Fridolin Sicher (March 6, 1490 – June 13, 1546) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

composer and

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 ...

of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. He was born in

Bischofszell Bischofszell ( Alemannic: ''Bischefzèl'') is a village and a municipality in Weinfelden District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district. In 1987, the city was awarded the Wakker Prize for the preservation of its ...

and began his study of the organ at the age of 13 with Martin Vogelmaier, the organist of Konstanz Cathedral. He then studied theology and in 1510 became a

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir ...

and organist at St Agnes Church in Bischofszell. He later returned to Konstanz for further study with

Hans Buchner Hans Buchner (also Joannes Buchner, Hans von Constanz; 26 October 1483 – March 1538) was a German organist and composer. Biography Buchner was born on 26 October 1483 in Ravensburg. He was a student of Paul Hofhaimer, and may have worked for ...

(a pupil of

Paul Hofhaimer Paul Hofhaimer (25 January 1459 – 1537) was an Austrian organist and composer. He was particularly gifted at improvisation, and was regarded as the finest organist of his age by many writers, including Joachim Vadian, Vadian and Paracelsus; in a ...

). Sicher went on to become the organist of the

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...

St Gallen St. Gallen is a Swiss city and the capital of the canton of St. Gallen. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration (with around 167,000 inhabitants in 2019) and rep ...

(circa 1516) and of St Michael's Church in

Ensisheim Ensisheim (; in Alsatian Ansa ()) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is also the birthplace of the composer Léon Boëllmann. The Germanic origins of the village's name reflect the area's histo ...

(circa 1531). He returned to Bischofszell in 1537, where he was made both organist and chaplain of St Agnes Church. His ''St Gallen Organ Book'' (compiled between 1512 and 1521) contains 176 mainly pieces, predominantly of

sacred music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as a ritual. Reli ...

, by over 90 Renaissance composers. Of those pieces, 110 are transcriptions of vocal works including his own composition, '' Resonet in laudibus'', as well as works by Busnoys,

Josquin Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...

Weerbeke Gaspar van Weerbeke ( – after 1516) was a Dutch School (music), Netherlandish composer of the Renaissance music, Renaissance. He was of the same generation as Josquin des Prez, but unique in his blending of the contemporary Italy, Italian style ...

Agricola Agricola, the Latin word for farmer, may also refer to: People Cognomen or given name :''In chronological order'' * Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40–93), Roman governor of Britannia (AD 77–85) * Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, Roman governor of the m ...

, Compère,

Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...

, Brumel, La Rue, Mouton, Obrecht, Pipelare and others. In 1546 Sicher had surgery from which he never recovered. He died in the city of his birth at the age of 56.

Sources

* *Clark, James Midgley
''The Abbey of St. Gall as a Centre of Literature and Art''
Cambridge University Press, 1926 1490 births 1546 deaths People from Weinfelden District Swiss classical composers Swiss organists Swiss male organists Renaissance composers Swiss male classical composers {{Switzerland-composer-stub