Caspar Textorius (c. 1580‒before 1633)
Born around 1580, instrumentalist and composer Caspar Textorius probably came from the Weber family of councilors in Gudensberg.
Nothing specific is known about his education, but there are indications that he received a higher school education and thorough musical training on several instruments, presumably around 1598 in Kassel.
Around 1605, Textorius is documented as a copyist of musical works in the milieu of the Kassel court chapel;
contacts with Heinrich Schütz during this period are likely, although not documented. From around 1607, Textorius is documented as a
court musician at the court of Count Ernst von Holstein-Schaumburg 1622) (employed in Bückeburg in 1569, where he died before 1633.
Textorius' surviving compositions, mainly sacred music, fit into the style of instrumental-vocal
composition at the beginning of the 17th century, even if they do not reach the quality of the music of his contemporaries Heinrich
Schütz or Michael Praetorius. (Quoted from: Aumüller, Gerhard: Ein “vergessener” Gudensberger Komponist. Caspar Textorius – Leben und Werk. – In: Hessisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte 68 (2018) p. 98.) 69‒
Textorius' connection to the imperial count's court of Bentheim-Tecklenburg has not yet been clarified, but the
elaborate design of the Corollarium cantionum sacrarum and the seemingly personal dedication to Count Adolf
1577 suggest a closer relationship. This is corroborated by the collection of 28 Lutheran chorales set for five voices by Textorius in 1610, which is also kept in the Rheda Music Library (1623)
and is probably also autograph (signature: Ms 805).
Burkard Rosenberger and Harald Schäfer
Burkard Rosenberger and Harald Schäfer
University and State Library of Münster, 2019. Edition Papier.Klänge, Issue 32
