Johann Schop

Composer Johann Schop was the first German violinist to gain prominence in the early Baroque era, a period heavily dominated by Italian musicians. In 1615 he moved to Copenhagen to join the orchestra belonging to King Christian IV. Schop accepted the posts of court musician and Kapellmeister in Hamburg in 1621 and continued to work there until his death. Schop became one of the most famous and revered musicians of his day. He was a prolific composer whose surviving output consists of instrumental dance music, solo songs, and sacred concertos. He published two very popular books of dance pieces in the 1630s. Schop's songs, important progenitors of the German secular lied, appear scattered throughout a number of printed collections and in manuscript copies as well. His Variations on "Nasce la pena mia" is the earliest known German violin piece written in variation form.