Frans Krafft
Frans 'Krafft' was a composer, organist and director in the Austrian Netherlands. He was organist at the Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent from 1769 to 1794. He is sometimes erroneously named Frans-Joseph, but that is actually his elder brother, born in 1721. He is not to be confused with his cousin, also named Frans Krafft and also born in Brussels in 1733, who later moved to Germany.
Biography
Little is known of his life. His father, Jan-Laurens Krafft, was a poet, writer, music publisher and composer of German descent. Frans Krafft was active as a musician and printer in Brussels from 1747 onwards. He may have studied composition under Francesco Durante in Italy, where he won a prize with the motet In convertendo. L'Echo, a music magazine from Liège, published some thirty arias by him between 1758 and 1769, two of which from his opera Le faux astrologue – in 1763 performed in Dutch as Den valschen Astrologant. He is mentioned from 1761 to 1768 as composer, organist and keyboard teacher in the Brussels Almanach nouveau – ou Le guide fidèle. On 7 April 1769 he is appointed organist to the Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent, a post he held until 23 August 1794, a few months before his death. At the time of this appointment, he was already well reputed in the Netherlands, with main works performed in churches of major towns like Kortrijk and Leuven.Works
- Opera Le faux astrologue or Den valschen Astrologant 3 Motetta
- * Eripe me,
- * Ecce Panis,
- * Benedicamus Domino.7 Antiphonae pro tempore Adventus, 1793, g minor, mixed choir and organ.
- * O Sapientia
- * O Adonai
- * O Radix Jesse
- * O Clavis David
- * O Oriens
- * O Rex Gentium
- * O EmmanuelPsalmmotetten
- * De Profundis
- * Levavi oculos meosBavonem socio .Et vos beata .Jesu redemptor omnium 7 keyboard pieces for organ or cembalo, 17663 Magnificats Mis in F Missa a tre canti primae classis,.Missa di Requiem, 1765Missa in Sabbato Sancto Mis in g klein Motet Beatus Vir, A Solis Ortu Super flumina Babylonis Tu lumen et splendor Motet in exitu Israel