A Danish Musician Who Deeply Influenced Bach: Buxtehude
- Arda Tunca
- Mar 15
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 16
Denmark has produced several noteworthy classical music composers, spanning different eras. However, Dieterich Buxtehude’s place in the hearts of Bach-lovers is most probably very special and outstanding.
Few composers in Western classical music history are as revered as Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). His mastery of counterpoint, harmony, and form laid the foundation for future generations. Yet, Bach did not emerge in isolation. He was part of a rich tradition of North German organ music, shaped significantly by Dieterich Buxtehude (1637–1707).
Buxtehude had a profound influence on Bach, particularly in the areas of organ composition, counterpoint, and musical expression. Bach deeply admired Buxtehude’s work and even undertook a famous journey to Lübeck to study under him.
Buxtehude, though often overshadowed today by Bach’s legacy, was one of the most influential organists and composers of the late Baroque period. His music not only helped define the North German organ school but also directly shaped Bach’s artistic development. Their connection is more than anecdotal. It represents a crucial bridge in the evolution of Baroque music.
One of the most famous stories in classical music is Bach’s 1705 journey to Lübeck. At just 20 years old, Bach walked more than 400 kilometers from Arnstadt to Lübeck to hear and learn from Buxtehude, who was then the organist at St. Mary’s Church (Marienkirche).
Originally granted leave from his duties for just a few weeks, Bach ended up staying for several months, absorbing Buxtehude’s improvisational style, expressive freedom, and innovative use of counterpoint. This extended visit had a profound impact on Bach’s organ compositions and overall musical approach.
Buxtehude’s “stylus fantasticus”—a highly expressive and improvisatory style that allowed for dramatic contrasts, sudden changes, and virtuosic flourishes—left a significant mark on Bach’s early organ works. This style allowed for dramatic contrasts, sudden changes, and virtuosity, evident in Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565.
Buxtehude's Passacaglia in D minor, BuxWV 161, is a seminal work that likely influenced Bach's own Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582. Both compositions feature a repeating bass line (ostinato) with intricate variations, a testament to Buxtehude's mastery of the form and its impact on Bach's exploration of similar structures.
Buxtehude was a master of chorale settings, particularly chorale preludes and chorale fantasias. Buxtehude’s chorale-based compositions, such as chorale preludes and fantasias, influenced Bach’s own sacred organ music. Buxtehude’s ability to ornament and develop a chorale melody in an expressive and text-driven manner shaped Bach’s approach to Lutheran church music. His approach to embellishing and developing Lutheran hymns influenced Bach’s own expansive treatment of chorales in his organ music, cantatas, and Passions.
Bach’s Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book), a collection of chorale-based organ works, reflects Buxtehude’s rich harmonic textures and expressive use of ornamentation. Buxtehude's innovative settings of Lutheran chorales set a precedent for Bach's chorale preludes. Bach's Clavier-Übung III (German Organ Mass) reflects Buxtehude's influence in its complex counterpoint and expressive depth, expanding on the foundation laid by his predecessor.
Buxtehude was a master of counterpoint, and his fugues and preludes demonstrated complex voice-leading and intricate harmonic progressions. Bach refined these techniques further, leading to the highly structured fugues in The Well-Tempered Clavier and The Art of Fugue. Buxtehude’s Fuga in C Major, BuxWV 174 and other fugues share characteristics with Bach’s early fugues, showing how the younger composer absorbed and refined Buxtehude.
Buxtehude’s Abendmusiken—evening concerts of sacred music held in Lübeck—showed Bach how large-scale sacred compositions could be structured. This influence is seen in Bach’s Cantatas and Passions.
Buxtehude was part of the North German organ school, which emphasized elaborate pedal technique and improvisation. Bach integrated this tradition into his own organ compositions, expanding its expressive potential.
Although Buxtehude’s works were mostly forgotten outside of organ circles, his influence lived on through Bach, who synthesized Buxtehude’s innovations into a more structured and refined Baroque style. Without Buxtehude’s inspiration, Bach’s development as a composer—particularly in organ and sacred music—might have taken a very different course.
Bach's encounter with Buxtehude was more than a meeting of minds. It was a passing of the torch. Buxtehude's willingness to share his artistry with the young Bach ensured the continuation and evolution of the North German organ tradition. This mentorship not only enriched Bach's compositions but also cemented Buxtehude's enduring legacy in the annals of classical music.
In essence, Buxtehude's influence on Bach represents a pivotal chapter in the history of Western music.
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