Faisst, Immanuel Gottleb Friedrich

1823-1894

German organist, theorist and composer, who was born at Esslingen, Germany, and founded in 1847 a school for organists at Stuttgart and also a society for classical church music. In 1847 he established a conservatory of music there and two years later became its director. Faisst composed a great deal of organ music and is the author of a number of useful theoretical works. As an organist and educator he was once very wellknown in Germany, and highly esteemed. He was principally selftaught and when, after a period of study at Tubingen, he submitted some compositions to Mendelssohn, he was encouraged by that composer to continue studying without a teacher. In 1846 he toured Germany, giving concerts in several towns. He became organist at the Stiftskirche at Stuttgart, was made a Doctor of Philosophy by Tubingen University and received the title of professor from the King of Wurtemberg. Faisst's compositions consist mainly of church music and choral works and include cantatas; motets; choruses for male voices and mixed chorus; songs; organ music; a double fugue for piano; and piano-pieces. His setting of Schiller's Macht des Gesanges received much praise. He also undertook the editing of the great edition of Beethoven's piano sonatas, with Lebert, for the firm of Cotta, for which edition von Bülow also edited some of the sonatas.