Dieterich Buxtehude

Dieterich Buxtehude (Dietrich, Diderich) (ca. 1637–May 9, 1707) was an organist and a highly regarded composer of the Baroque period. His organ works comprise a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and church services. He wrote in a wide variety of vocal and instrumental idioms, and his style strongly influenced many composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach. The organist at the Marienkirche in Lübeck for most of his life, Buxtehude is considered today to be the leading German composer in the time between Bach and Heinrich Schütz.