Paul Siefert

Full biography Paul Siefert

Paul Siefert was a German composer and organist who lived from 1586 to 1666. He was born in Prussia, Germany, and is known for his contributions to organ music. Despite his significant contributions to music, Siefert's life and work are not widely known outside of specialist circles.

Siefert was a student of Heinrich Scheidemann, who was a well-known composer of organ music during the 17th century. Siefert is also closely associated with the Danzig school of composers, which produced many notable composers of the time.

Siefert is best known for his works for the pipe organ, which include several preludes and fantasias in various keys. He was particularly skilled in the art of counterpoint, which he used to great effect in his music. Siefert's compositions are characterized by their clear structure and use of ornamentation, which made them popular with both musicians and audiences of the time.

One noteworthy aspect of Siefert's career is that he was accused of having poor compositional skills by Marco Scacchi, an Italian composer and writer on music. Scacchi criticized Siefert in his 1643 treatise Cribrum Musicum , in which he accused Siefert of being a "proof of the decline of music." Despite this criticism, Siefert's works continued to be performed and enjoyed by audiences of the time.

Today, Siefert's music is not as widely performed as the works of other composers of his time, such as Johann Sebastian Bach or Georg Friedrich Händel. However, his contributions to the development of organ music during the 17th century remain significant, and his works are still appreciated by organists and music scholars today.