Alberich Mazak


Alberich Mazak, also Alberik Mazák was a 17th-century Czech-Austrian composer.

Early life

Mazak was born in Ratibor to a Czech family. After studying music and philosophy, he entered Heiligenkreuz Abbey in 1631 and was ordained a priest in 1633.

Works, editions and recordings

Mazak created more than 300 compositions. He wrote masses, litanies, offertories, antiphons, psalms and sacred cantatas. The instruments he used most were the violin, the trumpet, the bassoon, the viola da gamba, the cornet and the sackbut. His compositions, predominantly motets, collected under the title Cultus harmonicus, were published by him in Vienna, Opus I in 1649, Opus Minus in 1650 and Opus Maius in 1653. The last one is missing today.
A baroque lute built in 1631, which had been played at Mazak's ordination, was used in the recording of Wolf Erichson's Stift Heiligenkreuz Geistliche Musik, directed by Niederaltaicher Scholaren and Dr. Konrad Ruhland and published by Sony Music under the SEON label.