The following names may be taken as illustrations:—
Sixt Dietrich (d. 1548), born at Augsburg, spent his early life in Switzerland, not developing his decided musical talent till about 50 years old, when he came to Wittenberg (motets, hymns, etc., from 1535).
Matthæus Le Maistre (d. 1577), a Netherlander, was court-choirmaster at Dresden in 1554-67. His works (from 1563) include masses, motets and many part-songs. As early as 1566 he arranged chorales with the melody in the treble. [Not to be confused, as by Fétis and Kade, with Hermann Matthias of Milan.]
Antonio Scandello (d. 1580), born at Brescia about 1517, came to Dresden before 1553 as court-trumpeter and assisted Le Maistre from 1566, succeeding him in 1568. He was a notable writer of sacred and secular part-songs (from 1551), also of masses, motets and several Passions (from 1550).
Elias Nikolaus Ammerbach (d. 1597), organist of the Thomaskirche in Leipsic from 1560, was a composer for organ and clavichord, and author of a handbook (1571) on organ tablature, with important data about tuning, fingering, etc.
Leonhardt Schröter (d.c. 1600), from about 1572 cantor at Magdeburg, left a cluster of sacred part-songs, etc., (from 1562), that mark him as one of the able Protestant contrapuntists.
Joachim à Burck [Moller] (d. 1610) also made a name as a prolific composer, being organist at Mühlhausen from 1566. His works, nearly all sacred, included three Passions (from 1568), a Communion Service, psalms, many Odæ sacræ or part-songs.
To this general region also belong Jobst vom Brant, governor of Liebenstein from 1549; Nikolaus Rosth, court-musician at Heidelberg, Altenburg and Weimar (works from 1583, including a Passion, 1598); Henning Dedekind (d. 1628), cantor and pastor at Langensalza (works from 1588); and Valentin Haussmann, a busy organist at Gerbstedt, whose talent lay rather in developing the resources of secular music, especially dances (works from 1588). The first known members of the great Bach family also belong here—Hans Bach of Wechmar (near Gotha) and his son Veit Bach (d. 1619) being direct ancestors of J.S. Bach, besides others whose relationship is not clear.
Outside of the Saxon circle were—
Franz Elers (d. 1590), who spent his life at Hamburg as teacher, from 1529 cantor and finally choirmaster at the cathedral. His large and important Gesangbuch (1588) contains much Protestant ritual music.
Johann Eccard (d. 1611), born at Mühlhausen in 1553, a friend of à Burck, was first in the service of Baron Fugger of Augsburg, from 1579 choirmaster at Königsberg (Prussia), and from 1608 in the Electoral Chapel at Berlin. His many part-songs (from 1574), mostly sacred, show him to have been one of the more original writers of the time.
Bartholomäus Gesius (d. 1613), born about 1555, first studied theology, but from 1595 was cantor at Frankfurt-an-der-Oder. His important works (from 1569) include a Passion (1588), a great number of sacred part-songs, motets, psalms, several masses, festival anthems and a popular handbook (1609).
