Friedrich Konrad Griepenkerl (10 December 1782 – 6 April 1849), sometimes known as Friedrich Konrad Griepenkerl, was a German Germanist, pedagogue, musicologist and conductor.
Griepenkerl was born in Peine the son of a preacher, he first attended the school in Peine and changed in 1796 to the . From 1805 to 1808, he studied theology at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, where he also studied philosophy and pedagogy with Johann Friedrich Herbart and philology with Christian Gottlob Heyne. In addition he studied music theory, piano and organ with Johann Sebastian Bach's devotee Johann Nikolaus Forkel († 1818).
In 1808, taking Herbart's advice, he went to Hofwil in Switzerland, where he became a teacher of the German language and literature at the newly founded Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg Institute. He also directed the musical life of this school and the community.
In 1816 he moved back to Braunschweig where he taught at the Katharineum. After receiving his doctorate in 1821, he was offered an extraordinary professorship for philosophy and fine sciences at the, which was converted into a full professorship in 1825. In 1828, he took up an additional teaching position at the Obergymnasium, where he taught German language and literature, mathematics and philosophy.
Griepenkerl founded a singing academy in Braunschweig, which under his direction performed Bach's chorals and his Mass in B minor. He was a co-organizer of the Braunschweig music festivals of 1836, 1839 and 1841. Griepenkerl was in friendly contact with important musicians of his time, such as Carl Friedrich Zelter, Carl Maria von Weber, Gaspare Spontini, Louis Spohr, Giacomo Meyerbeer and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Together with Ferdinand August Roitzsch (1805-1889), he published a critical edition of J. S. Bach's piano and organ works in the years from 1837. He wrote the text for a great opera Pino di Porto by the Braunschweig court kapellmeister Georg Müller which was unsuccessful, however
Griepenkerl died on 6 April 1849, in Braunschweig, aged 66.
The older son (1810-1868) was a dramatist, storyteller and university lecturer at the Collegium Carolinum, the younger son Erich (1813-1888) President of the Brunswick Chamber. His son was a physician in Königslutter and paleontologist.
Griepenker died in Braunschweig on 6 April 1849, aged 66.
Historical references