Dietrich Buxtehude Free Sheet Music, program notes biography and recordings

The Master of Lübeck: The Man Bach Walked 250 Miles to Hear

In the autumn of 1705, a determined 20-year-old organist named Johann Sebastian Bach requested a month’s leave from his post in Arnstadt. His destination was the distant city of Lübeck on the Baltic coast. His goal: to hear the legendary Dieterich Buxtehude. The young Bach, so eager to learn from the greatest master of his time, undertook an astonishing journey, walking over 250 miles each way. He was so captivated by Buxtehude's music and the famous Abendmusiken concerts that he overstayed his leave by nearly three months, risking his job to absorb every note and nuance from the old master. This single, extraordinary pilgrimage is the greatest testament to Buxtehude's immense stature. He was the titan of the North German school, a composer of breathtaking originality and a virtuoso whose influence was so profound that it helped shape the genius of the greatest composer of all time.

The Scion of the North German School

The exact details of Dieterich Buxtehude’s birth and early years are scant, but he was born around 1637 into a musical family. His father, Johannes Buxtehude, was an organist, and it is almost certain that Dieterich received his first instruction from him. He grew up in the culturally rich region of Øresund, the strait separating modern-day Denmark and Sweden, holding his first professional posts as an organist in Helsingborg and later in Elsinore (Helsingør), the city of Hamlet’s castle. From the beginning, he was steeped in the traditions of the North German organ school, a style defined by its dazzling virtuosity, its dramatic contrasts, and its free, improvisatory spirit.

This style, known as the stylus phantasticus (fantastic style), was characterized by its unpredictable nature. A single work could shift abruptly from a brilliant, toccata-like flourish to a complex and tightly-woven fugue, then to a moment of quiet, harmonic beauty. It was a style meant to be rhetorical and declamatory, to astonish and move the listener through its sheer invention. Buxtehude would become its undisputed master.

Organist at St. Mary's

In 1668, Buxtehude secured the most prestigious and influential position of his life: organist and Werckmeister (administrator) of the Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church) in the wealthy and independent city of Lübeck. This was one of the most important musical posts in Northern Europe. The Marienkirche was a magnificent Gothic cathedral with two large and powerful organs, giving him an unparalleled sonic canvas for his work. As part of his appointment, he followed tradition by marrying the daughter of his predecessor, Franz Tunder.

In Lübeck, Buxtehude was far more than a church organist. He was the city’s leading musical figure, a civic treasure. His organ playing during services was legendary, attracting visitors from all over Germany. His surviving organ works—the powerful praeludia, toccatas, canzonas, and his deeply expressive chorale preludes—reveal the full scope of his genius. The praeludia, in particular, are monumental structures, multi-sectional works that showcase every aspect of his art: wild, virtuosic pedal solos, intricate fugal writing, and moments of stunning harmonic invention. These works were the model that the young J.S. Bach would study and ultimately expand upon in his own organ masterpieces.

The Abendmusiken Concerts

One of the most significant aspects of Buxtehude’s position in Lübeck was his direction of the famous Abendmusiken (Evening Music) concerts. This concert series, founded by his predecessor, took place annually in the church on the five Sundays preceding Christmas. Under Buxtehude's visionary leadership, these concerts were transformed from simple organ recitals into lavish, large-scale musical events. He began composing elaborate sacred oratorios and dramatic works on biblical themes, requiring vocal soloists, a large chorus, and an orchestra of strings and wind instruments.

These concerts were a major public spectacle, drawing huge crowds and cementing Lübeck’s reputation as a major musical center. Composers and musicians traveled from far and wide to attend. The scores for most of these large-scale dramatic works have unfortunately been lost, but their fame was so great that they were a primary reason for the pilgrimages of musicians like Bach, and later George Frideric Handel and Johann Mattheson, who traveled to Lübeck in 1703. (Handel and Mattheson famously turned down the opportunity to succeed Buxtehude when they learned that the job still required marrying his eldest daughter). The Abendmusiken were one of the earliest examples of a subscription-based public concert series in history, a testament to Buxtehude's entrepreneurial and artistic vision.

The Long Walk to Lübeck

The story of J.S. Bach’s 1705 journey remains the defining event of Buxtehude’s legacy. When Bach arrived, he would have heard Buxtehude play the great organs of the Marienkirche and would have experienced the magnificent Abendmusiken performances. The impact was immediate and profound. In Bach’s own early organ works, such as the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor, the influence of Buxtehude’s stylus phantasticus is unmistakable in its dramatic gestures and virtuosic pedal writing. Bach’s decision to stay for nearly four months instead of one speaks volumes about the depth of what he was learning. He was not just a visitor; he was an apprentice absorbing the wisdom of a master.

Beyond his organ music, Buxtehude was a prolific composer of sacred vocal music and chamber music. His cantata cycle Membra Jesu Nostri (1_680)_ is a masterpiece of the genre. A set of seven short cantatas, each a contemplative meditation on a different part of Christ's crucified body, it is a work of intense, personal devotion and exquisite beauty. His trio sonatas for violin, viola da gamba, and harpsichord are also superb examples of the North German instrumental style, full of intricate counterpoint and expressive melody.

Legacy of a Baroque Giant

Dieterich Buxtehude died in Lübeck in 1707, a revered figure whose fame had spread throughout Europe. Though much of his vocal music has been lost, the surviving works secure his place as one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era. He was the culmination of a rich musical tradition, but he was no mere consolidator. His daring imagination, his virtuosic command of his instrument, and his profound expressive power pushed the boundaries of the music of his time. His legacy is most powerfully felt through his influence on J.S. Bach, who took the seeds of Buxtehude's genius and cultivated them into the mightiest forest in all of music. He was the master who inspired the master.

Section 4: References and Further Reading

• Snyder, Kerala J. Dieterich Buxtehude: Organist in Lübeck. 2nd ed. University of Rochester Press, 2007.

• Wolff, Christoph. Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician. W. W. Norton & Company, 2001.

• Geiringer, Karl. Music of the Bach Family: An Anthology. Harvard University Press, 1955.

• Archbold, Lawrence, and Kerala J. Snyder. "Buxtehude, Dieterich." Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press, 2001.

• Spitta, Philipp. Johann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence on the Music of Germany, 1685-1750. Translated by Clara Bell and J.A. Fuller-Maitland. Dover Publications, 1992.