Knüpfer, Sebastian

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Knüpfer, Sebastian

Knüpf er, Sebastian, eminent German composer; b. Asch, Bavaria, Sept. 6, 1633; d. Leipzig, Oct. 10, 1676. He studied with his father, a Kantor and organist in Asch. After private musical studies, he took courses in organ as well as academic subjects at the Regensburg Gymnasium Poeticum (1646–54). He then settled in Leipzig, where he taught and was a bass singer in church choirs. On July 17, 1657, he was appointed Kantor of the Thomaskirche and director of music for the city; during his tenure, Leipzig resumed its preeminence as a center for music-making of the highest order. He composed sacred vocal works to both Latin and German texts, and also wrote some secular madrigals and canzonettas. Although few of his works are extant, those that have survived reveal him as a gifted musician.

Bibliography

O. Kandmann, Das Werk S. K.s im Überblick (diss., Univ. of Leipzig, 1960).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire