Composer, born in Köstritz, Germany. He studied under Gabrieli in Venice (1609), and was appointed Hofkapellmeister in Dresden (1617), where he introduced Italian-type music, and styles of performance such as instrumentally accompanied choral compositions, as in his Psalms of David (1619). Regarded as the founder of the Baroque school of German music, a visit to Italy in 1628 acquainted him with more recent developments, and from 1633 until his return to Dresden in 1641 he travelled between various courts, including those at Copenhagen and Hanover. His compositions include church music, psalms, motets, passions, a German requiem, and the first German opera, Dafne, produced in Torgau in 1627.