Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621) was the leading figure in Netherlandish music between the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and he became celebrated for his vocal and keyboard works. He was also an important teacher, numbering among his students Praetorius, Hasse, and Scheidt, and he helped lay the groundwork for Dutch and German music of the 17th century. Sweelinck's output is well represented by two collections, the published motets Cantiones Sacrae, and the toccatas, which went unpublished in his lifetime. Sweelinck served as the organist of Amsterdam's Oude Kerk for over 40 years, and only rarely left the city in his lifetime.