Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630); DEU

Johann Hermann Schein (1586–1630) was a German composer, poet, and Thomaskantor born in Grünhain, Saxony. Educated at Schulpforta and the University of Leipzig, he briefly served as Kapellmeister at Weimar before becoming cantor of St Thomas Church in Leipzig in 1616, a post later made famous by Johann Sebastian Bach. Despite chronic illness and severe personal losses, Schein produced an important body of sacred and secular music during his relatively short life.

Schein was among the first German composers to absorb Italian Baroque innovations systematically into Lutheran music. His collections include the sacred concerto volume Opella nova, the instrumental dance collection Banchetto musicale, and Israels Brünnlein, whose sacred madrigals combine expressive Italianate text setting with German contrapuntal craftsmanship. Along with Scheidt and Schütz, Schein helped reshape German music at the beginning of the Baroque era.

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Read biography at allmusic.com.