Johann Gottfried Schicht

SCHICHT, Johann Gottfried. b. Reichenau, 29 September 1753; d. Leipzig, 16 February 1823. Schicht attended the Gymnasium in Zittau, near Reichenau, where he also studied music. He was a keyboardist, violinist and singer. Schicht began to study law at Leipzig University from 1776, but his musical interests, such as participating in the Grosses Concert under J.A. Hiller, led him to abandon his university studies. Schicht played in the Musikübende Gesellschaft and began playing in Gewandhaus concerts in 1781, all under Hiller’s direction. He became director of the Gewandhaus concerts himself in 1785. He founded and directed the Leipzig Singakademie (1802-7), the first mixed secular choir in...