Quehl was born in 1694, and early on his musical talent became a sensation. In contemporary documents is noted Quehl “applied in the 10th year of his age to music and perfected it at different locations such as Hamburg , Amsterdam , Leyden , the Hague , etc.. However, he learned the organ mostly from the Kapellmeister Christian Friedrich Witt in Gotha .
From autumn 1714 Quehl was organist at St. Mary’s Church in Suhl. In 1718 he married the second daughter of the church pastor Johann Caspar Werner. Of eight children, six did not survived their first years of life. Johann Sebastian Bach (at the time Kapellmeister at the court in Köthen), was godfather of Quehl’s third son. From 1732 to 1733 Quehl was the teacher of organist and composer Johann Peter Kellner .
In the summer of 1730 Quehl served as the organist and cantor at the Church of St. Nicolai in Marktbreit am Main and followed in the footsteps of the late cantor Johann Friedrich Schüttwürfel.
In 1735, Quehl entered the teaching profession” in Fürth where he remained until his death in March 1739 cantor and organist at St. Michael in Fürth. Elsewhere his work is described “Capellmeister”. Quehl’s successor was Caspar Christian Keller from Suhl. Whether this was a son or other relative of Johann Peter Kellner, who also called himself “Keller”, has not been established.
Not much of Quehl’s music has survived, but we do have a wonderful collection of 42 Fugues on Chorale tunes, now placed in modern notation for your enjoyment. The pieces are available here singly or (eventually) in a collection of all 42.
Aus meines herzens Gründe
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Wach Auf mein herz und singe
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Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
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