Friedrich Witt


Friedrich Jeremias Witt was a German composer and cellist. He is perhaps best known as the likely author of a Symphony in C major known as the Jena Symphony, once attributed to Ludwig van Beethoven.

Biography

Witt was born in 1770, the same year as Beethoven, and was a German composer of considerable stature in his time.
He was born in the Württemberg village of Niederstetten, the son of a cantor and court clerk. Witt became a cellist in the court orchestra of Oettingen-Wallerstein when he was nineteen, taking composition lessons there with Antonio Rosetti, that is, the Bohemian-born Anton Rösler. Witt was most famous in his lifetime for his oratorio Der leidende Heiland, securing an appointment as Kapellmeister for the Prince of Würzburg, and later for the theater, where he stayed until his death. He also wrote two operas: Palma and Das Fischerweib. His other compositions include concertos, church music, chamber music and symphonies. His best-known work, a symphony in C major known as the Jena, is modeled after the Symphony No. 97 by Joseph Haydn.
Stephen Fisher compiled a thematic index of Witt's symphonies.

Facts

In the Finale of his Symphony No. 16 in A major, Witt cites the French Revolutionary "Ça ira" motif.

Discography