Dieterich Buxtehude - A name worth getting to know!

When we think of music of the baroque, often the first (and perhaps only!) name that comes to mind is J.S. Bach. Bach's name is more than synonymous with the musical time period generally defined as 1600-1750. But, if you look at those dates, and realize that Bach was not born until 1685, an obvious question arises: "What was going on musically during the first 100 years of the baroque?"

The north German musical world of the early 17th century was centered around the music of Dieterich Buxtehude. Though Buxtehude is known primarily today for his "progressive"  organ music - that is, much more technically demanding and musically developed than that of his immediate predecessors - he left over 100 choral works which have only in the past 25 years been "re-discovered' and hailed for their beauty and depth! On our next choral concert, Gloriae Dei Cantores will be performing Buxtehude's cantata cycle entitled "Membra Jesu nostri" in which he pays musical homage to Christ on the cross, adoring first Christ's feet and ultimately, His face. The depth of musical illustration of this text is is simply mind-blowing. Having spent some time with this particular work, I have a much better understanding of why the young J.S. Bach would walk the  250 mile journey from Arnstadt to Lübeck to hear the music of Buxtehude and why he felt it was worth losing his job to stay a full three months to learn from this great master!