Christian Erbach (ca. 1568 – 14 June 1635) was a German

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and composer. Erbach was born in

Gau-Algesheim Gau-Algesheim is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Gau-Algesheim (Verbandsgemeinde), ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Gau-Algesheim, a kind of collective municipality. Geography Location Gau-A ...

Mainz-Bingen Mainz-Bingen is a district (''Kreis'') in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Rheingau-Taunus, the district-free cities Wiesbaden and Mainz, the districts Groß-Gerau, Alzey-Worms, Bad Kreuzn ...

, now in the

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

Bundesland, and began to study musical composition at a considerably young age. Aside from the location of his birth and the mere fact that he studied the art of musical composition, the history of Erbach's youth is unknown. Throughout most of his life, Erbach held the position of assistant or chief organist for the city of

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

. One may consider him a composer of reverence during his lifetime because many of his students, both

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and

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, were attracted to his talent. The influence upon the music of Erbach was primarily

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetians might refer to: * Masters of Venetian painting in 15th-16th centuries * ...

notwithstanding the indubitable characteristics of

Hans Leo Haßler Hans Leo Hassler (in German, Hans Leo Haßler) (baptised 26 October 1564 – 8 June 1612) was a German composer and organist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras, elder brother of lesser known composer Jakob Hassler. He was born in ...

within his

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...

works. The most popular pieces by Erbach include ''In ihren grossen Nöthen'' (1609) and ''Madrigal Tirsi morir.'' Erbach died in

. Outside the context of instrumental music, Erbach also wrote pieces for church services and the

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

festivals. He was considered to have a fine ear for the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

and was thus consulted during the development of several 17th-century instruments.

References

*William Keith Haldeman (1962), ''The Vocal Compositions of Christian Erbach'', University of Rochester

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Erbach, Christian 1560s births 1635 deaths German Renaissance composers German Baroque composers 17th-century German classical composers German male classical composers 17th-century German male musicians