# Samuel Scheidt (1587 - 1654)



## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

The German organist and composer Samuel Scheidt was born in Halle in 1587 and represents the first generation of German composers in the Baroque period. In December 1604 had become organist at the Moritzkirche. In 1608-1609 he took time off to study with Sweelinck in Amsterdam. By the end of 1609 he was back in Halle as court organist. In 1619 he opened a new organ at Bayreuth in the presence of many princes and musicians, including Praetorius and Schütz. Later, he was able to work with Praetorius, _Kapellmeister in absentia_, and also with Schütz.

When the Margrave left for Denmark in 1625 to support the Protestant cause in the Thirty Years' War, Scheidt was able to keep his position without pay During the next several years he made his living primarily by teaching; his most famous pupil was Adam Krieger. Peace returned to Halle in 1638, and Scheidt fully resumed his position as court Kapellmeister. In 1642 he offered to Duke August of Brunswick a collection of more than 100 sacred madrigals.

Scheidt's music is in two principal categories: instrumental music and sacred vocal music, some of which is a cappella and some of which uses a basso continuo or other instrumental accompaniment. In his numerous chorale preludes, Scheidt often used a "patterned variation" technique, in which each phrase of the chorale uses a different rhythmic motive, and each variation is more elaborate than the previous one, until the climax of the composition is reached. In addition to his chorale preludes, he wrote numerous fugues, suites of dances (which were often in a cyclic form, sharing a common ground bass) and fantasias.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Samuel Scheidt Paduan a 4 Gustav Leonhardt






Samuel Scheidt - Bergamasca






Samuel Scheidt - _Ludi Musici_ Jordi Savall


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