This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Sesquialtera II (talk | contribs) at 03:43, 14 January 2006 (→References: New Grove: Nicholas -> Nicolaus). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 03:43, 14 January 2006 by Sesquialtera II (talk | contribs) (→References: New Grove: Nicholas -> Nicolaus)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Nicolaus Bruhns (Nicholas) (1665 - March 19, 1697) was one of the greatest organists and composers of his time. One of his most significant legacies was exerting an influence on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.
He initially learned music from his father Paul Bruhns (1640-89?), who was the organist at Schwabstedt; he later studied composition and organ with Dieterich Buxtehude.
With Buxtehude's help he received a post as violinist and composer at the court in Copenhagen, and in 1689 became the town organist in Husum, his last post before his tragic early death (sources disagree on whether he was 31 or 32 at the time).
Although primarily an organist, he had many musical talents; he was known for playing improvisations on the violin over a bass line played on the pedal board of the organ, and was one of the best composers of sacred cantatas of his era. He also composed chamber music, which is now unfortunately lost.
Johann Sebastian Bach's son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach later wrote to his father's biographer Johann Nikolaus Forkel that his father had admired Bruhns' work.
References
- Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John, eds. (2001). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Geck, Martin. Nicolaus Bruhns: Leben und Werk. Köln: Musikverlag H. Gerig, 1968.
- Kölsch, Heinz. Nicolaus Bruhns. Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag, 1958. (Issued in 1938 as thesis, Kiel.)