Johann Nikolaus Forkel

Full biography Johann Nikolaus Forkel

Johann Nicolaus Forkel was a German musicologist, composer, and music theorist who lived from 1749 to 1818. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern musicology, and he is best known for his groundbreaking work on Johann Sebastian Bach. Forkel was the first biographer of Bach, and his 1802 book "Über Johann Sebastian Bachs Leben, Kunst und Kunstwerke" ("On Johann Sebastian Bach's Life, Art, and Work") is considered one of the most important works on the composer.

In addition to his work on Bach, Forkel was also a respected composer and music theorist. He wrote several musical works, including a number of keyboard pieces, and he contributed significantly to the development of music theory in the late 18th century. He was particularly interested in the theory of harmony, and he published several influential works on the subject.

Despite his many accomplishments, Forkel's contributions to music were largely overshadowed by those of his contemporaries, such as Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Joachim Quantz. However, his work on Bach's life and music has continued to be an important point of reference for scholars and musicologists to this day. Overall, Johann Nikolaus Forkel was a highly influential figure in the development of musicology and music theory in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and his legacy continues to be felt today.