Vulpius (real name, Fuchs), Melchior
Vulpius (real name, Fuchs), Melchior
Vulpius (real name, Fuchs), Melchior, German composer, writer on music, and schoolmaster; b. Wasungen, near Meiningen, c. 1570; d. Weimar (buried), Aug. 7, 1615. He studied with Johann Steuerlein at the Wasungen Lateinschule. In 1589 he became a supernumerary teacher of Latin at the Schleusingen Lateinschule, finally attaining a permanent teaching post in 1592; then was municipal Kantor and a teacher at the Weimar Lateinschule (1596-1615). He was a prolific composer of sacred music, his Protestant hymn tunes becoming widely known in Germany during his lifetime. He wrote the theoretical vol. Musicae compendium latino germanicum M. Heinrici Fabri…aliquantulum varia-tum ac dispositum, cum facili brevique de modis tractatu (1608).
Works
SACRED VOCAL (all publ. in Jena unless otherwise given): Pars prima cantionum sacrarumfor 6 to 8 and More Voices (1602; ed. by M. Ehrhorn, Kassel, 1968); Pars secunda selectissimarium cantionum sacrarumfor 6 to 8 and More Voices (1603); Kirchen Gesend und geistliche Lieder…mehrerntheils auff zwey oder dreyerley art…contrapunctsweisefor 4 to 5 Voices (Leipzig, 1604; 2nded., enl., 1609 as Ein schön geistlich Gesangbuch); Canticum Beatissimae Virginis Mariaefor 4 to 6 and More Voices (1605); Opusculum novum selectissimarum cantionum sacrarumfor 4 to 8 Voices (Erfurt, 1610); Erster Theil deutscher sontäglicher evangelischer Sprüche von Advent bis auff Trinitaiisfor 4 Voices (1612; ed. by H. Nitsche and H. Stern, Stuttgart, 1960); Das Leiden und Sterben…Jesu Christi, aus dem heiligen Evangelisten Matthäofor 4 and More Voices (Erfurt, 1613; ed. by K. Ziebler, Kassel, 1934); Der ander Theil deutscher sontäglicher evangelischer Sprüche von Trinitatis bis auff Adventfor 4 and More Voices (1614; ed. by H. Nitsche and H. Stern, Stuttgart, 1960); some other vols, are not extant.
Bibliography
H. Eggebrecht, M. V.(diss., Univ. of Jena, 1949).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire