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Tier 3 · vertical & regionalfull biography
Johann Hermann Schein
Person · male · Electorate of Saxony · Grünhain · born 1586 · died 1630 · recording since 1996
German composer
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Also known as Johan Hermann Schein · 约翰·赫尔曼·沙因
Timeline
13 events▣ Album 10◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1580s
1630s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Banchetto musicale
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography672 words · 5 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1309855603
Biography
Johann Hermann Schein (20 January 1586 – 19 November 1630) was a German composer of the early Baroque era. He was Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1615 to 1630. He was one of the first to import the early Italian stylistic innovations into German music, and was one of the most polished composers of the period.
Biography
Schein was born in Grünhain. On the death of his father, Schein moved to Dresden where he joined the choir of the Elector of Saxony as a boy soprano. In addition to singing in the choir, he received a thorough musical training with Rogier Michael, the Kapellmeister, who recognized his extraordinary talent. From 1603 to 1607 he studied at Pforta, and from 1608 to 1612 attended the University of Leipzig, where he studied law in addition to liberal arts. Upon graduating, he was employed briefly by Gottfried von Wolffersdorff as the house music director and tutor to his children; later he became Kapellmeister at Weimar, and shortly thereafter became Thomaskantor, music director in Leipzig, especially cantor at the Thomasschule zu Leipzig and conducting the Thomanerchor, a post which he held for the rest of his life.
Unlike his friend Heinrich Schütz, he was afflicted with poor health, and was not to live a happy or long life. His wife died in childbirth; four of his five children died in infancy; he died in Leipzig at age 44, having suffered from tuberculosis, gout, scurvy, and a kidney disorder.
Style
Schein was one of the first to absorb the innovations of the Italian Baroque—monody, the stile concertato, figured bass—and use them effectively in a German Lutheran context. While Schütz made more than one trip to Italy, Schein apparently spent his entire life in Germany, making his grasp of the Italianate style all the more remarkable. His early concertato music seems to have been modeled on Lodovico Grossi da Viadana's Cento concerti ecclesiastici, which were available in an edition prepared in Germany.
Unlike Schütz, who concentrated mainly on sacred music (although it must be borne in mind that at least two operas composed by him, among other secular works, have been lost), Schein wrote sacred and secular music in approximately equal quantities, and almost all of it was vocal. In his secular vocal music he wrote all of his own texts. Throughout his life he published alternating collections of sacred and secular music, in accordance with an intention he stated early on — in the preface to the Banchetto musicale — to publish alternately music for use in worship and social gatherings. The contrast between the two kinds of music can be quite extreme. While some of his sacred music uses the most sophisticated techniques of the Italian madrigal for a devotional purpose, such as the motet Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen setting verses from Psalm 84, several of his secular collections include such things as drinking songs of a surprising simplicity and humor. Some of his works attain an expressive intensity matched in Germany only by those of Schütz, for example the spectacular Fontana d'Israel or Israel's Brünnlein (1623), in which Schein declared his intent to exhaust the possibilities of German word-painting "in the style of the Italian madrigal."
Possibly his most famous collection was his only collection of instrumental music, the Banchetto musicale (Musical banquet) (1617) which contains twenty separate variation suites; they are among the earliest, and most perfect, representatives of the form. Most likely they were composed as dinner music for the courts of Weissenfels and Weimar, and were intended to be performed on viols. They consist of dances: a pavan-galliard (a normal early Baroque pair), a courante, and then an allemande-tripla. Each suite in the Banchetto is unified by mode as well as by theme.
