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Heinrich Schütz

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

Heinrich Schütz was a German composer of the early Baroque, born in 1585 and died in 1672. He was regarded as the most important German composer of the seventeenth century before Johann Sebastian Bach. He studied in Venice with Giovanni Gabrieli and brought the Italian style to Germany. His first Italian madrigals appeared in 1611. For most of his life he worked as Kapellmeister at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden.

Music and breakthrough

His work is almost entirely vocal and religious. Well known are the Psalmen Davids for several choirs and instruments from 1619, the Kleine geistliche Konzerte and the Deutsches Magnificat. Schütz sought a way to sing the German text of Luther and the Bible expressively, with the dramatic force of the Italian madrigal.

Influence

Schütz is regarded as the composer who brought the Italian Baroque to Germany and gave it a German form of its own. His music paved the way for the great organists and cantor-composers who came after him, up to and including Johann Sebastian Bach.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a movement from the Psalmen Davids. Notice how the two choirs toss the phrases to each other, a technique Schütz learned in Venice.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists