Name Sophia Westenholz | Role Composer | |
Died 1838, Ludwigslust, Germany | ||
Sophia maria westenholz morgenlied
Sophia Maria Westenholz, née Fritscher (1759-1838) was a German composer, musician, singer and music educator. She was born into a privileged family and spent most of her life in the courts of Schwerin and Ludwigslust, capitals of the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She studied music with Konzertmeister Johann Wilhelm Hertel in Schwerin beginning at age ten and entered the court orchestra at sixteen. The court moved from Schwerin to Ludwigslust, and Sophia married the new Konzertmeister Carl Friedrich Westenholz, appointed in 1767, who was also a composer of sacred works.
Contents
When Carl Westenholz died in 1789, Sophia received the title of Kapellmeisterin at Ludwigslust, and continued her career as a singer, teacher and pianist. In this role, she taught music to the Ludwigslust princesses and composed and performed her own works at court. Three of her eight children became notable musicians. She retired from her court position in 1821 with a pension and had a number of her compositions published in her lifetime.
Works
Selected works include:
Lieder with Unadorned Melodies:
Lieder With Ornamented Melodies:
Lieder That Represent the Early Romantic Style: