Georg Muffat

One of the first important German composers of instrumental concertos, Georg Muffat (1653-1704) was born in France to Scottish parents. A child prodigy, Muffat studied with Lully in Paris and worked as organist when hostilities in France interrupted his career. He finally found work in Salzburg in 1678, and came in contact with Italian music during a leave of absence in 1681; later employment found Muffat in Vienna and finally Passau, where he died. Muffat published five volumes of music between 1682 and 1701; the two volumes titled Florilegium were particularly important in establishing the concerto and other instrumental forms in Germany.