Heinrich Scheidemann facts for kids
Heinrich Scheidemann (born around 1595 – died 1663) was a German organist and a talented composer. He was one of the most famous organ composers in northern Germany during the early to mid-1600s. His music helped pave the way for later great composers like Dieterich Buxtehude and J.S. Bach.
Life of Heinrich Scheidemann
Heinrich Scheidemann was born in Wöhrden, a town in Holstein, Germany. His father was also an organist in Wöhrden and later in Hamburg. Heinrich probably learned a lot about music from his father when he was young.
From 1611 to 1614, Scheidemann traveled to Amsterdam to study with a very famous musician named Sweelinck. Sweelinck was a great teacher, and Heinrich was one of his favorite students. Sweelinck even wrote a special piece of music called a canon just for him before Heinrich went back to Germany.
By 1629, and possibly even earlier, Scheidemann became the main organist at the Catharinenkirche in Hamburg. He held this important job for more than thirty years, until he passed away in Hamburg in early 1663.
Scheidemann's Music and Influence
Scheidemann was well-known as both an organist and a composer. Many copies of his music were shared widely, showing how popular he was. More of his organ music still exists today than that of any other composer from his time.
Unlike some other early Baroque German composers, such as Praetorius or Schütz, Scheidemann focused almost entirely on writing music for the organ. He did write a few songs and some pieces for the harpsichord, but most of his work was for the organ. He wrote dozens of organ pieces, many of which had several parts or movements.
One of Scheidemann's most important contributions was his way of setting Lutheran chorales for the organ. Chorales are hymns or religious songs. He created three main types of these organ pieces:
- Chorale arrangements: These were early versions of what we now call chorale preludes. They used the main melody of a chorale as a base.
- "Monodic" chorale arrangements: These pieces were inspired by a popular style called "monody," where a single singer performs over a simple musical background. Scheidemann adapted this idea for the organ.
- Chorale fantasias: These were new and exciting pieces that showed off the full power of the German Baroque organ. They built on the keyboard style he learned from Sweelinck.
Besides chorales, Scheidemann also wrote important arrangements of the Magnificat. The Magnificat is a special prayer. His Magnificat pieces had many parts and were designed to be played during church services called Vespers. The organ would play parts of the music, and the choir would sing other parts, taking turns. This way of building a long piece of music with different sections was very advanced for his time.
Some of Scheidemann's students became famous musicians themselves. One of them was Johann Adam Reincken, who took over Scheidemann's job at the St. Catharinenkirche in Hamburg. It's also possible that Dieterich Buxtehude, another very important composer, was one of his students.
See also
In Spanish: Heinrich Scheidemann para niños
