Hermann Finck (21 March 1527 – 28 December 1558) was a German music theorist, composer and 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 music.
In 1545 he matriculated at Wittenberg University
and then taught at the university from 1554 and became an organist in 1557.
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.
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.
In book five, entitled, "On the Art of Singing Elegantly and Sweetly" he gave advice to singers.
Family
Finck was the great-nephew of composer
Heinrich Finck.
