Buxtehude, Dietrich (EN)

Buxtehude, Buch Staffahuedt, Dietrich, *1637 (?) Oldesloe (?) (Schleswig-Holstein), †9 May 1707 Lübeck, German composer and organist. Some authors consider Buxtehude to be a Danish composer (the duchy of Schleswig-Holstein was then bound by union with Denmark), referring Helsingør as his place of birth. He studied music probably with his father, Johann Buxtehude, who was an organist (information about Buxtehude’s tuition with K. Förster or J. Lorenz in Copenhagen so far has not been confirmed). From 1639 (or 1638?) he lived with his family in Denmark. Between 1657 and 1658 he worked in Hälsingborg as organist at the St. Mary’s Church, from 1658 he stayed in Helsingør, where he became organist of St. Mary’s Church in 1660. It is believed that he stayed in Hälsingborg again in 1661–1662. During this time, he became closely acquainted with the Düben family of musicians (the collection of G. Düben included almost all of Buxtehude’s vocal compositions). From 1667 he was already in Lübeck, and in May 1668 he was appointed, replacing F. Tunder, as organist of St. Mary’s Church, which position he held until his death. This occupation also involved the responsibilities of a church administrator, which Buxtehude took over in 1669 from F. Tunder’s son, Christoph. Buxtehude swore the oath of citizenship on 23 July 1668, and married Thunder’s daughter, Anna Margarethe. Furthermore, Buxtehude was involved in the organisation of public concerts of religious music, Abendmusiken. He introduced a few changes to the organisation of these concerts, significantly expanding the repertoire and including city musicians’ performances in the programme. This contributed to raising the status and quality of these events. At the same time, Buxtehude was active as a director musices, taking care of the musical setting of official ceremonies. He also composed many occasional compositions on commission. He was also involved in teaching, but became known, above all, as a virtuoso organist. He probably did not travel at all, whereas people came to Lübeck to listen to him play, like G.F. Händel and J. Mattheson in 1703, and J.S. Bach in 1705. Buxtehude also wrote texts for his cantatas and lyrical poems. He marked his works with the monogram D.B.H.

Buxtehude’s oeuvre has only been partially investigated; the authorship of some compositions is still subject to verification today. The preserved and identified works by Buxtehude represent only a part of his creative legacy. It is known, for example, that in addition to the listed sonatas, Buxtehude composed other sonatas for 2 or 3 violins, viola da gamba and basso continuo, which unfortunately have not survived. Buxtehude’s compositions have been preserved mainly in manuscripts now in the University Libraries in Uppsala (G. Düben collection), Yale (the so-called Lowell Mason-Codex), Lund, the Stadtbibliothek in Lübeck and others. Photocopies of all Buxtehude’s vocal compositions have been collected in the Deutsches Musikgeschichtliches Archiv in Kassel. Buxtehude is regarded by music historians as a leading and typical representative of the North German Baroque style. Cantatas are the forefront of his work, which represent a diverse range of themes, diverse text structures, and varied musical forms. Among Buxtehude’s cantatas, we find extensively extended, multi-movement compositions supplied with an introductory sonata, chorale arrangements, lyrical works in the type of recomposed song and others. He combines Italian models with the tradition of North German music in his cantatas (this is especially true of the religious lyricism popular at the time), using concertante technique and ostinato variation in the choral fragments. Buxtehude also uses all possible variations of aria, and also introduces arioso. He achieves the unity of the work through the thematic relationship of the individual parts of the cycle. Buxtehude’s organ compositions, both in terms of style and the types of forms he worked with, do not deviate from the common patterns of German organ music in the second half of the 17th century. These patterns are represented by composers like Böhm, Reinken, and Pachelbel on one side, Kerll and Muffat on the other. In terms of the treatment of the chorale, they are reminiscent of the style of organ music from the first half of the 17th century (Sweelinck, Scheidt). Buxtehude brought forms such as the chorale fantasia to their highest point of development. J.S. Bach referred closely in his work to his cantatas and certain forms of organ music (e.g., passacaglia, preludes, and chorale variations).

