Nun komm der Heiden Heiland

Two small choral preludes on this choral prelude by Buttstedt and Kauffmann.

Johann Heinrich Buttstett (Buttstedt, Buttstädt) (1666 – 1727) was een Duitse barokcomponist en -organist.

Hij was de belangrijkste leerling van Johann Pachelbel en een van de laatste grote vertegenwoordigers van de Zuid-Duitse orgeltraditie.
Hij is vooral bekend geworden door een meningsverschil met Johann Mattheson.

In 1713 publiceerde hij Musicalische Clavier-Kunst und Vorraths-Kammer waarin hij claimde meer dan duizend werken voor klavierinstrumenten in manuscript beschikbaar te hebben, zoals fantasiën, fuga’s, ricercares, capriccio’s en preludes.

Met zijn publicatie Ut, mi, sol, re, fa, la, tota musica et harmonia aeterna ageerde Buttstett, die de muzikale traditie uit het verleden verdedigde, tegen een werk van Johann Mattheson, Das neueröffnete Orchestre, waarin deze koos voor de nieuwe galante stijl.

Georg Friedrich Kauffmann (1679 – 1735) was a Baroque composer and organist from southern Germany who composed primarily sacred works for the organ and voice.

Kauffmann had several connections with Leipzig, as most predominant musicians of the time in Germany would have. At one point, he was originally asked by the university there to inspect the newly finished organ at St. Paul’s Cathedral (a very large honor at the time) – however, the offer ultimately went to Johann Sebastian Bach.

Ultimately Kauffmann went to Leipzig in 1722 to compete for the position of Kapellmeister along with seven other predominant musicians of Germany at the time. The position of Kapellmeister of Leipzig was extremely coveted by most in the musical community; the position was formally held by Johann Kuhnau until his death that same year. Kauffmann’s audition went well, even though he asked for a second hearing by the town council who were responsible for hiring. He was the prime contender for the position until April 1723 when J.S. Bach was hired.