Kapelle (court ensemble)
Historically a singing or instrumental ensemble at churches and princely courts; origin of the term “Kapellmeister.”
What it means
Kapelle historically denoted a singing or instrumental ensemble permanently employed at a church or a princely court. From the word for the small church or private chapel in which the musicians originally worked, the name came to denote the whole ensemble itself.
Musical use
Princely and ecclesiastical Kapellen were, from the Middle Ages into the 19th century, the most important institutions for professional music-making and employed composers, singers, and instrumentalists permanently. Johann Sebastian Bach, for instance, served as court Kapellmeister in Köthen, Joseph Haydn for decades as Kapellmeister of the princely Esterházy Kapelle. From this institution derives the title “Kapellmeister,” which denoted the leading musical figure of such an ensemble and later became the general term for conductor.
The historical Kapelle should be distinguished from today's orchestra as an independent, often publicly funded institution, and from smaller ensembles such as brass bands or dance bands, which continue the term in a figurative, popular sense but do not mean courtly or ecclesiastical employment.
Performance practice
When reading historical sources about composers, watch for terms such as Hofkapelle or Kapellmeister, which point to permanent employment at a princely court or a church. This helps you better place a composer's social standing and the patrons of his works.