[We wait for the eternal light]

Composer: Kaspar Fuger

Fuger, Caspar. Two Lutheran clergymen of this name, apparently father and son, seem to have lived in Dresden in the 16th century. The elder seems to have been for some time at Torgau, and then court preacher at Dresden to Duke Heinrich and his widow, and to have died at Dresden, 1592. Various works appeared under his name between 1564 and 1592. The younger was apparently born at Dresden, where he became third master and then conrector in the Kreuzschule. He was subsequently ordained diaconus, and died at Dresden, July 24, 1617 (Koch, ii. 215-216; Wetzel, i. 303; Wackernagel, as below, and i. pp. 459, 513, 569). The hymn, Wir Christenleut haben jetzund Freud [Christ¬mas], is quoted by Wackernagel, iv. p. 10, from Drey schöne Newe Ge… Go to person page >

Harmonizer: Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was born at Eisenach into a musical family and in a town steeped in Reformation history, he received early musical training from his father and older brother, and elementary education in the classical school Luther had earlier attended. Throughout his life he made extraordinary efforts to learn from other musicians. At 15 he walked to Lüneburg to work as a chorister and study at the convent school of St. Michael. From there he walked 30 miles to Hamburg to hear Johann Reinken, and 60 miles to Celle to become familiar with French composition and performance traditions. Once he obtained a month's leave from his job to hear Buxtehude, but stayed nearly four months. He arranged compositions from Vivaldi and other Itali… Go to person page >