Biography
Homilius ranked among the leading German composers active during the middle and later decades of the eighteenth century. His training in organ and composition came from Stubner, Bach, and Hiller, after which he enrolled at the University of Leipzig to pursue legal studies. Over the course of his career he served successively as assistant organist at St Anne’s in Dresden and as organist at the city’s Frauenkirche, Kreuzkirche, and Sophienkirche. The earliest surviving piece he produced was the cantata “Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild,” while his overall output encompassed numerous cantatas, motets, Magnificant settings, and organ pieces. Any assessment of his historical standing must take into account that his music continued to figure in the Kreuzkirche’s choral repertoire. Melodic lines infused with folk elements and heightened emotional expression formed the central focus of his writing; he also employed dynamic contrasts alongside straightforward harmonic language. As the principal exponent of the empfindsamer style, Homilius marked a pivotal stage in the shift from Baroque to Classical aesthetics, marked by the decline of counterpoint and the emergence of noble simplicity.