Johann Jakob Froberger

Who was Johann Jakob Froberger?

Johann Jakob Froberger was a German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. He was among the most famous composers of the era and influenced practically every major composer in Europe by developing the genre of keyboard suite and contributing greatly to the exchange of musical traditions through his many travels. He is also remembered for his highly idiomatic and personal descriptive harpsichord pieces, which are among the earliest known examples of program music.

Only two of Froberger's many compositions were published during his lifetime, but his music was very widely spread in manuscript copies and he was one of the very few 17th-century composers who were never entirely forgotten. His works were studied in the 18th century, and certainly not without influence on the emerging Classical style by Handel, Bach and, extraordinarily, even Mozart and Beethoven.