Jan Dismas Zelenka

If J.S. Bach had been Catholic, his music might have sounded like Bohemian composer Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745). Educated by Jesuits in Prague, Zelenka joined the court orchestra in Dresden in 1710. Attracting the attention of Friedrich August I, Zelenka was sent abroad, and then became Johann David Heinichen's assistant at the Hofkapelle. At Heinichen's death in 1729, Zelenka took over most of his duties, but ultimately Johann Adolf Hasse was named to the post. Zelenka's worklist is dominated by sacred music; however it was his quirky, highly original instrumental music that led to Zelenka's rediscovery in the 1970s.