Heinrich Schutz Biography - A Very Quick Guide

German composer Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672) was born in Köstritz and educated as a choirboy in Kassel. Recognised early for his musical talent, he was sent to Venice to study with Giovanni Gabrieli, whose influence shaped his compositional style. After returning to Germany, Schütz spent most of his career as Kapellmeister at the Electoral Court in Dresden, with additional periods of service in Copenhagen. His long life spanned the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War, which had a significant impact on the scale and character of his music.

Schütz is regarded as the most important German composer before Bach. He wrote sacred vocal music almost exclusively, including motets, psalm settings, Passions, and the landmark collections Psalmen Davids (1619), Symphoniae Sacrae (three books, 1629–1650) and the Musikalische Exequien (1636). His music blends German text setting with Venetian polychoral techniques and, later, a more intimate, expressive style shaped by the constraints of wartime resources. Schütz’s works played a central role in establishing the foundations of German Baroque music.