Buxtehude

In the year 1705, the main church in Lübeck, a centre of the Holy Roman Empire, was cloathed in colourful tapestires and filled with candles to mark the death of the emperor. A grand display of music was planned for the occasion by the city’s most illustrious composer. A twenty-year old J.S. Bach travveled nearly 400 kilometers to hear this music, composed by a man few have heard about today. His name was Dieterich Buxtehude and until recently, his music was almost entirely forgotten. Listening to his music, one will realise that it is embodied by an incredible dynamism and a unique beauty, refreshing for our modern ears. So, how could such incredible music, that moved the heart of Bach, be forgotten?

What is even more surprising about Buxtehude is his Danish background and upbringing in Elsinore -  the royal city where Shakespeare staged Hamlet. Just like the court of Hamlet, Buxtehude’s Elsinore was a place filled with royal musicians. This begs the question of him being inspired by earlier royal composers in Denmark.

Alexander Winkler delves into all this and more in his vivacioous descriptions of Buxtehude’s life and music.