Johannes Eccard (1553 – 1611) was a German composer
and kapellmeister. He was an early principal conductor
at the Berlin court chapel. He was born at Mühlhausen,
in present-day Thuringia, Germany. At the age of
eighteen he went to Munich, where he became the pupil
of Orlando Lasso. In his company, Eccard is said to
have visited Paris, but in 1574, he was again at
Mühlhausen, where he resided for four years. There he,
together with Joachim a Burck, edited some works of his
first master, a col...(+)
Johannes Eccard (1553 – 1611) was a German composer
and kapellmeister. He was an early principal conductor
at the Berlin court chapel. He was born at Mühlhausen,
in present-day Thuringia, Germany. At the age of
eighteen he went to Munich, where he became the pupil
of Orlando Lasso. In his company, Eccard is said to
have visited Paris, but in 1574, he was again at
Mühlhausen, where he resided for four years. There he,
together with Joachim a Burck, edited some works of his
first master, a collection of sacred songs, called
Crepundia sacra Helmboldi (1577). Soon afterwards he
obtained an appointment as musician in the house of
Jacob Fugger, the Augsburg banker.
In 1583 he became assistant conductor, and in 1599
conductor at Königsberg to Georg Friedrich, Margrave
of Brandenburg-Anspach, the administrator of the Duchy
of Prussia. In 1608 he was called by Joachim Frederick,
Elector of Brandenburg as principal conductor in
Berlin, but this post he held only for three years,
owing to his death at Königsberg in 1611.
Eccard's works consist exclusively of vocal
compositions, such as songs, sacred cantatas and
chorales for four or five, and sometimes for seven,
eight, or even nine voices. Their polyphonic structure
is a marvel of art and still garners the admiration of
musicians. At the same time his works are filled with a
spirit of true religious feeling. Before the First
World War, his setting of Martin Luther's words "Ein
feste Burg ist unser Gott" ("A Mighty Fortress Is Our
God") was regarded by the Germans as their
representative national hymn.
Eccard and his school are inseparably connected with
the history of the Protestant Reformation. Of Eccard's
songs a great many collections are extant such as those
published in Der Evangelische Kirchengesang (1843) by
Baron Karl Georg August Vivigens von Winterfeld.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Eccard).
Although originally composed for Choir (SATTB), I
created this Interpretation of the Hymn: "Christ lag in
Todesbanden" ("Christ lay in death's bonds") for Pipe
Organ (2 Manuals w/Pedals).