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Personalities | Samuel Scheidt | Early Baroque | Classical

(Za’-moo-el Shidt) 1587–1654
German composer

Scheidt – a pupil of Sweelinck, organist, composer and himself a teacher – served as Kapellmeister to the Halle court from 1619. He published seven collections of sacred music: the earliest, Cantiones sacrae (‘Holy Songs’, 1620), contains eight-voice polychoral motets. One calls for instrumental doubling of parts; the musical style blends Italian and Netherlandish influences with that of the German chorale. Scheidt’s remaining sacred publications are Pars prima concertuum sacrorum (1622), which includes obbligato instrumental parts, four volumes of Geistliche Concerten for a small vocal ensemble with continuo (1631–40) and Liebliche Krafft-Blümlein (1635), concertos for two voices and continuo. He also published a voluminous dance anthology and chorale variations for solo organ, the Tabulatur-Buch (1650), which confirm his reputation as an imaginative keyboard composer.

Recommended Recording:
Great Sacred Concertos, La Capella Ducale, Musica Fiata (dir) Roland Wilson (CPO)

Source: Classical Music Encyclopedia, founding editor Stanley Sadie

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