Johann Sebastiani facts for kids

Johann Sebastiani (born September 30, 1622 – died 1683) was a German composer from the Baroque period. He wrote many different kinds of music.

Sebastiani was born in Weimar, a city in Germany. In 1661, he became the music director (called a Kantor) at the Königsberg cathedral. Later, from 1663 to 1679, he was the court Kapellmeister, which means he was the main music director for the royal court. He passed away in Königsberg.

His Music and Famous Works

Johann Sebastiani wrote many pieces, including religious music, songs for special events, and other tunes. His most famous work is his St Matthew Passion. A "Passion" is a type of musical story that tells about the last days of Jesus Christ. Sebastiani's St Matthew Passion was created before 1663 and was performed again in 1672.

Sebastiani was important because he was the first composer to add chorales into an oratorio passion. A chorale is a hymn tune, often sung by a choir. An oratorio is a large musical work for voices and orchestra, usually telling a religious story without acting or costumes. In his St Matthew Passion, Sebastiani used eight different chorale melodies and included thirteen verses from chorales.

His work was a step forward from the style of composers like Heinrich Schütz. Sebastiani's music included parts for solo singers (called recitatives and arias) but avoided sounding too much like an opera. His style helped connect the music of Schütz to later composers like Johann Sebastian Bach.

In his St Matthew Passion, two violins played along with the character of Christ, who was sung by a bass singer. Three viols (instruments similar to cellos) played with the Evangelist (a tenor singer who narrates the story), Judas (an alto singer), and other characters.

Later Life and Publications

In 1672, Sebastiani got married. After this, he spent most of his time making sure his music was published. This meant printing his works so others could perform and enjoy them. In 1672, he released a collection of his songs called Erster Theil Der Parnaß-Blumen, Oder Geist- und Weltliche Lieder. This title means "First Part of the Parnassus Flowers, or Sacred and Secular Songs."

Recordings

• Matthäus-Passion 1672. Featuring Soprano Greta De Reyghere, countertenor Vincent Grégoire, tenors Stephan Van Dyck, Hervé Lamy, bass Max van Egmond, Ricercar Consort, directed by Philippe Pierlot. This recording is part of Ricercar's Deutsche Barock-Kantaten Vol. XI from 1996.