Nikolaus Hasse, sometimes spelled Nicolaus Hasse, (c.1617 – March 8, 1672, Rostock) was a German

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and organist of the Baroque period. Part of the Hasse family of musicians, he was the son of

Peter Hasse Peter (Petrus) Hasse (ca. 1585 – June 1640) was a German organist and composer, and member of the prominent musical Hasse family. The first written record of Hasse dates from his appointment as organist at the Marienkirche in Lübeck, a post ...

. A longtime organist at

St. Mary's Church, Rostock St. Mary's Church, Rostock, in German Marienkirche, is the biggest of three town churches found in the Hanseatic city of Rostock, in northern Germany. The other two are St. Peter's ''(Petrikirche)'' and St. Nicholas ''(Nikolaikirche''). A four ...

, he is best remembered today for his compositions of

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

and

sacred song Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as ritual. Relig ...

Life and career

Born in Lübeck, Hasse received his music education from his father, the composer

. In 1642 he was appointed organist at

; a position he maintained until his retirement in 1671. His life was often plagued with financial difficulties, and he died soon after his retirement on March 8, 1672 in Rostock. Nikolaus Hasse is principally remembered for his compositions of chamber music and sacred songs; both of which have remained in the repertoire. All of his chamber music, encompassing 21 suites and 14 other dances in a variety of styles of the period, were published in a two volume set entitled ''Delitiae musicae'' in 1656. These pieces were originally written for play by students at the University of Rostock and became a part of the musical life of that school during Hasse's lifetime. After their publication, the works spread. The theologian

Heinrich Müller Heinrich Müller may refer to: * Heinrich Müller (cyclist) (born 1926), Swiss cyclist * Heinrich Müller (footballer, born 1888) (1888–1957), Swiss football player and manager * Heinrich Müller (footballer, born 1909) (1909–2000), Austrian ...

published 50 of Hasse's sacred songs in the collection '' Geistliche Seelen-Musik'', and these are the best known of his surviving sacred works. Hasse also wrote

lieder In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French sp ...

and organ music; but these are less known. Only four of his organ work survive, all of them published in the Pelplin organ tablatures.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasse, Nikolaus 1617 births 1672 deaths 17th-century classical composers German Baroque composers German classical composers German male classical composers German classical organists German male organists Musicians from Lübeck Organists and composers in the North German tradition 17th-century male musicians Male classical organists de:Nicolaus Hasse