CREATIVE PORTRAIT OF JOSEPH UMSTATT

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to consider the specifics of the biography of the Austrian composer, teacher and performer Joseph Umstatt (1711–1762), as one of the representatives of the early classical period in music. The methodology of the article is based on a complex combination of different methods, such as source study, cultural, historical, analytical and comparative generalizing. The scientific novelty consists in emphasizing the importance of the creative figure of an artist in the context of the European musical culture of the eighteenth century. It also lies in the filling of «white spots» of Ukrainian musicology, concerning the analysis of the activity of composers and performers of Frühklassik period, little known to the general public. Conclusions. A retrospective look into the musical past is necessary to gain a better understanding of current artistic processes and the whole development of European musical culture. J. Umstatt belonged to a cohort of musicians of the early classical period who has laid the foundations for the flourishing activities of the Viennese classics. J. Umstatt was one of the most famous musicians of the first half – the middle of the eighteenth century. Among the J. Umstatt’s contemporaries were well composers and performers: Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Matthias Georg Monn, Georg Reutter, Josef Starzer, Johann Joseph Fux, Johann Christoph Mann and others. J. Umstatt’s creativity was characterized by the intensity and versatility. He has written numerous works of sacral and secular subjects. Particularly valuable is his contribution to the development of instrumental music, in which very important are works for the cembalo, a favorite instrument of the artist. He has also directed the court chapel and has performed as a cembalo virtuoso. J. Umstatt was also considered as one of the best educators of the time. Due to the time distance, the retrospective look at the J. Umstatt’s creative work, we highly appreciate the artist’s contribution to the development of European musical art of the early Classicism era.