Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch

As a child he was delicate, and much indulged. He made rapid progress on the violin and clavier, and in the rudiments of harmony. After a short stay at Coethen, where he made his first attempts at composition in church-music, he was sent to Strelitz. Here he continued his studies under Hertel, in all branches of music, but especially in accompaniment, at that time a difficult art, as the accompanist had only the figured bass to guide him. In 1751 Linicke, the court clavierist, having declined to accompany Franz Benda, Fasch offered to supply his place at the harpsichord, and Benda’s praises incited him to still greater efforts. After his return to Zerbst, he was sent to complete his education at Klosterbergen near Magdeburg. Benda had not forgotten their meeting, and in 1756, when just twenty, Fasch was appointed on his recommendation accompanist to Frederick the Great. His coadjutor was no less a person than Emanuel Bach; they took it in turns to accompany the King’s flute-concertos, and as soon as Fasch had become accustomed to the royal amateur's impetuous style of execution, his accompaniments gave every satisfaction.

The Seven Years' War put an end to Frederick’s flute-playing, and as Fasch received his salary (300 thalers) in paper, worth only a fifth part of its nominal value— a misfortune in which he anticipated Beethoven—he was compelled to maintain himself by giving lessons. For his lessons in composition, he made a collection of several thousand examples. About the same time ho wrote several most ingenious canons, particularly one for twenty-five voices containing five canons put together, one being in seven parts, one in six, and three in four parts. After the Battle of Torgau, the King granted him an addition of 100 thalers to his salary, but the increase covered the direction of the opera, which was put into his hands from 1774 to 1776. After the War of the Bavarian Succession Frederick gave up his practice, and Fasch was free to follow his natural inclination for church music.

In 1783, incited by a 16-part Mass of Benevoli's, which Reichardt hail brought from Italy, he wrote one for the same number of voices, which, however, proved too difficult for the court-singers. He retained his post after Frederick's death but occupied himself chiefly with composition and teaching. In the summer of 1790, as he himself tells us, he began choral-meetings in the summer-house of Geheimrath Milow, which resulted in the Singakademie, an institution which under his pupil and successor Zelter became very popular and exercised an important influence on musical taste in Berlin for many years.

Before his death, Fasch was twice visited by Beethoven, who spent some time in Berlin in the summer of 1796. On the first occasion, June 21, he heard a chorale, the three first numbers of Fasch's mass, and several movements from his 119th Psalm, and he himself extemporized on one of the subjects of the latter. On the 28th he reappeared and again extemporized, to the delight of Fasch's scholars, who, as Beethoven used to say, pressed round him and could not applaud for tears (Thayer's Beethoven, ii. 13).The Academy at that date was about 90 strong, but at the time of Fasch's death, Aug. 3, 1800, it had increased to 147. In accordance with a wish expressed in his will, the Academy performed Mozart's Requiem to his memory—for the first time in Berlin. The receipts amounted to 1200 thalers, an extraordinary sum in those days, and were applied to founding a Fund for the perpetual maintenance of a poor family.