Reutter, Georg

1656-1738

Organist and conductor; born at Vienna; officiated at St. Stephen's in 1686, and in 1700 became Court and chamber organist. He played the theorbo in the Court Orchestra from 1697 to 1703. In 1712 he succeeded Fux as the choirmaster of the Gnadenbild at St. Stephen's, and in 1715 became chapelmaster of the Cathedral. In 1695 he was knighted by Count Francesco Sforza at Rome.

His son, Georg Karl, was born at Vienna, and was also his pupil. At the age of nineteen he composed an oratorio, Abel, which attracted the attention of the court, and in consequence an order for a festival opera followed, which brought forth Archidamia. In 1731 he was appointed Court composer. He succeeded to the position of chapelmaster at St. Stephen's on his father's death, in 1738; in 1746 became second Court chapelmaster, and in 1751 acting chief chapelmaster to the Court on Predieri's retirement, receiving the title on the latter's death, in 1769. His compositions for the court include operas, cantatas, oratorios, and other dramatic and sacred music. He possessed the knack of currying favor at court, and thus attained to the title of Elder von Reutter in 1740; but he is remembered chiefly by his cruelty to Joseph Haydn, whom he engaged as a choir-boy at St. Stephen's, and also by the deterioration of the court music under his direction. He died in Vienna.