Jan Zach

Although he was a gifted and versatile composer capable of writing both in Baroque and Classical idioms, his eccentric personality led to numerous conflicts and lack of steady employment from about 1756 onwards.

By early 1745 he was living in Augsburg and then on 24 April 1745 he was appointed Kapellmeister of the Electoral orchestra at the court of Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein, Prince-Elector of Mainz.

He visited numerous courts and monasteries in Germany and Austria, stayed in Italy in 1767 and between 1771 and 1772, and may have worked as choirmaster at the Pairis Abbey in Alsace.

The last mentions of Zach in contemporary sources indicate that in January 1773 he was at the Wallerstein court, and according to the Frankfurt Kayserliche Reichs-Ober-Post-Amts-Zeitung of 5 June 1773 he died on a journey, at Ellwangen.

[2] Zach's surviving oeuvre comprises a wealth of both instrumental and sacred music: some 30 masses, 28 string sinfonias, a dozen keyboard works and other pieces.

With multiple influences of the Italian composers, whose music had made it to Prague, trips to Italy, access to the famous textbook of Johann Joseph Fux, Gradus ad Parnassum, Czech folk music, and a strong organ technique, Zach was equally adept at strict counterpoint and the style galant.

Although the harmonic minor tonality and austere melody of the opening ritornello is reminiscent of Bach, the tone quickly turns sweeter with the entrance of the second theme.