Hermann Finck

For the nineteenth-century composer and conductor, see Herman Finck.

Hermann Finck (21 March 1527 – 28 December 1558) was a German music theorist, composer and organist.

Hermann Finck
Born	21 March 1527 Pirna, Germany
Died	28 December 1558(1558-12-28) (aged 31) Wittenberg, Germany
Nationality	German
Occupation(s)	Writer, Composer, Organist

Career

Finck was born in Pirna, and died at Wittenberg. After 1553 he lived at Wittenberg, where he was organist, and there, in 1555, was published his collection of wedding songs.^[1][2] In 1545 he matriculated at Wittenberg University^[3] and then taught at the university from 1554 and became an organist in 1557.^[4][5]

Works

His most celebrated work is entitled Practica musica, exempla variorum signorum, proportionum, et canonum, judicium de tonis ac quaedam de arte suaviter et artificiose cantandi continens (Wittenberg, 1556). It is of great historic value, but very rare.^[1] In the work, he praised Gombert as a great master and he condemned the German organ style of the time for being noisy and amorphous.^[4] In book five, entitled, "On the Art of Singing Elegantly and Sweetly" he gave advice to singers.^[6]

Family

Finck was the great-nephew of composer Heinrich Finck.