Reinhard Keiser

Reinhard Keiser (born Jan. 9, 1674, Teuchern, near Weissenfels, Saxony [Germany]—died Sept. 12, 1739, Hamburg) was a leading early composer of German opera. His works bridged the Baroque style of the late 17th century and the Rococo style galant of the early 18th century.

Keiser attended the Thomas School in Leipzig and about 1697 settled in Hamburg. His nearly 70 operas, which span the period 1694 to 1734, include Octavia (1705); Der angenehme Betrug, with arias by Christoph Graupner (1707, revived 1931; “The Pleasant Deception”); Croesus (c. 1711; revised 1730); and the comic opera Der lächerliche Printz Jodelet (1726; “The Laughable Prince Jodelet”).

With his colleagues Johann Mattheson and G.P. Telemann, Keiser attempted to establish a distinctively German form of Baroque opera. His early stage works were entirely in German, but Italian arias crept into his later operas under the influence of the increasingly popular Neapolitan school. In his last, Circe (1734), there were 21 German arias and 23 Italian arias, some written by Leonardo Leo, Johann Adolf Hasse, and George Frideric Handel. Keiser’s works show French influence in their ballet scenes. Unlike the Neapolitan operas, but like those of the earlier Venetian style, they show much flexibility in the treatment of the aria and a great concern for the close relationship between music and text.

Keiser held his dominant position until the onslaught of the more stereotyped Neapolitan opera was too strong. He became cantor and canon of the Hamburg cathedral in 1728 and saw, in 1738, the closing of the Hamburg opera. In his later years he turned to church music written in a more severe style, including motets, cantatas, and operatic oratorios. His style influenced both Johann Sebastian Bach and especially Handel, who borrowed extensively from his works.