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Dieterich Buxtehude

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Dieterich Buxtehude was a Danish composer and organist of the middle Baroque, whose work is typical of the North German organ school. He was born around 1637, probably in Helsingborg, which then belonged to Denmark. His father was an organist in Helsingborg and Helsingør, and Dieterich himself became an organist, first in Helsingborg and then in Helsingør. In 1668 he became organist of the Marienkirche in Lübeck, where he succeeded Franz Tunder and married his daughter Anna Margarethe. There were two organs there, a large one for services and a small one for devotional gatherings and funerals.

Music and breakthrough

Buxtehude wrote both vocal and instrumental music, with more than a hundred surviving vocal works. Until the twentieth century he was regarded mainly as a keyboard composer. His church music is praised for its musical quality, not for innovation. His style was a great influence on other composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. On record he appears mainly with organ works, such as the series L'oeuvre d'orgue from 1972 and 1973.

Influence

Buxtehude is regarded as one of the most important composers of the generation before Bach, and his organ music lets you hear where the Baroque organ tradition comes from.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to one of his organ works and notice the sound of the organ: which stops do you hear, and how does the sound fill the church?

Discography

Studio albums

Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: ArtistsGerman Baroque and Bach