Sacred vocal
Cymbalum Sionium (1615)
Opella nova, geistlicher Concerten (1618)
Fontana d'Israel, Israelis Brünnlein (1623)
Opella nova, ander Theil, geistlicher Concerten (1626)
Cantional oder Gesangbuch Augspurgischer Confession (1627, 1645)
Secular vocal
Venus Kräntzlein (1609)
Musica boscareccia (1621, and several portions published later)
Diletti pastorali, Hirten Lust (1624)
Studenten-Schmauss (1626)
So da, mein liebes Brüderlein (1626)
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 27 | 88.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 11 | 82.8th |
| Studio albums | 10 | 91.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 13 | 89.7th |
| Recording span (years) | -366 | 0.9th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (11 release groups · 10 studio albums)
Albums · 10
1996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 27 tracks · 1:05:32
1Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 1: I. Intrada2:402Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 1: II. Padouana3:403Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 1: III. Gagliarda2:274Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 1: IV. Courente1:225Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 1: V. Allemande - Tripla1:576Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 8: I. Padouana3:387Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 8: II. Gagliarda2:068Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 8: III. Courente2:179Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 8: IV. Allemande - Tripla2:0910Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 13: I. Padouana1:5611Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 13: II. Padouana3:1812Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 13: III. Gagliarda2:0713Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 13: IV. Courente1:4214Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 13: V. Allemande - Tripla2:3915Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 16: I. Padouana3:4916Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 16: II. Gagliarda2:1317Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 16: III. Corente2:1518Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 16: IV. Allemande1:2219Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 18: Intrada (Da Venus Krantzlein)2:0720Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 18: II. Padouana3:2721Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 18: III. Gagliarda3:1222Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 18: IV. Courente1:5223Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 18: V. Allemande - Tripla1:5424Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 19: I. Padouana3:3225Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 19: II. Gagliarda2:4826Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 19: III. Courente1:2627Banchetto Musicale Suite No. 19: IV. Allemande - Tripla1:371996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 21 tracks · 1:19:07
1Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 1: O Herr, ich bin dein Knecht3:232Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 2: Freue dich des Weibes deiner Jugend3:413Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 3: Die mit Tränen säen3:174Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 4: Ich lasse dich nicht3:035Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 5: Dennoch bleibe ich stets an dir2:596Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 6: Wende dich, Herr, und sei mir gnädig3:597Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 7: Zion spricht: Der Herr hat mich verlassen4:358Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 10: Da Jakob vollendet hatte4:569Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 11 Lieblich und schöne sein ist nichts3:2610Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 12: Ist nicht Ephraim mein teurer Sohn3:5811Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 13: Siehe an die Werk Gottes3:0312Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 14: Ich freue mich im Herren2:4213Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 16: Ihr Heiligen, lobsinget dem Herren3:3114Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 17: Herr, lass meine Klage3:0415Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 18: Siehe, nach Trost war mir sehr bange4:0416Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 19: Ach Herr, ach meiner schone3:4817Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 20: Drei schöne Dinge sind3:3318Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 21: Was betrübst du dich, meine Seele5:4319Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 23: O, Herr Jesu Christe4:4020Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 25: Lehre uns bedenken4:0321Fontana d'Israel "Israelis Brünnlein", No. 26: Nu danket alle Gott3:39Israels Brünnlein / Opella Nova II
1996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:15:21
1Unser Leben Währet Siebnzig Jahr3:592Ach Herr, Ach Meiner Schone3:153Mach Dich Auf, Werde Licht, Zion5:444Da Jakob Vollendet Hatte5:065Ich Lasse Dich Nicht2:586Magnificat6:117Die Mit Tränen Säen3:218O Herr, Ich Bin Dein Knecht3:469Vom Himmel Hoch, Da Komm Ich Her5:3110Herr, Laß Meine Klage3:1211Ist Nicht Ephraim Mein Teurer Sohn4:1812Warum Betrübst Du Dich, Mein Herz3:3013Ich Bin Die Wurzel Des Geschlechtes David4:0214Ich Freue Mich Im Herren3:0815Was Betrübst Du Dich, Meine Seele4:3116Vater Unser, Der Du Bist Im Himmel8:4417Nu Danket Alle Gott4:05Portraits / Banchetto Musicale
1997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 20 tracks · 51:17
1No.16: Suite A 5 In A: Padouana3:382No.16: Suite A 5 In A: Gagliarda2:393No.16: Suite A 5 In A: Corente1:504No.16: Suite A 5 In A: Allemande (Attacca)-Tripla2:365No.23: Canzon A 5 In A4:476No.17: Intrada A 5 In D / No.22: Gagliarda A 5 In D3:127No.2: Suitete A 5 In D: Padouana3:308No.2: Suitete A 5 In D: Gagliarda1:549No.2: Suitete A 5 In D: Corente1:3710No.2: Suitete In D: Allemande (Attacca)-Tripla1:2011No.20: Intrada A 5 In G3:0312No.6: Suite A 5 In D: Padouana4:3013No.6: Suite A 5 In D: Gagliarda1:2414No.6: Suite A 5 In D: Corente2:2115No.6: Suite A 5 In D: Allemande (Attacca)-Tripla2:1216No.20: Suite A 5 In E: Padouana3:2017No.20: Suite A 5 In E: Gagliarda0:5418No.20: Suite A 5 In E: Corente1:1419No.20: Suite A 5 In E: Allemande (Attacca)-Tripla1:1020No.25: Canzon A 5 In A: 'Corollarium'4:06Psalmen Davids sampt etlichen Moteten und dem Te Deum
2000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:18:20
1Halleluja! Lobet den Herrn (Psalm 150)9:142Ich will schweigen (Psalm 39)4:423Siehe, also wird gesegnet (Psalm 128)5:154Lobe den Herren, meine Seele (Psalm 103)6:355Freut euch des Herren, ihr Gerechten (Psalm 33)7:106Herr, wie lange willtu mein so gar vergessen? (Psalm 13)4:027Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (Psalm 98)5:588Der Herr erhöre dich in der Not (Psalm 20)4:029Der Herr ist mein Hirt (Psalm 23)5:3610Da pacem Domine4:1111Das ist mir lieb (Psalm 116)7:3212Zion spricht: Der Herr hat mich verlassen (Jesaja 49)5:4413Te Deum laudamus - Herr Gott, dich loben wir8:192004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 27 tracks · 1:41:18
Disc 11Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: O Herr, ich bin dein Knecht3:112Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Freue dich des Weibes deiner Jugend3:403Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Die mit Tränen säen3:244Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Ich lasse dich nicht2:365Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Dennoch bleibe ich stets an dir2:536Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Wende dich, Herr, und sei mir gnädig3:587Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Zion spricht: Der Herr hat mich verlassen4:508Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Ich bin jung gewesen3:049Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Der Herr denket an uns3:4510Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Da Jakob vollendet hatte4:3611Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Lieblich und schöne sein ist nichts3:3012Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Ist nicht Ephraim mein teurer Sohn4:2113Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Siehe an die Werke Gottes3:2114Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Ich freue mich im Herren2:3815Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Unser Leben währet siebnzig Jahr3:19Disc 21Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Ihr Heiligen, lobsinget dem Herren3:332Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Herr, laß meine Klage2:553Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Siehe, nach Trost war mir sehr bange3:394Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Ach Herr, ach meiner schone3:065Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Drei schöne Ding sind3:506Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Was betrübst du dich, meine Seele4:467Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Wem ein tugendsam Weib bescheret ist2:588Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: O, Herr Jesu Christe3:329Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Ich bin die Wurzel des Geschlechtes David3:3210Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Lehre uns bedenken3:3711Israelsbrünnlein, 1623: Nun danket alle Gott3:5912Cymbalum Sionium, 1615: Psalm 91 "Wer unter dem Schirm des Höchsten sitzt"8:452009 · studio album
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Tracklist · 44 tracks · 1:13:13
1Music for Brass-Suite. Padouane4:392Gagliarda1:173Courente1:134Allemande – Tripla1:095Canzona2:386Suite. Padouane2:547Gagliarda1:208Courente0:359Allemande – Tripla2:0710Intrade1:2811Intrade1:0312Intrade0:3413Canzona2:1614Suite-Intrade1:2515Galliarde1:0516Pavane3:1317Galliarde1:2118Four-part dances from Banchetto Musicale-Allemande – Tripla2:0919Intrada2:1320Allemande – Tripla1:2421Padouana3:4422Allemande – Tripla1:2723Little Suite-Allemande – Tripla1:1224Padouana3:0025Allemande – Tripla1:2726Chorales for Brass-Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (EKG 1)0:5427Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland0:5728Gottes Sohn ist kommen (EKG 2)0:5229Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her (EKG 16)1:0430Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her0:4131Freut euch, ihr lieben Christen1:1032Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund I1:2533Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund II0:5034Mensch, bewein dein Sünde gross (EKG 54)1:4635Christ lag in Todesbanden (EKG 76)2:0336Christ lag in Todesbanden1:1237Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag (EKG 80)0:5538Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn (EKG 83)1:1339Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott (EKG 98)1:3340Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott (EKG 98)2:3541Ich freue mich im Herren2:1442Vater unser im Himmelreich (EKG 241)0:5643Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr (EKG 131)1:1344Nun danket alle Gott2:472014 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:02:40
1Canzon »Corollarium«4:192Ich will schweigen5:533Fantasia in d1:504Exaudiat te Dominus8:175Suite VII7:486Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott3:057Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott3:268Fuga XII à 43:149Herr Christ, der einig Gottes Sohn1:5910Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland2:1511Sonatina à 43:2112Mach dich auf, werde Licht6:3313Paduana à 42:1014In dich hab ich gehoff et, Herr5:4315Fuga sopra Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt2:472015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:11:40
1Venite, Exsultemus Domino à 125:502Ehr Sei Gott In Der Höh' Allein à 106:333Verbum Caro Factum Est à 64:184Quem Vidistis, Pastores à 86:095Gott Sei Mir Gnädig à 612:066Ist Nich Epharim Mein Treuer Sohn à 83:307O Domine Jesu Christe à 82:528Corollarium: Canzon à 53:569Gehe Hin, Bis Das Ende Komme à 82:2710Alleluja! Ich Danke Dem Herren à 811Alleluja! Ich Danke Dem Herren à 84:2212Wo Ist Dein Freund Hingegangen à 63:5613Laetatus Sum à 86:2014Sic Deus Dilexit Mundum à 83:2215Quem Quaeris Magdalena à 125:592022 · studio album
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Tracklist · 26 tracks · 1:41:28
Disc 11Israelis Brünnlein: No. 1, O Herr, ich bin dein Knecht3:422Israelis Brünnlein: No. 2, Freue dich des Weibes deiner Jugend3:523Israelis Brünnlein: No. 3, Die mit Tränen säen3:414Israelis Brünnlein: No. 4, Ich lasse dich nicht3:035Israelis Brünnlein: No. 5, Dennoch bleibe ich stets an dir3:186Israelis Brünnlein: No. 6, Wende dich, Herr, und sei mir gnädig4:057Israelis Brünnlein: No. 7, Zion spricht. Der Herr hat mich verlassen4:448Israelis Brünnlein: No. 8, Ich bin jung gewesen3:219Israelis Brünnlein: No. 9, Der Herr denket an uns4:3110Israelis Brünnlein: No. 10, Da Jakob vollendet hatte4:5311Israelis Brünnlein: No. 11, Lieblich und schöne sein ist nichts3:4812Israelis Brünnlein: No. 12, Ist nicht Ephraim mein teurer Sohn4:1513Israelis Brünnlein: No. 13, Siehe an die Werk Gottes3:20Disc 21Israelis Brünnlein: No. 14, Ich freue mich im Herren2:532Israelis Brünnlein: No. 15, Unser Leben währet siebnzig Jahr3:353Israelis Brünnlein: No. 16, Ihr Heiligen, lobsinget dem Herren3:444Israelis Brünnlein: No. 17, Herr, laß meine Klage für dich kommen3:115Israelis Brünnlein: No. 18, Siehe, nach Trost war mir sehr bange4:166Israelis Brünnlein: No. 19, Ach Herr, ach meiner schone3:157Israelis Brünnlein: No. 20, Drei schöne Ding sind3:448Israelis Brünnlein: No. 21, Was betrübst du dich, meine Seele5:179Israelis Brünnlein: No. 22, Wem ein tugendsam Weib bescheret ist3:2910Israelis Brünnlein: No. 23, O Herr Jesu Christe4:4711Israelis Brünnlein: No. 24, Ich bin die Wurzel des Geschlechtes David4:0612Israelis Brünnlein: No. 25, Lehre uns bedenken4:1613Israelis Brünnlein: No. 26, Nu danket alle Gott4:22
Single · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | IntradaSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 1:161Intrada1:16 | 25 September 2014 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Johann Hermann Schein head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 27 | 88.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 11 | 82.8th |
| Studio albums | 10 | 91.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 13 | 89.7th |
| Recording span (years) | -366 | 0.9th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johann_Hermann_Schein_1620.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5b98940b-09f0-459d-b7f4-31df1f7bf27ddiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5b98940b-09f0-459d-b7f4-31df1f7bf27dcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57827genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57827seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Hermann_Scheinbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Hermann_Schein
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: notable long tail (listeners 0, 27 language versions)
Image: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q57827 · MusicBrainz: 5b98940b-09f0-459d-b7f4-31df1f7bf27d
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