View source for Gregor Aichinger

{{short description|German composer (1564/65 – 1628)}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Gregor Aichinger
| image       = Augsburg Domkreuzgang Nr232 02.jpg
| caption     = Coat of arms at the top of his gravestone [[Augsburg Cathedral]]
| birth_date  = 1564 or 1565
| death_date  = night of 20/21 January 1628
| occupation  = Composer
}}
'''Gregor Aichinger''' (1564 or 1565 – night of 20/21 January 1628) was a German composer. [[Karl Proske]], in the preface to vol. 2 of his ''Musica Divina'', calls him a priest of [[Regensburg]], and praises him for the devout and ingenuous mastery of his style.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Aichinger, Gregor|volume=1|page=434}}</ref>

==Life==
His epitaph states he died in 1628 aged 63, making his birth year 1564 or 1565.<ref name="Hoyer">Johannes Hoyer: "Inschriftepitaph für Gregor Aichinger (1564–1628)". In: Melanie Thierbach (ed.): ''Der Augsburger Dom in der Barockzeit''. Katalog zur Sonderausstellung im Diözesanmuseum St. Afra, 29. April – 26. Juli 2009. Diözesanmuseum St. Afra, Augsburg 2009, {{ISBN|978-3-00-027557-9}}, p. 268. {{in lang|de}}</ref><ref>{{cite Grove|id=00345|author=William E. Hettrick|title=Aichinger, Gregor|year=2001}}</ref> In 1577 he moved to Munich to study under [[Orlando di Lasso]], moving the following year to the [[University of Ingolstadt]], where he studied alongside [[Jakob Fugger (bishop)|Jakob Fugger]], later [[Prince-Bishopric of Constance|Prince Bishop of Constance]]. This put him in contact with the wider [[Fugger family]] of Augsburg, to whom he later dedicated many of his works.

Jakob's main patron was [[Jakob III. Fugger]] (1542–1598), who appointed him his organist in 1584,<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Randel|editor-first=Don Michael|editor-link=Don Michael Randel|title=The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music|year=1996|publisher=Belknap Press of Harvard University Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=0-674-37299-9|pages=8–9|chapter=Aichinger, Gregor|chapter-url-access=registration|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/harvardbiographi00rand/page/8|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> using an instrument he had paid for in 1580 at the Augsburg [[Abbey of Saints Ulrich and Afra|basilica of St.s Ulrich and Afra]].<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808094615/http://ulrichsbasilika.de/orgel.html|archive-date=8 August 2016|url=http://ulrichsbasilika.de/orgel.html|url-status=dead|title=Die Geschichte der Orgeln bei St. Ulrich und Afra|language=de}}</ref> He also made Aichinger his court composer and director of his chamber-music. Fugger also funded a number of Italian trips for Aichinger – in Venice he became one of [[Giovanni Gabrieli]]'s first pupils and probably also converted from Protestantism to Catholicism.

[[File:Augsburg Domkreuzgang Nr232 01.jpg|thumb|His gravestone in Augsburg Cathedral]]
Fugger granted him more study leave in 1588 during which he studied theology and philosophy back at the University of Ingolstadt. In 1599 or 1600 Aichinger travelled to Rome, spending two years there – the main intent of the stay was musical but during it he was probably ordained priest (though some sources state he had taken holy orders before he was appointed by the Fuggers).

Back in Augsburg he was made a canon of St. Gertrud's chapel at the east end of Augsburg Cathedral as well as vicar of the cathedral choir, a position endowed with many rich [[prebend]]s. He later died in the city, possibly of the plague, which was rife in the city that year,<ref name="Kroyer" /> or of a [[Kidney stone disease|kidney stone]] for which he had had an unsuccessful operation on 2 January that year.<ref name="RöderWohnhaas">{{cite book|last1=Röder|first1=Thomas|last2=Wohnhaas|first2=Theodor|chapter=Gregor Aichinger (1564–1628)|editor=Manfred Weitlauff|title=Lebensbilder aus dem Bistum Augsburg|language=de|series=Jahrbuch des Vereins für Augsburger Bistumsgeschichte, 39|issn=0341-9916|year=2005|pages=77–90}}</ref>{{rp|page=84}}

