- George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-born British Baroque composer who was a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. Born in Germany as Georg Friederich Händel, he dwelt during most of his adult life in England, becoming a subject of the British crown on 22 January 1727. His most famous works are "Messiah", an oratorio set to texts from the King James Bible, "Water Music" and "Music for the Royal Fireworks". - Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel (baptized September 1, 1653 - March 3, 1706) was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque. - Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer, M.D., OM, (January 14, 1875 - September 4, 1965), was an Alsatian theologian, musician, philosopher, and physician. He was born in Kaisersberg, Alsace-Lorraine (at that time part of the German Empire). After the Allies' victory in 1918, he asked for French nationality according to his Alsacian ancestries, and got it without trouble. Later, he challenged both the secular view of historical Jesus current at his time and the traditional Christian view, … - Heinrich Schütz
Heinrich Schütz (October 8 (JC), 1585 Köstritz - November 6, 1672 Dresden) was a German composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and is often considered to be one of the most important composers of the 17th century along with Claudio Monteverdi. He wrote what is thought to be the first German opera, "Dafne", performed at Torgau in 1627; however, the music has since been lost. - Dieterich Buxtehude
Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637-9 May 1707) was a German-Danish organist and a highly regarded composer of the Baroque period. His organ works comprise a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and church services. He wrote in a wide variety of vocal and instrumental idioms, and his style strongly influenced many composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach. - Josef Rheinberger
Josef Gabriel Rheinberger was a Liechtensteinian organist and composer. When only seven years old Rheinberger was organist at Vaduz Parish Church, and his first composition was performed the following year. In 1851 he entered the Munich Conservatorium, where he later became professor of pianoforte playing, and subsequently professor of composition. When the Munich Conservatorium dissolved he was appointed "répétiteur" at the Court Theatre, … - Julius Reubke
Julius Reubke (March 23 1834 - June 3 1858) was a German composer, pianist and organist. In his short life - he died at the age of 24 - he composed the "Sonata on the 94th Psalm", one of the greatest organ works in the repertoire. - Johann Krieger
Johann Philipp Krieger. German Baroque composer, who although not prominent, contributed quality music (such as keyboard music, trio sonatas, and operas) to the seventeenth and eighteenth century musical world. - Samuel Scheidt
Samuel Scheidt (baptized November 3, 1587 - March 24, 1653) was a German composer, organist and teacher of the early Baroque era. He was born in Halle, and after early studies there, he went to Amsterdam to study with Sweelinck, the distinguished Dutch composer, which was clearly formative on his style. On his return to Halle he became court organist, and later Kapellmeister, to the Margrave of Brandenburg. Unlike many German musicians, for example Heinrich Schütz, … - Johann Peter Kellner
Johann Peter Kellner (variants: Keller, Kelner) (28 September 1705 - 19 April 1772) was a German organist and composer. He was the father of Johann Christoph Kellner. - Hieronymus Praetorius
Hieronymus Praetorius (August 10, 1560 - January 27, 1629) was a north German composer and organist of the late Renaissance and very early Baroque eras. He was not related to the much more famous Michael Praetorius, though the Praetorius family had many distinguished musicians throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. - Franz Tunder
Franz Tunder (1614 - November 5, 1667) was a German composer and organist of the early to middle Baroque era. He was an important link between the early German Baroque style which was based on Venetian models, and the later Baroque style which culminated in the music of J.S. Bach; in addition he was formative in the development of the chorale cantata. - Karl Richter
Karl Richter (October 15, 1926 - February 15, 1981) was a German conductor, organist, and harpsichordist. He was born in Plauen and studied first in Dresden and then Leipzig, where he received his degree in 1949. In the same year, he became organist at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach once held the position as Musical Director. In 1951, he moved to Munich, where he taught at the conservatory and was cantor and organist at St. Mark's Church. - Hermann Schroeder
