Heinrich Schutz, Baroque Composer

Heinrich Schutz

1585-1672

Born in Bad Lostriz in 1585 and moved to Landgrave in 1598 where he served as the choir boy and studied with Georg Otto. Schutz studied law at the Universtiy of Marburg, but was advised to instead study music with Gabrieli and Landgrave gave him the finanical means to do so.

Heinrich Schutz studied with Giovani Gabrielli from 1609-1672. He composed a polychoral psalm setting that is much in the style of his teacher, Gabrielli. During this time Schutz was employed by the Elector of Saxony where he was Kapellmeister (chorus master) only two years into his working there. During this time, he wrote all of the music for religious and political ceremonies held there. He also was in charge of educating the choir boys in music. Schutz made many visits to Italy and was the guest conductor for two years in Copenhagen.

He married Magdalena Wildeck and had two daughters. She died in 1625 and he left his 2 daughters with their grandmother to pursue

his music.

Schutz wrote the first German Opera entitled "Dafne"that was performed at the wedding of the daughter of the elector that Schutz worked for, Italian Madrigals, Easter and Christmas Oratorios, three passions, polychoral psalm settings and sacred works in Latin and German. His first published work was in 1619 called "Psalmen David" and dedicated it to the elector.

Schutz is said to be the greatest German Composer of the 17th century and the first composer with international stature. All of his music was sacred and wrote very little music that was based on Chorales. He helped Luther to establish liturgical languages.

Sources:

Sadie, Stanley THE GROVE CONCISE DICTIONARY OF MUSIC Macmillian Press LTD, London 2001