Johann Christian Kittel
1732 — 1809
Johann Christian Kittel was a German organist, composer, and teacher. He was one of the last students of Johann Sebastian Bach. His students included Michael Gotthard Fischer, Karl Gottlieb Umbreit, Johann Wilhelm Hässler and Christian Heinrich Rinck. See: List of music students by teacher: K to M#Johann Christian Kittel.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article on Johann Christian Kittel.
From the period sources
Johann Christian Kittel, a German organist and composer, was born in Erfurt on February 18, 1732, and died there on May 18, 1809, according to Grove’s Dictionary (1906). He holds a notable place in music history as “one of the last pupils of J. S. Bach,” a fact recorded across several reference works, including the Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (1886) and A History of Pianoforte-Playing (1897). Indeed, Grove’s Dictionary (1906) describes him as one of Bach’s “best pupils,” and Johann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence (1899) calls him “one of his most proficient pupils.” Kittel himself, in his Der angehende praktische Organist (1808), recounted how, during cantata rehearsals under Bach’s direction, the master’s hands would suddenly join his own at the harpsichord, “completing the accompaniment with masses of harmony,” which amazed him.
Kittel’s career began as organist at Langensalza in 1751, before he returned to his native Erfurt in 1756 to serve at the Predigerkirche, a position that offered “wretched” pay and necessitated extensive teaching (Grove’s Dictionary, 1906). Even in his later years, nearing seventy, he undertook a concert tour through German towns like Göttingen, Hanover, Hamburg, and Altona, where he published a Neues Choralbuch in 1803. Despite his fame as a player, his published works, including organ sonatas, preludes, fugues, and his Practical Organ School, were not considered “very important” by Grove’s Dictionary (1906). However, he was a significant teacher, with celebrated organists like Michael Gotthard Fischer and Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck among his pupils. According to Grove’s Dictionary (1906), Kittel inherited a full-sized portrait of Bach, which he would unveil to his satisfied students as the highest reward.