Christiane Eberhardine

Step 1: refuse to convert to Catholicism (which was required to be crowned Queen of Poland)
Step 2: die
Step 3: Bach writes you a cantata

Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (19 December 1671 – 4 September 1727) was Electress of Saxony from 1694 to 1727 (her death) and Queen Consort of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1697 to 1727 by marriage to Augustus II the Strong. Not once throughout the whole of her thirty-year queenship did she set foot in Poland, instead living in Saxony in self-imposed exile. Born a German margravine, she was called Sachsens Betsäule, "Saxony's pillar of prayer", by her Protestant subjects for her refusal to convert to Catholicism. Despite the allegiance of Christiane Eberhardine and her mother-in-law, Anna Sophie of Denmark, to Lutheranism, her husband and son, later Augustus III, both became Catholics, ensuring Catholic succession in the Albertine lands after a century and a half.

She was the firstborn child of Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, and his second wife, Princess Sophie Luise of Württemberg, daughter of Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg. She was named for her father, Christian, and her mother's father, Eberhard. As the daughter of the Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, she was margravine by birth. She had five younger siblings, only two of whom survived infancy. She remained close to her relatives in Bayreuth and continued to visit them after her marriage.

She married Frederick Augustus, Duke of Saxony, the younger brother of the elector, John George IV, on 20 January 1693 at age 21. The marriage was purely political and highly unhappy. Augustus considered her boring, while she was shocked and hurt by his constant infidelity.[1]

…read more on Wikipedia

Stölzel

Meet Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, the other composer of "Bist du bei mir" from last week's post! Stölzel was a contemporary of J.S. Bach, who borrowed from him in the composition of several of his pieces. Read more about Stölzel and Bach's borrowing below!

Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel (13 January 1690 – 27 November 1749) was a German composer of the Baroque era.

Stölzel was born in Grünstädtel in Saxony on 13 January 1690. His father, organist in Grünstädtel, gave him his first music education. When he was thirteen, he was sent to study in Schneeberg, where he was taught music, including thoroughbass, by cantor Christian Umlaufft, a former student of Johann Kuhnau. A few years later he was admitted to the gymnasium in Gera, where he further practiced music under Emanuel Kegel, the director of the court chapel. Some of his educators took a dim view of music, and tried to divert his attention from it: apart from engaging in poetry and oratory, Stölzel nonetheless continued to develop his interest in music.[2][3][4]

Lully was Italian

Dancing on a tight-rope, or how Giovanni Lulli became Jean-Baptiste Lully, survived being on the wrong side of the Fronde, and fell in (and out) of favor with Louis XIV. And yeah... the dude who was famed for having the quintessential "French" style?... was Italian. Read the whole story here!

Robert Parsons

If you know anything about Robert Parsons, it's probably his "Ave Maria" setting. But how about the rest of his life? He survived the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I... but still died tragically (and young). Read more below!


Robert Parsons (ca. 1535 – January 1571/2) was an English composer of the Tudor period who was active during the reigns of King Edward VI, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I. He is noted for his compositions of church music.

Death of Lully

What happens when your need for control goes wrong? A conducting injury led to Jean-Baptiste Lully’s death from gangrene. After climbing to the highest heights in the musical establishment of the French court and being forgiven by the king multiple times for his “scandalous” behavior, he was essentially brought down by his own success (while celebrating the recovery of the king, no less).

Read more here! Jean-Baptiste Lully: the Baroque composer who died of gangrene