Above: Herrnhut, 1765
Image in the Public Domain
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CHRISTIAN DAVID JAESCHKE (DECEMBER 29, 1755-OCTOBER 22, 1827)
German Moravian Organist and Composer
grandfather of
HENRI MARC HERMANN VOLDEMAR VOULLAIRE (JULY 29, 1825-JUNE 12, 1902)
Moravian Composer and Minister
In this post I return to a favorite theme–family connections.
Christian David Jaeschke (1755-1827) was as Moravian as any Moravian could be. His family had been part of the Renewed Moravian Church since the beginning. Herrnhut, the Moravian headquarters in Saxony, was his place of birth and death. And he lived and worked there for most of his life. Jaeschke taught and played the organ at Ebersdorf, Germany, then copied music at Barby, Germany, before becoming the organist and choirmaster at Herrnhut in 1786. He remained in that position until 1826, when bad health forced him to retire. Jaeschke, ill for the last year and a half of his life, succumbed on October 22, 1827. He was, according to Christian Friedrich Hasse (1771-1831), a “musical genius” whose compositions (many anthems and solo pieces) more people should know.
Jaeschke’s maternal grandson was Henri Marc Hermann Voldemar Voullaire (1825-1902), a composer in the Romantic style, especially that of Johannes Brahms. The Neuwelke native, a Moravian Church minister, served in congregations in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and the The Netherlands. Before that he had taught at Niesky, Germany, from 1816 to 1855. Finally, in 1891, he retired to Herrnhut, where he died on June 12, 1902.
A commitment to quality in music has been among the most admirable of Moravian traditions. It was one which Jaeschke and Voullaire maintained.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 7, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS FENELON, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF CAMBRAI
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALDRIC OF LE MANS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF JULIUS WELLHAUSEN, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUCIAN OF ANTIOCH, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
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Eternal God, light of the world and Creator of all that is good and lovely:
We bless your name for inspiring Christian David Jaeschke and Henri Marc Hermann Voldemar Voullaire
and all those who with music have filled us with desire and love for you;
through Jesus Christ our Savior,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Chronicles 29:14b-19
Psalm 90:14-17
2 Corinthians 3:1-3
John 21:15-17, 24-25
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 728
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wonderful to see, I am a descendant of Voullaire and live in New Zealand. A true Voullaire as my maternal grandmother and my paternal grandfather were brother and sister Voullaire.
I am glad you like the post. It is always good to hear from relatives of post subjects who appreciate these tributes.
Writing about non-canonized saints has become one of my great pleasures, for more people need to know more about them.