Christoph Schaffrath

Christoph Schaffrath (1709 in Hohnstein, Electorate of Saxony 7 February 1763 in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia) was a German musician and composer of the late Baroque to Classical transition era. Career Schaffrath was born in Hohnstein. He applied to be organist at the Sophienkirche in Dresden, but did not receive this position (Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was favoured for it). In June 1733, he sought the position of organist at St. Sophia’s Church in Dresden; however, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach won the audition (on June 22, 1733). For a time, he served as Kapellmeister to the Lithuanian Prince (1680–1750) in Zasław, then in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (today in Ukraine). He did serve in the court of the Crown Prince Frederick (Frederick the Great) as a harpsichordist in the orchestra. While still only Crown Prince, Frederick began assembling a private orchestra at his Neuruppin residence in 1732: Johann Gottlieb Graun was the first musician to enter his service that year , followed by Franz Benda in 1733, Johann Georg Benda in 1734, Carl Heinrich Graun in 1735, and then Christoph Schaffrath and Johann Gottlieb Janitsch in 1736. From 1741, however, Schaffrath was strictly the musician