Heinrich Schwemmer (28 March 1621 – 31 May 1696) was a German

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

teacher and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. He was born in Gumpertshausen bei Hallburg,

Lower Franconia Lower Franconia (, ) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia. It consists of nine districts and 308 municipalities (including three cities). History After ...

, and moved with his mother to

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

after his father’s death in 1627, to get away from the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...

. After his mother's death in 1638, he moved to

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

, then in 1641 to

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

, where he remained for the rest of his life. He studied music with

Kindermann Kindermann is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * August Kindermann (1817–1891), German bass-baritone *Balthasar Kindermann (1636–1706), German poet *Franz Kindermann Franz Christoph Kindermann or Francisco Kindermann ...

at the Sebaldusschule, and in 1650 himself became a teacher, effectively a Kantor without the title; from 1656 he was ''Director chori musici'' along with Paul Hainlein. Along with Georg Caspar Wecker, he taught a generation of musicians in the tradition of the South German school, including Nikolaus Deinl,

Johann Krieger Johann Krieger (28 December 1651 – 18 July 1735) was a German composer and organist, younger brother of Johann Philipp Krieger. Born in Nuremberg, he worked at Bayreuth, Zeitz, and Greiz before settling in Zittau. He was one of the most importa ...

, Johann Löhner,

Johann Pachelbel Johann Pachelbel (also Bachelbel; baptised – buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secularity, secular music, and ...

J.B. Schütz JB or J.B. may refer to: People * JB (Canadian rapper) * JB (Swedish musician) * BlocBoy JB (born 1996), American rapper * Jay B (born 1994), South Korean singer * Jack Black (born 1969), American actor and comedian * Jaffar Byn, Swedish rapper ...

, and Maximilian Zeidler. Schwemmer taught

singing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

, while Wecker gave instruction in

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 ...

playing and

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

. All his known compositions, of which there a considerable number in manuscript, are vocal works: mostly sacred

strophic Strophic form – also called verse-repeating form, chorus form, AAA song form, or one-part song form – is a song structure in which all verses or stanzas of the text are sung to the same music. Contrasting song forms include through-composed, ...

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

s for

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

s and

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

s, with some

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

s and

chorale concerto In music, a chorale concerto is a short sacred composition for one or more voices and instruments, principally from the very early German Baroque era. Most examples of the genre were composed between 1600 and 1650. Description This use of th ...

s. He was a master of the

concertato Concertato is a term in early Baroque music referring to either a ''genre'' or a ''style'' of music in which groups of instruments or voices share a melody, usually in alternation, and almost always over a basso continuo. The term derives from It ...

vocal style.

Sources

* Harold E. Samuel, 'Schwemmer, Heinrich'
Grove Music Online
ed. L. Macy (Accessed 2007-06-10) * Harold E. Samuel: ''The Cantata in Nuremberg during the Seventeenth Century'' (

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

, 1982)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwemmer, Heinrich German Baroque composers Organists and composers in the South German tradition German music educators 1621 births 1696 deaths Pupils of Johann Erasmus Kindermann 17th-century German classical composers German male classical composers 17th-century German male musicians German male classical organists