of apprenticeship. In the ricercare, Muffat shows himself to be a master of the stile antico. Following the usage of the early Baroque, the contrapuntal ricercare are notated in open score and preserve the sense of modality and sectional structure of the Italian masters. The canzonas are modeled on the 16th century vocal motet and are livelier and more idiomatically instrumental in style. Also still in manuscript are the 24 Toccatas and Capriccios. a pairing which seems to be unique to Muffat. Two styles of toccatas appear in this collection: one type features a florid melodic line over a supporting chordal structure and the second type utilizes a sectional form that juxtaposes contrasting tempi, meters and textures. The capriccios represent a variety of styles including prelude, invention, and dance forms.