A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Rolle

ROLLE. A German musical family. The father was town musician of Quedlinburg and of Magdeburg in 1721, and died there in 1752. Of his three sons, Christian Carl, born at Quedlinburg in 1714, was Cantor of the Jerusalem Church, Berlin, but was apparently of no account. He had sons, of whom Friedrich Heinrich left a biography of his father; while Christian Carl (the younger) succeeded him as Cantor, 2. A second son is mentioned, but not named. 3. The third, Johann Heinrich, was born at Quedlinburg, December 23, 1718, and at an early age began to play and to write. He got a good general education at the High School in Leipzig, and migrated to Berlin in hopes of some legal post; but this failing he adopted music as his career, and entered the Court chapel of Frederick the Great as a chamber musician. There he remained till 1746, and then took the organist's place at St. John's, Magdeburg. On the death of his father he stepped into his post as town-musician, worked there with uncommon zeal and efficiency, and died at the age of 67, December 29, 1785.—His industry seems almost to have rivalled that of Bach himself. He left several complete annual series of church music for all the Sundays and Festivals; cantatas for Easter, Whitsuntide, and Christmas, of which many are in the Royal Library at Berlin; 5 Passions, and at least 60 other large church compositions. Besides these there exist 21 large works of his, of a nature between oratorio and drama, such as 'Saul, or the power of Music,' 'Samson,' 'David and Jonathan,' 'The Labours of Hercules,' 'Orestes and Pylades,' 'Abraham on Moriah,' The Death of Abel,' etc. The last two were for many years performed annually at Berlin, and were so popular that the editions had to be renewed repeatedly. In addition to these he left many songs and compositions for organ, orchestra, and separate instruments. All have now as good as perished; but those who wish to know what kind of music they were will find a specimen in Hullah's 'Vocal scores,' 'The Lord is King.' It has a good deal of vigour, but no originality or character. Others are given in the Collections of Sander and Rochlitz, and a set of twenty motets for 4 voices was published at Magdeburg by Rebling (1851–66.)

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