Daniel Croner

Daniel Croner (1656–1740) was a Transylvanian composer and organist of Saxon descent. He is best known for his four manuscript collections of organ music, his 'Tabulaturae', that include some of the earliest surviving organ compositions from this region.

Early life Daniel Croner was born in Kronstadt (now Brașov) to master tailor Daniel Croner and his wife Katharina at their home in Purzengasse. His musical talent was recognized early and encouraged.

Education From 1671 to 1678 he attended Kronstadt's Honterus-Gymnasium. In 1675 he began to make copies of music for his own use. He then moved to Weissenburg (now Alba Iulia) to perfect his knowledge of Hungarian and moved to Breslau (now Wrocław) in 1680 to study at the Maria Magdalena High School. Wittenberg, May 1682 (Tabulatura Num: 12 Praeambulorum mit einem Capriccio von eben 12 Variationen; durch alle Claves und Tonos auff Clavichordien und Spinetten zu gebrauchen, gesetzt von Johann George Kittelen, Weitberiihmbten Churf. Hoff-Organisten in Dresden. Kronstadt, 1685

In his collection Croner not only displays his grasp of traditional styles - not least by including alongside his own compositions the works of older contemporaries such as Johann Froberger, Johann Erasmus Kindermann, Johann Christian Kittel, Bernhard Meyer and Johann Ulich - but also his own lively innovatory spirit. In these volumes Croner marks the transition from an earlier polyphonic style to the new styles of the High Baroque. Of particular note was his organisation of works into complete cycles of keys (such as we find later in J.S. Bach's Das wohltemperirte Klavier). Other notable characteristics include: - rhythmic variations of choral themes; - the increased use of keys rather than church modes; - and the frequent introduction of the pedal. Croner was a pioneer in the inclusion of instructions for fingering methods on keyboard instruments and the finger extension principle for the execution of preludes and capriccios.