His successors are recorded as applying for his offices on 21 January, the date of his death.<ref name="Kroyer">[[Theodor Kroyer]]: ''Gregor Aichingers Leben und Werke''. In: Kroyer (ed.): ''Ausgewählte Werke von Gregor Aichinger (1564–1628). Erster Teil''. (= ''{{ill|Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern|de}}'' 18, vol. X). Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1909, pp. XC, CXXI (IX–CXLI). {{in lang|de}} </ref><ref name="RöderWohnhaas" />{{rp|pp=77, 84}} His extensive library, consisting of musical, geographical, theological and botanical works by famous authors, was bequeathed to the cathedral chapter and parts of it were later transferred to the Augsburg and Munich State Libraries.<ref>[[Ernst Fritz Schmid]], Bettina Schwemer: "Aichinger, Gregor". In: [[Ludwig Finscher]] (ed.): ''[[Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart]]'', 2nd ed., Register of Persons, vol. 1 (Aagard–Baez). Bärenreiter/Metzler, Kassel (1999), {{ISBN|3-7618-1111-X}}, cols. 265–268. {{in lang|de}}</ref>

==Epitaph==
His epitaph states that "in addition to his piety and other virtues, he was extraordinarily popular both due to his knowledge of music and kindness, and due to his fine manners and his affability". In full it reads:<ref name="Hoyer" />
{{Text and translation|<poem>
LEGE VIATOR ET LVGE
HIC TVMVLATVS EST PERREVERENDVS ET ERVDITUS
DOMINVS GREGORIVS AICHINGER
RATISBONENSIS BOIVS APVD HANC CATHEDRALEM
CHORI VICARIVS ET CANONICVS AD D[IVAE] GERTRVDIS
VIR PRAETER PIETATEM ET CAETERAS VIRTVTES
TVM MUSICAE ARTIS PERITIA ET SUAVITATE
TVM MORVM ELEGANTIA ET FACILITATE
MIRIFICE GRATVS
QVI CVM VIXISSET ANNOS SEXAGINTA TRES VERSA.
IN LVCTVM MORTIS CITHARA EIVS NATVRAE CONCESSIT
XII CALENDAS FEBRVARIAS
ANNO CHRISTIANO CIↃ IↃCXXVIII{{efn|1=Roman numerals in [[Apostrophus]] method}}
CIVIS ANIMA AETERNA SYMPHONIA LAETETVR</poem>
|<poem>
Traveller, read and mourn.
Here is buried the most honourable and scholarly
Sir Gregor Aichinger
from Regensburg, a [[Boii|Boius]], at this cathedral
choir vicar and canon at St Gertrud
a man who besides piety and other virtues
both in music and art skilled and sweet
and in manners elegant and easy
wonderfully grateful
who, having lived sixty-three years,
turned his harp to the mourning of death and gave in to nature
12 days before the [[calends]] of February
Christian year 1628
A citizen's soul rejoices in an eternal symphony.</poem>}}
{{notelist}}

==Works==
Aichinger wrote several works for church use, mainly vocal ones in Latin and often in the [[Venetian polychoral style]] thanks to his study under Gabrieli – his first published collections of 1590 and 1595 were even both published in Venice. Later he also composed works with [[basso continuo]], published for the first time in his 1607 ''Cantiones Ecclesiasticae'' and his 1609 ''Divina laudes''. Aichinger made a major contribution to popularising this [[Le nuove musiche|'nuovo musiche']] style in the German-speaking lands.

