James Alphonsus Völker

“ Then he took up church music, studying the old masters and procuring performances of their works. He also wrote much church music, which is generally full of simple dignity and great purity, with a certain degree of freedom, but it is stiff, dry, and weakly sentimental. His instrumentation is not strong. He was, however, inspired with the spirit of the Church. ”

“ At that time the contrapuntal music, of which Josquin was such a brilliant star, flourished above all in the Netherlands. Adam of Fulda, himself a disciple of the Dutch teachers, ultimately became their rival. ”

“ Viadana of Mantua gave him the final touches of his musical education, and both men are entitled to the distinction of having developed thoroughbass and of having taught the correct method of figuring a bass. ”

“ This position he held for twenty years, and then became choir-master at St. Stephen's. Here he gathered about him a circle of pupils, some of whom were destined to become musicians of immortal fame. Among them Ludwig von Beethoven, Joseph Eybler, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Joseph Weigl and others. The Swedish Academy of Music at Stockholm made him an honorary member in 1798. Albrechtsberger will probably always hold a high rank among musical scientists, his treatise on composition especially will ever remain a work of importance by reason of its lucidity and minuteness of detail. ”

“ Taking for models his predecessors of the Venetian and Roman school, he studied in a particular manner the art of composing for a number of simultaneous choirs, and so gained the highest esteem of his contemporaries. ”

“ Even in his youth he was a fine singer and performer. Up to 1474 he was a singer in the ducal chapel, at Milan, then entered the service of the Duke of Mantua, then that of Philip, Duke of Austria and King of the Netherlands, following him to Castile, in 1505. ”

“ On the other hand. such parts of the liturgy as the priest, or the deacon, or subdeacon, or the acolyte sang alone were called accentus; such were the Collects, the Epistle and Gospel, the Preface, in short anything which was recited chiefly on one tone, rather than sung, by the priest or one of his assistants. The accentus should never be accompanied by harmonies, whether of voices or of instruments, although the concentus may receive an accompaniment. ”

“ In his eleventh year he commenced his studies at Tegernsee Abbey, where he was instructed in piano and organ-playing. Four years later he entered the gymnasium at Munich, where he studied under Professor Schlett, his countryman. ”