MARPURG, FRIEDRICH WILHELM

born Nov. 21, 1718, Marpurgsdorf, near Seehausen, Brandenburg died May 22, 1795, Berlin German composer and writer remembered for his theoretical and critical writings on music. Nothing is known of his musical education. In 1746 he was secretary to a Prussian general in Paris, where he met Voltaire and the composer Jean Rameau. He later lived in Berlin and Hamburg and from 1763 to 1795 directed the Prussian state lottery. Particularly important among his works are the Historisch-kritische Beytrge (175458) and his introductions to different branches of music, notably the fugue in Abhandlung von der Fuge (175354). These works are valuable to students of 18th-century music history, theory, and practice. His compositions include 6 Sonaten fr das Cembalo (1756) and Fughe e caprice (1777).