Hermann Schroeder was a German composer and a catholic church musician. He spent the greatest part of his life’s work in the Rheinland. His main sphere of activity as composer, conductor and organist were in addition to his work as Professor of choral conducting, counterpoint and composition at the Musikhochschule Köln and conducting various semiprofessional ensembles such as the Bach-Verein Köln and the Rheinischen Kammerchor. - Johann Ernst Eberlin
Johann Ernst Eberlin, (March 27 1702 - June 19 1762). German composer and organist whose works bridge the baroque and classical eras. He was a prolific composer, chiefly of church organ and choral music. His first musical training started in 1712 at the High School of the Jesuiten pc. Salvator in Augsburg. His teachers there were Georg Egger and Balthasar Siberer (who taught him how to play the organ). - Johann Christoph Kellner
Johann Christoph Kellner (15 August 1736 - 1803) was a German organist and composer. He was the son of Johann Peter Kellner. - Vincent Lübeck
Vincent Lübeck (c. September 1654, Padingbüttel (near Bremen) - February 9 1740, Hamburg) was a German composer and organist. - Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel
Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel was a German composer and organist, elder son of Johann Pachelbel. Born in Erfurt near Eisenach (in the same birthplace and year of birth as Johann Sebastian Bach), Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel studied with his father. The first printed reference to either Pachelbel is in Johann Mattheson's "Ehrenpforte". It is believed that Wilhelm Hieronymus served as organist at Fürth and in Erfurt, then in Nuremberg in 1706, … - Conrad Paumann
Conrad Paumann (c.1410-January 24, 1473) was a German organist, lutenist and composer of the early Renaissance. Even though he was born blind, he was one of the most talented musicians of the 15th century, and his performances created a sensation wherever he went. - Gottfried August Homilius
Gottfried August Homilius (February 2, 1714 - June 2, 1785) was a German composer, cantor, and organist. Born in Rosenthal, Saxony, Homilius studied music in Leipzig, where he was the pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach. From 1742 he was organist at the Frauenkirche in Dresden, and from 1755 until his death he was Cantor of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden and music director at the three main churches of Dresden. - Leonhard Kleber
Leonhard Kleber was a German organist, and probably composer, of the Renaissance. He was born in Göppingen. He graduated from Heidelberg University in 1512, and was probably a pupil of the famous blind organist and composer Arnolt Schlick around that time. He is known to have held three positions after his graduation: at Horb am Neckar, as organist and vicar-choral, in 1516 and 1517; at Esslingen am Neckar as organist until 1521; and at Pforzheim from 1521 on, … - Christian Heinrich Rinck
Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck (February 18, 1770 - July 23, 1846) was a German composer and organist of the late classical era. Rinck was born in Elgersburg, Thuringia, and died in Darmstadt, aged 76. - Gustav Merkel
Gustav (Adolf) Merkel (Oberoderwitz, near Zittau, November 12, 1827 - Dresden, October 30, 1885) was a German organist, whose memory survives - to the extent that it survives at all - because of the abundant music that he wrote for his instrument. <P> Having been given in his youth some lessons by Schumann, Merkel spent most of his career in Dresden, concentrating on organ-playing from 1858. - Theodor Kirchner
Fürchtegott Theodor Kirchner was a significant German composer and pianist of the Romantic era. Kirchner enjoyed the friendship and admiration of many leading composers of the 19th century yet was unable to maintain a successful career, apparently due to a disordered way of life which included extravagant spending and an addiction to gambling. An accomplished organist and pianist at the age of eight, in 1843 he became organist in Winterthur, … - Karl Straube
Montgomery Rufus Karl/Carl Siegfried Straube was a German church musician, organist, and choral conductor, famous above all for championing the abundant organ music of Max Reger. - Gregor Aichinger
Gregor Aichinger, (c. 1565-1628) was a German composer. He was organist to the Fugger family of Augsburg in 1584. In 1599 he went for a two year visit to Rome for musical, rather than religious reasons, although he had taken religious orders before his appointment under the Fugger. Proske, in the preface to vol. 2 of his "Musica Divina", calls him a priest of Regensburg, and is inclined to give him the palm for the devout and ingenuous mastery of his style. - Gerd Zacher
Gerd Zacher (b. Meppen on the Ems River, Germany, July 6, 1929) is a German composer, organist, and writer on music. He specializes in contemporary compositions, many of which feature extended techniques, and are written in graphic or verbal scores. He has interpreted the scores of numerous contemporary composers, including John Cage, Juan Allende-Blin, Mauricio Kagel, György Ligeti, Hans Otte, and Isang Yun. - Johann Ludwig Krebs
Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-February 1, 1780), was a Baroque period musician and composer primarily for the pipe organ. - Johann Jakob Froberger
Johann Jakob Froberger (May 18, 1616 - May 7, 1667) was a German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. He was very well known during his lifetime and modern scholars consider him to be one of the most important keyboard composers before Johann Sebastian Bach. - Johann Christoph Bach
Johann Christoph Bach (December 6, 1642 - March 31, 1703), was a German composer of the Baroque period. He was born at Arnstadt, the son of Heinrich Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach's great uncle, hence he was Johann Sebastian's first cousin once removed. He was also the uncle of Maria Barbara Bach, J. S. Bach's first wife. Johann Christoph had a reputation as a composer that was only equalled by that of Johann Sebastian within the Bach family during his lifetime. - Harald Vogel
Harald Vogel is a German organist and one of the leading experts on renaissance and baroque keyboard music. He has been professor of organ at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen (University of the Arts) since 1994. Vogel has done a large number of recordings including 7 CDs covering the complete organ works of Dieterich Buxtehude. A festschrift containing essays in honor of Vogel's long career, … - Max Wagenknecht
Max Wagenknecht was a German composer of organ and piano music. He spent most of his life in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania region where he was music teacher at the Franzburg Teachers’ College and in his later life organist and composer in Anklam. He is most well known for Opus 5, “58 Vor- und Nachspiele”, completed in July 1889 in Franzburg. - Georg Böhm
Georg Böhm was a German Baroque organist and composer. He is notable for his development of the chorale partita and for his influence on the young J. S. Bach. - Johann Christian Friedrich Hæffner
Johann Christian Friedrich Hæffner was a German-born Swedish composer. Hæffner received his first musical education with the Schmalkalden organist Johann Gottfried Vierling. He studied in Leipzig from 1776, and then worked as a music conductor in theatres in Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg 1778-1780. He moved to Stockholm, Sweden in 1781 at the invitation of the German congregation there ("Tyska kyrkan") to assume the position of organist, which he held until 1793. - Peter Hasse
Peter (Petrus) Hasse was a German organist and composer, and member of the prominent musical Hasse family. The first written record of Hasse dates from his appointment as organist at the Marienkirche in Lübeck, a post later held by Buxtehude. Although literally nothing is known of Hasse's early life, he is believed to have been a student of Sweelinck between 1606 and 1609. Hasse remained in Lübeck until his death in 1640, … - Walter Kraft
Walter Kraft was a German organist and composer, best known for his remarkably long tenure (almost half a century, 1926-1972) at the Marienkirche, Lübeck. During this tenure, Kraft, who had been a student of Paul Hindemith in Berlin, revived the practice of evening concerts of sacred works. Such concerts, collectively called "Abendmusik", had been regularly given by his predecessors at the church, … - Nicolaus Bruhns
Nicolaus Bruhns ("Nikolaus", "Nicholas") (1665 - March 19, 1697) was one of the greatest organists and composers of his time. He studied with Dieterich Buxtehude, who regarded him as among the very best of his students. - Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer
Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer (some authorities use the spelling Johann Kasper Ferdinand Fischer) (died 1746) was a German Baroque composer. Johann Nikolaus Forkel ranked Fischer as one of the best composers for keyboard of his day, however, partly due to the rarity of surviving copies of his music, his music is rarely heard today. - Georg Dietrich Leyding
Georg Dietrich Leyding (or Leiding was a German composer and organist associated with the North German school. Born in Bücken, near Nienburg, his father was a riding master in the French lifeguards. Showing an early ability in music, he moved to Brunswick in 1679 to study with organist Jacob Bölsche and in 1684 studied briefly with both Johann Adam Reincken and Dieterich Buxtehude in Hamburg and Lübeck. - Johann Valentin Meder
Johann Valentin Meder was a German composer, organist, and singer. Meder was born in Wasungen, near Meiningen, to a musical family with his father and four brothers all being organists or Kantors. He studied theology at Leipzig in 1669 and then at Jena but soon became a professional singer. He was employed as court singer at Gotha in 1671, Bremen in 1672–3, Hamburg in 1673 and Copenhagen and Lübeck (where he met Buxtehude) in 1674.
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