Early in the century Nuremberg became a centre of Protestant music, and the organists of its churches were often influential and productive in styles appropriate to the Protestant service. Among them, though not all composers of eminence, were Johann Staden (d. 1634), at the Sebalduskirche from 1620; Johann Erasmus Kindermann (d. 1655), from 1630 at the Egidienkirche, who not only published good preludes and fugues (from 1645), besides other instrumental works, but was an excellent teacher; Sigmund Staden (d. 1655), the son of Johann above, who, after work at Berlin, was from 1635 at the Lorenzkirche; Heinrich Schwemmer (d. 1696), a pupil of Kindermann, and, though only late in life an active organist, a teacher of important pupils; Paul Heinlein (d. 1686), from 1655 at the Sebalduskirche, a prolific and admired composer; Georg Kaspar Wecker (d. 1695), a pupil of Kindermann and his successor in 1655 and also of Heinlein in 1686; not to mention others, like the brothers Philipp Krieger (d. 1725) and Johann Krieger (d. 1735), both born at Nuremberg and more or less trained there, both organists at Bayreuth, and the one from 1680 at Weissenfels and the other from 1681 at Zittau.
Johann Pachelbel (d. 1706), born in 1653 at Nuremberg, was trained at Altdorf and Ratisbon. His official life was a broken one—from 1674 at Vienna, from 1677 at Eisenach, from 1678 at Erfurt, from 1690 at Stuttgart, from 1692 at Gotha, and from 1695 at Nuremberg, succeeding Wecker at the Sebalduskirche. His abundant organ-works were left mostly in MS., except some good preludes and variations (1683-99). His style was diversified, uniting the brilliance and effectiveness of the southern school with much of the solidity of the northern. He was one of the pioneers in the competent development of the chorale-prelude. He was diligently studied by the great Bach, and was clearly one of his early models, though lacking in the power of extended and sustained treatment. While at Erfurt, he taught many good pupils, like Vetter, Buttstett and J. C. Bach (J. S. Bach's elder brother), who were later prominent in central Germany.
Other names are Johann Ulrich Steigleder (d. 1635) of Stuttgart, a contemporary of Scheidt, with ricercari and variations (from 1624), and Sebastian Anton Scherer, cathedral-organist at Ulm, with organ-pieces (1664) and other works. 3/
106. The North German School.—The extent of Sweelinck's
personal influence was exceedingly wide, his most distinguished
pupils being scattered from Hanover and Hamburg on the west
to Danzig on the east and to Halle in Saxony. From him came
a sound perception of the special qualities of treatment germane
to the organ, a vigorous conception of the fugue as the greatest
single form available, with its capacity for every phase of contrapuntal art,
and an enterprising and genial breadth of view as
to the possibilities of organ progress. Several of his pupils
were really greater than he, but to him is due the impulse that
later made Germany the home of the noblest organ style. His
connection with Italy has already been noted (see secs. 66, 103).