Literature: A. Pirro Dietrich Buxtehude, Paris 1913; W. Stahl Dietrich Buxtehude, Kassel 1937; N. Friis Dietrich Buxtehude den store Dansker, Copenhagen 1945, 2nd Edition 1960; J. Hedar D. Buxtehudes Orgelwerke, Stockholm 1951; Buxtehude-Sonderheft, “Musica” 1957 No. 11; H.J. Moser Dietrich Buxtehude, Berlin 1957; S. Sorensen Das Buxtehudebild im Wandel der Zeit, Lübeck 1972; G. Karstadt Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Dietrich Buxtehude, Wiesbaden 1974; G. Karstädt Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Dietrich Buxtehude, Wiesbaden 1974, 2nd Edition 1985; H. Wettstein Dietrich Buxtehude (1637–1707). Eine Bibliographie, Freiburg im Breisgau 1979, 2^nd publication entitled Dietrich Buxtehude (1637–1707). Bibliographie zu seinem Leben und Werk, Munich 1989; F.K. Hutchins Dietrich Buxtehude. The Man, His Music, His Era, Paterson (New York) 1955; S. Sorensen D. Buxtehudes vokale Kirkemusik, Copenhagen 1958; G. Karstädt Die “extraordinairen” Abendmusiken D. Buxtehudes, Lübeck 1962; F. Blume Dietrich Buxtehude in Geschichte und Gegenwart, published in Syntagma musicologicum, published by M. Ruhnke, Kassel 1963; H.J. Pauly Die Fuge in der Orgelwerken D. Buxtehudes, Regensburg 1964; M. Geck Die Vokalmusik D. Buxtehudes und der frühe Pietismus, Kassel 1965; G. Karstädt Der Lübecker Kantatenband D. Buxtehudes. Eine Studie über die Tabulatur Mus. 71373, Lübeck 1971; S. Sorensen Das Buxtehudebild im Wandel der Zeit, Lübeck 1972; O. Mortensen Über Typologisierung der Couranten und Sarabanden Buxtehudes, „Dansk aarbog for musikforskning” VI, 1968–1972; G. Karstädt Die Instrumente in den Kantaten und Abendmusiken D. Buxtehudes, «Beiträge zur Musikgeschichte Nordeuropas», Wolfenbüttel 1978; C.E. Hatting Sind die Choralvorspiele Buxtehudes mit der Improvisationspraxis verbunden?, published in Zu Fragen der Improvisation in der Instrumentalmusik der ersten Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts, księga materiałów z konferencji in Blankenburg (Harz) 1979, edited by E. Thom and R. Bormann, Magdeburg 1980; G. Karstädt Richtiges und Zweifelhaftes im Leben und Werk D. Buxtehudes, “Musik und Kirche” XLIX, 1979; K.J. Snyder D. Buxtehude’s Studies in Learned Counterpoint, „Journal of the American Musicological Society” XXXIII, 1980; H.-B. Spies Vier neuentdeckte Briefe D. Buxtehudes, “Zeitschrift des Vereins für Lübeckische Geschichte und Altertumskunde” LXI, 1981; S. Sørensen Die Herausgabe von Buxtehudes Werken. Geschichte-Beurteilung-Pläne, G. Karstädt Buxtehude und die Neuordnung der Abendmusiken and K.J. Snyder Buxtehude and “Das jüngste Gericht”. A New Look at an Old Problem, in book in memory of B. Grusnicka, edited by R. Saltzwedel and K.-D. Koch, Neuhausen 1981; F. Krummacher “Stylus phantasticus” und phantastische Musik. Kompositorische Verfahren in den Toccaten von Frescobaldi und Buxtehude, “Schütz-Jahrbuch” III, 1981; N.M. Jensen Die italienische Triosonate und Buxtehude. Beobachtungen zu Gattungsnorm und Individualstil, published in Gattung und Werk in der Musikgeschichte Norddeutschlands und Skandinaviens, «Kieler Schriften zur Musikwissenschaft» XXVI, edited by F. Krummacher and HW. Schwab, Kassel 1982; L. Jacobson Musical Rhetoric in Buxtehude’s Free Organ Works, “Organ Yearbook” XII, 1982; K. Beckmann Ein anderer Buxtehude? Zur umstrittenen Textfrage bei Buxtehudes Orgelwerken, “Kirchenmusiker” XXXV, 1984; M. Belotti Das Problem der “Überbindung am Beispiel der Orgelwerke Buxtehudes”. Der Historismus in Orgelbau, Orgelspiel und Orgelkomposition, “Acta Organologica” XVII, Kassel 1984; K. Beckmann Eine bisher unbeachtete Quelle zu Buxtehudes fis-moll-Präludium, “Musik und Kirche” LIV, 1984; P. Kee Mass und Zahl in Passacaglia und Ciacona. Astronomie in Buxtehudes “Passacaglia”, “Ars organi” XXXII, 1984; K. Wurm Christus Kosmokrator. Ein hermeneutischer Versuch zu D. Buxtehudes Passacaglia