Dietrich Buxtehude Biography - A Very Quick Guide

German-Danish composer and organist Dietrich Buxtehude was born around 1637 (possibly in Helsingborg or Helsingør) and spent his early career in Denmark before settling in Lübeck in 1668. There he became organist at the Marienkirche, a prestigious post that allowed him considerable artistic freedom. Buxtehude quickly turned the city into an important musical centre, attracting audiences and musicians with his annual Abendmusiken concerts, large-scale public performances of sacred music.

Buxtehude’s surviving works include organ music, sacred vocal compositions, and chamber pieces. His organ works were influential in the development of the North German organ tradition. His reputation was such that the young J.S. Bach famously walked more than 250 miles to hear him play and learn from him.

Buxtehude died in 1707, leaving a body of work that played a crucial role in shaping the early Baroque style and paving the way for Bach’s later achievements.