Biography
Dietrich Buxtehude remains best known among today's classical listeners for motivating the youthful Johann Sebastian Bach to undertake an extended trip to Lübeck—the city where Buxtehude lived and served as organist for the greater part of his career—in order to attend his performances. Yet Buxtehude himself ranked as a leading German Baroque composer. Although copies of many pieces that earned the highest praise from his peers have not survived, he produced a substantial output of vocal and instrumental works notable for their contrapuntal mastery, spiritual character, and visceral power. He played a key role in shaping the church cantata, a form Bach would later bring to its fullest realization, and enjoyed comparable fame as an organ virtuoso.
No records confirm the date of Buxtehude's birth, though he stated toward the end of his life that he had been born in Denmark. Because his father, Johannes, served as organist and schoolmaster in Oldesloe, Denmark, until 1638, most scholars place the birth in that town; some, however, propose Helsingborg (now in Sweden), where Johannes relocated in 1638. The family then moved to Helsingør in 1641 or 1642 and remained there until 1671. After receiving his initial training from his father, Buxtehude assumed the post of organist at his father's former church in Helsingør in 1657 or 1658, then transferred in 1660 to a German-speaking parish in Helsingborg. He broke from this pattern when the coveted organist position at the Marienkirche in Lübeck opened; after several other candidates were passed over, he secured the appointment on April 11, 1668. He also wed the previous organist's youngest daughter, Anna Margarethe Tunder—a step that may have been required for the post and was certainly stipulated when Buxtehude later sought his own successor.
Buxtehude remained organist at the Marienkirche until his death. His regular responsibilities included supplying congregational chorales and additional music for every service as well as serving as treasurer, secretary, and administrator of the church's business affairs. He gained his greatest renown, however, for the Abendmusik concerts presented after the afternoon service on five Sundays each year and for special events. Although these performances were universally acclaimed and accounted for most of Buxtehude's contemporary celebrity, little of their music has been preserved. The two celebrated Abendmusik programs of December 2 and 3, 1705, marking the death of Emperor Leopold I and the accession of Joseph I, were likely heard by Bach during his pilgrimage. Buxtehude received an early chance to retire in 1703 when Georg Friederic Handel and Johann Mattheson, both noted organists, visited him. Mattheson had considered succeeding Buxtehude but withdrew upon learning he would have to marry Buxtehude's daughter Anna Margareta, so the discussions ended without result. Following Buxtehude's death on May 9, 1707, the church secured another organist prepared to marry his daughter.
Buxtehude's organ compositions have historically been examined chiefly for their direct impact on Bach. He composed the earliest genuinely idiomatic organ fugues and helped pioneer the formal design that Bach later established as the prelude and fugue. He is widely regarded as the foremost organist between Scheidt and Bach and as the originator of the German organ toccata. Beyond the keyboard works that so impressed his contemporaries, he also created remarkable pieces for trios featuring the viola da gamba. His vocal compositions displayed the same devotional depth and structural rigor found in his instrumental music and likewise received widespread admiration.
No records confirm the date of Buxtehude's birth, though he stated toward the end of his life that he had been born in Denmark. Because his father, Johannes, served as organist and schoolmaster in Oldesloe, Denmark, until 1638, most scholars place the birth in that town; some, however, propose Helsingborg (now in Sweden), where Johannes relocated in 1638. The family then moved to Helsingør in 1641 or 1642 and remained there until 1671. After receiving his initial training from his father, Buxtehude assumed the post of organist at his father's former church in Helsingør in 1657 or 1658, then transferred in 1660 to a German-speaking parish in Helsingborg. He broke from this pattern when the coveted organist position at the Marienkirche in Lübeck opened; after several other candidates were passed over, he secured the appointment on April 11, 1668. He also wed the previous organist's youngest daughter, Anna Margarethe Tunder—a step that may have been required for the post and was certainly stipulated when Buxtehude later sought his own successor.
Buxtehude remained organist at the Marienkirche until his death. His regular responsibilities included supplying congregational chorales and additional music for every service as well as serving as treasurer, secretary, and administrator of the church's business affairs. He gained his greatest renown, however, for the Abendmusik concerts presented after the afternoon service on five Sundays each year and for special events. Although these performances were universally acclaimed and accounted for most of Buxtehude's contemporary celebrity, little of their music has been preserved. The two celebrated Abendmusik programs of December 2 and 3, 1705, marking the death of Emperor Leopold I and the accession of Joseph I, were likely heard by Bach during his pilgrimage. Buxtehude received an early chance to retire in 1703 when Georg Friederic Handel and Johann Mattheson, both noted organists, visited him. Mattheson had considered succeeding Buxtehude but withdrew upon learning he would have to marry Buxtehude's daughter Anna Margareta, so the discussions ended without result. Following Buxtehude's death on May 9, 1707, the church secured another organist prepared to marry his daughter.
Buxtehude's organ compositions have historically been examined chiefly for their direct impact on Bach. He composed the earliest genuinely idiomatic organ fugues and helped pioneer the formal design that Bach later established as the prelude and fugue. He is widely regarded as the foremost organist between Scheidt and Bach and as the originator of the German organ toccata. Beyond the keyboard works that so impressed his contemporaries, he also created remarkable pieces for trios featuring the viola da gamba. His vocal compositions displayed the same devotional depth and structural rigor found in his instrumental music and likewise received widespread admiration.
Albums
Alles, was ihr tut mit Worten oder Werken, BuxWV 4
2024
Durante: Concerto No. 1 for Strings and Harpsichord in F Minor (Digitally Remastered)
2013
Singles