in d Bux WV 161 und zu J.S. Bachs Präludium und Fuge C-dur BWV 547, “Musik und Kirche” LIV, 1984; L. Archbold Style and Structure in the Praeludia of Dietrich Buxtehude, Ann Arbor 1985; Ch. Wolff Präludium (Toccata) und Sonata. Formbildung und Gattungstradition in der Orgelmusik Buxtehudes und seines Kreises, published in Orgel, Orgelmusik und Orgelspiel, in book in memory of M. Schneider, edited by Ch. Wolff, Kassel 1985; Ch. Defant Kammermusik und “stylus phantasticus”. Studien zu D. Buxtehudes Triosonaten, Frankfurt am Main 1985; W. Bates An Index to the Organ Works of Dietrich Buxtehude, “Diapason” LXXVII, 1986; K. Beckmann Der authentische Text der Orgelwerke Buxtehudes Ein Streitobjekt?, “Musik und Gottesdienst” XL, 1986; K.O. Bøggild Om figurlaere af musikalske figurer i Buxtehude orgelkoraler, in book in memory of F. Viderø, edited by I. Krogh, H.T. Erikson, K.O. Bøggild, Herning 1986; K. Bostrom The Use of Recitative and the Communal Style in the Solo Cantatas of Dietrich Buxtehude, “Bach” XVII, 1986; K. Beckmann Dietrich Buxtehude 1637–1707. Buxtehudes Präludium in E-dur – Ein Favoritstück mit Fehlern?, “Musica sacra” CVII, 1987; B. Johnsson Buxtehudes Klaviermusik, “Norsk musikktidsskrift” XXIV, 1987; B. Sponheuer Das Phantastische und das Geordnete. Zu Buxtehudes Orgelciacconen, “Musica” XLI, 1987; Dietrich Buxtehude. Organist in Lübeck, New York 1987; F. Krummacher Funktionalität und Phantastik. Zu den Vokalwerken von D. Buxtehude, “Musik und Kirche” LVII, 1987; J. Kibbie Performing the Organ Works of Dietrich Buxtehude, “Diapason” LXXVI, 1987; E. Lindfield North and South European Influences on Buxtehudes Chamber Music. Despite Influences, a Unique Repertory, “Schütz-Jahrbuch” X, 1988; K.J. Snyder Dietrich Buxtehude, New York 1988; Dietrich Buxtehude and S. Scheidt. An Anniversary Tribute, book of materials from the International Buxtehude/Scheidt Festival and Conference, edited by I. Mills and W.K. Kreyszig, Saskatoon 1988; V.P. Benitez (younger) Rhythm and Meter in Buxtehudes Toccata in D minor BuxWV 155, “Diapason” LXXX, 1989; Ch. Defant “…ad ostentandum ingenium, abolitam harmoniae rationem, ingeniosumque… contextum docentum ”. Aspekte des Stylus phantasticus in den Orgelwerken und der Kammermusik D. Buxtehudes, “Schütz-Jahrbuch” XI, 1989; K.J. Snyder Buxtehude, die “Lübecker Abendsmusiken und „Wacht! Euch zum Streit gefasset macht”, “Jahrbuch Alte Musik” I, 1989; Dietrich Buxtehude und die europäische Musik seiner Zeit, materials from the scientific symposium, in Lübeck 1987, edited by A. Edler and F. Krummacher, «Kieler Schriften zur Musikwissenschaft» XXXV, Kassel 1990; Ch. Defant Instrumentale Sonderformen in Norddeutschland. Eine Studie zu den Auswirkungen eines Theologenstreites auf Werke der Organisten Weckmann, Reincken und Buxtehude, «Europäische Hochschulschriften» XXXVI, Frankfurt am Main 1990; L. Nortjé Registration Authenticity in Recorded Performances of D. Buxtehude’s “praeludia”, “South African Journal of Musicology” X, 1990; L. Archbold Towards a Critical Understanding of Buxtehude’s Expressive Chorale Preludes and Ch. Wolff Dietrich Buxtehude and Seventeenth-Century Music in Retrospect, published in Church, Stage and Studio. Music and its Context in Seventeenth-Century Germany, «Studies in Music» CVII, Ann Arbor 1990; B. Zandini Il cantus firmus nell’opera di Palestrina, Buxtehude e Froberger, in the book of materials of the International Colloquium on Palestrina, edited by L. Bianchi and G. Rostirolla, Palestrina 1991; N. Jeskina Buxtehude i niemieckoje barokko, Samara 1992; P. Kee Die Passacaglia c-Moll BWV 582 von J.S. Bach und die Passacaglia von D. Buxtehude, published in J.S. Bach. Beiträge zur Wirkungsgeschichte, edited by I. Fuchs and S. Antonicek, Vienna 1992; S. Tweney Keyboard Compass of Historic Organs and the Music from Sweelinck to Buxtehude, “The Diapason” LXXXIII, 1992.