Buxtehude's harpsichord works often use the 'style brisé,' characterized by broken chords that imitate lute playing, which became idiomatic in harpsichord music.
Composition History
Some of Buxtehude's harpsichord works, like the seven keyboard suites that Johann Mattheson described as portraying the 'nature and properties of the planets,' have been lost.
Composer Biography
Dieterich Buxtehude, a Danish-German organist and composer, is considered one of the most important composers in Germany of the mid-Baroque period.
Composer Biography
Buxtehude's style significantly influenced many composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach, who traveled 200 miles on foot to meet him.
Composition History
The 'Buxtehude Werke-Verzeichnis' (BuxWV), an index of Buxtehude's works, lists 25 harpsichord works, including 19 suites and 6 variation sets.
Historical Context
Buxtehude reorganized a series of public evening musical performances known as 'Abendmusik' in Lübeck, which continued until 1810 and attracted musicians from various places.
Compositional Technique
Buxtehude's monumental Aria with 32 variations, 'La Capricciosa,' is about 25 minutes long and is considered one of the biggest solo keyboard pieces of the 17th century.
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