* ''Sacrae Cantiones, quatuor, quinque, sex, octo et decem vocum'', Angelus Gardanus, Venice 1590 {{RISM|990000518}}
* ''Liber secundus sacrarum cantionum'', Angelus Gardanus, Venice 1595 {{RISM|990000519}}
* ''Liber tertius sacrarum cantionum, quinque, sex, septem & octo vocum'', Paul Kauffmann, [[Nuremberg]] 1597 {{RISM|990000520}} {{RISM|990000521}}
* ''Tricinia Mariana, quibus antiphonae, hymni, Magnificat, litaniae, et variae laudes ex officio Beatiss. Virginis suavissimis modulis decantantur'', 1598 {{RISM|990000522}}
* ''Odaria lectissima'', Augsburg 1601 {{RISM|990000524}}
* ''Divinae laudes ex floridis'' for three voices, Dominicus Costos, Augsburg 1602 {{RISM|990000526}}
* ''Liturgica sive sacra officia, ad omnes dies festos Magnae Dei Matris per annum celebrari solitos, quarternis vocibus ad modos musicos fact'', Johann Praetorius, Augsburg 1603 {{RISM|990000529}}
* ''Vespertinum Virginis canticum sive Magnificat quinis vocibus varie modulatur''. Augsburg 1603 {{RISM|990000530}}
* ''Ghirlanda di canzonette spirituali a tre voci'', Augsburg 1603 {{RISM|990000531}}
* ''Lacrimae de Virginis et Ioannis in Christum à cruce depositum, modis musicis expressæ'', Johann Praetorius, Augsburg 1604 {{RISM|990000532}}
* Psalmus L., Miserere mei deus, musicis modis ad IIX, IX, X, XI, XII voces variè compositus, Nicolaus Henricus, München 1605 {{RISM|990000533}}
* ''Solennia Augustissimi Corporis Christi, in sanctissimo sacrificio missae & in eusdem festi officijs, ac publicis supplicationibus seu processionibus cantari solita'', Johann Praetorius, Augsburg 1606 {{RISM|990000534}} 1607 {{RISM|sourcesID=990000536}}
* ''Vulnera Christi'', for three and four vocies, Adam Meltzer, Dillingen 1606 {{RISM|sourcesID=990000535}}
* ''Fasciculus Sacrarum harmoniarum'' for four voices, Adam Meltzer, Dillingen 1606 {{RISM|sourcesID=990000537}}
* ''Cantiones eclesiasticae'' for three and four voices, Adam Meltzer, Dillingen 1607 {{RISM|sourcesID=990000539}}
* ''Virginalia: laudes aeternae Virginis Mariae, Magnae Dei Matris complexa'', for five voices, Adam Meltzer, Dillingen 1607 {{RISM|sourcesID=990000540}}
* ''Divinarum laudum'', for three voices, second part, Adam Meltzer, Dillingen 1608 {{RISM|sourcesID=990000528}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal|author=Karl Batz |date=2016 |doi=10.15463/gfbm-mib-2016-143 |pages=23–49|journal=Musik in Bayern |title=Gregor Aichinger, Komponist im Umfeld der Gegenreformation unter besonderer Berücksichtigung seiner Ingolstädter Jahre |url=https://jahrbuch.gfbm-online.de/index.php/mib/article/download/143/107 |volume=81|ref=none}}
* Erika Bosl: [http://bosl.uni-regensburg.de/?seite=25&band=1 "Aichinger, Gregor"]. In: Karl Bosl (ed.): ''Bosls bayerische Biographie''. Pustet, Regensburg 1983, {{ISBN|3-7917-0792-2}}, p. 9
* {{cite ADB|1|165|166|Aichinger, Gregor|Arrey von Dommer|ADB:Aichinger, Gregor|ref=none}}
* {{NDB|1|116|116|Aichinger, Gregor|Walter Gerstenberg|118644130|ref=none}}
* James H. Glenn: ''Gregor Aichinger 1564–1628. Performance editions of selected motets'', UMI, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1982; {{OCLC|157048573}}, {{OCLC|633564752}}.
* William E. Hettrick: ''The thorough-bass in the works of Gregor Aichinger (1564–1628)''. UMI, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1969; {{OCLC|634826}}. Microfilm 1971, {{OCLC|923277256}}.
* [[Ernst Fritz Schmid]]: "Gregor Aichinger". In: ''Lebensbilder aus dem Bayerischen Schwaben''. 1, 1952, pp. 246–276.
*{{cite CE1913|wstitle=Gregor Aichinger|first=James Alphonsus|last=Völker|volume=1|ref=none}}

==External links==
*{{IMSLP|author=Aichinger, Gregor}} 
*{{ChoralWiki}}

{{Portal bar|Biography|Classical music}}
{{Authority control|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aichinger, Gregor}}
[[Category:1560s births]]
[[Category:1628 deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:German book and manuscript collectors]]
[[Category:17th-century German Roman Catholic priests]]
[[category:University of Ingolstadt alumni]]
[[Category:German Renaissance composers]]
[[Category:German Baroque composers]]
[[Category:German classical organists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Regensburg]]
[[Category:17th-century German classical composers]]
[[Category:German male classical composers]]
[[Category:17th-century German male musicians]]
[[Category:German male classical organists]]