Von der born buxtehude biography

Both the place and the date of Diderik Buxtehude's birth are open to dispute, though it is now generally agreed that he was born in 1637 in Helsingborg, Sk�ne, at the time part of Denmark. His obituary, in the 1707 Nova literaria Maris Balthici, stated that "he recognized Denmark as his native country, whence he came to our region; he lived about 70 years".

Others, however, claim that he was born at Oldesloe in the Duchy of Holstein, (now Germany), which at that time was a part of the Danish Monarchy. Later in his life he Germanized his name and began signing documents Dieterich Buxtehude.

Buxtehude was first and foremost an organist, beginning in Helsingborg (1657-1658), then at Elsinore (1660-1668), and last from 1668 at the Marienkirche in L�beck. His post in the free Imperial city of L�beck afforded him considerable latitude in his musical career and his autonomy was a model for the careers of later Baroque masters such as George Frideric Handel, Johann Mattheson, Georg Philipp