Rathgeber, Johann Valentin
Rathgeber, Johann Valentin
Rathgeber, Johann Valentin , German composer; b. Oberelsbach, near Fulda, April 3, 1682; d. Banz, near Coburg, June 2, 1750. He studied with his father, the village organist and schoolmaster, and then pursued theological training at the Univ. of Würzburg. In 1704 he became organist and schoolmaster at the Juliusspital in Würzburg. In 1707 he entered the Benedictine abbey in Banz. Following his ordination in 1711, he served as its choirmaster for the rest of his life. He was particularly known as a composer of sacred music, which included many Latin mass settings, Vesper psalms, offertories, and other Works (20 vols., Augsburg, 1721–39). Among his other Works were 24 concerti grossi (1728) and various keyboard pieces (1743). He also ed. and arranged the well-known collection of popular song settings Ohrenvergnügendes und Gemüth-ergötzendes Tafel-Confect (3 vols., 1733, 1737, 1746).
—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire