Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow

Zachow is an important figure in the annals of music history for being the teacher of Handel. Other students included Krieger, Kirchoff and Ziegler. His own instructor was probably Johann Hildebrand. Zachow served as the organist of the Marienkirche in Halle from 1684 until his death. As a composer he scored a bevy of musical literature -- much more than early studies indicated. The genres in which he composed included cantatas, oratorios, mass movements and masses. The cantatas were all set in the convention of spiritual concerts. Displaying a considerable use of four-part choruses with fugues, and arias formally structured in many forms -- strophes, ritornellos, and through-composition -- Zachow demonstrated a diverse musical cogency. He was also able to effectively score emotive music and demonstrate a concern for the written material by repeating key phrases. The organ works were often based on chorales and Zachow's preludes contain cantus firmi set in the highest and lowest voices alike. The chorale fugues indicate his importance as a forerunner to Bach. ~ Keith Johnson