Dietrich Buxtehude (c1637 – 1707)

Donald Macleod explores the life and works of legendary organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehude.

Buxtehude was a musical star in his own time, whom Johann Sebastian Bach walked almost 300 miles just to meet and learn from. Yet, the facts of Buxtehude’s own story are far from straight forward. Doubts remain over so many details in the composer’s life. We can’t even be sure when or where he was born, leading to three different countries claiming him as their own, and for a musician who perhaps above all was famed for his organ music, it is remarkable that not one single organ piece by him was published in his lifetime. In this Composer of the Week series, Donald Macleod pieces together what we do know about Buxtehude, the pre-eminant European composer before Bach, and finds a multifaceted personality and ground-breaking musician who worked his way across Europe via three different churches dedicated to St Mary, and who – once he settled in Lubeck - acted as a kind of centre of gravity for other musicians of his age.

Music Featured:

Praeludium in G minor, BuxWV149 Benedicam Dominum, BuxWV 113 Chaconne in E minor, BuxWV 160 Aperite mihi portas justitiae, BuxWV 7 Sonata in B flat major, BuxWV273 Chorale Prelude 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott', BuxWV 184 Att du, Jesu, will mig hora, BuxWV 8; Herren var Gud, BuxWV 40 Prelude in A minor, BuxWV 153; War Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, BuxWV 222 Klinget fur Freuden, BuxWV 119 Gott, hilf mir, BuxWV 34 Canzona in C major, BuxWV 166 Harpsichord suite in G major, BuxWV 240 Mein Gemut erfreut sich, BuxWV 72 O frohliche Stunden, o herrlicher Tag, BuxWV 120 Klag-Lied of seven strophes, "MuB der Tod denn auch ent- binden’, BuxWV 76 Wacht! Euch zum streit, 'Das jüngste Gericht' – Act II Aria “Weg mit allen irdischen Schatz” Membra Jesu Nostri, BuxWV 75 - Ad Facium "Illustra faciem tuam" Chorale “Nun lob meine Seele den Herren”, BuxWV 213 Wie Wird erneuert, wie wird erfreuet, BuxWV 110 (Incl. Trumpets!!) Auf, Saiten, auf!, BuxWV 115 Wacht! Euch zum streit, 'Das jüngste Gericht' Schwinget euch himmelan, BuxWV 96 Trio Sonata for violin, viola da gamba, and harpsichord in E minor, BuxWV 258 (Op. 1, No. 7) Drei schone Dinge sind, BuxWV 19 La Capricciosa - 32 variations in G major, BuxWV.250 for keyboard Divertissons nous aujourd’hui, BuxWV 124 Herr, wenn ich nur dich hab, BuxWV 38 Prelude in E minor, BuxWV142

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Dietrich Buxtehude (c1637-1707) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001bcfc

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z