Dieterich Buxtehude

Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637–1707) was a Danish-German composer and organist whose sacred vocal and organ music shaped the North German Baroque and influenced J. S. Bach.

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North German organ school: A Baroque tradition of organ playing and composition centered in northern Germany, known for large instruments and virtuosic counterpoint. Buxtehude became its leading figure through his Lübeck post and expansive organ works.
Membra Jesu Nostri: A cycle of seven sacred cantatas by Buxtehude, first performed in 1680, meditating on parts of Christ's crucified body. This celebrated cycle shows his expressive approach to Latin sacred vocal music.
J. S. Bach: A German composer and keyboard virtuoso of the late Baroque, born in 1685 and active until 1750. Bach traveled to Lübeck around 1705 to hear Buxtehude and study his music.
Helsingør: A Danish city on the Øresund, known historically in English as Elsinore. Buxtehude's early career began as an organist in this Danish city.
Bach's journey to Lübeck: J. S. Bach's journey from Arnstadt to Lübeck around 1705 to hear Buxtehude and study his music. The journey is direct evidence of Buxtehude's draw for a younger composer.
Lübeck: A northern German port city on the Baltic Sea and a major Hanseatic center. Its Marienkirche and civic musical life were central to Buxtehude's career.
BuxWV 75: Buxtehude's seven-part organ work Passacaglia in D minor, catalogued as BuxWV 161, not BuxWV 75. The D-minor passacaglia is a compact example of his variation technique and structural command.
Georg Dietrich Leyding: A German organist and composer who studied with Buxtehude and later worked in Brunswick. His career carries Buxtehude's teaching into another North German musical center.
Helsingborg: A Swedish port city on the Øresund, opposite Helsingør in Denmark. Buxtehude held an early organ post there before moving to Lübeck.
Organ chorale: An organ composition based on a Lutheran chorale melody, often used in worship or as a concert work. Buxtehude's chorale settings helped establish models later explored by Bach.