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Dietrich Buxtehude was a Danish-German composer and organist. Upon Franz Tunder’s death in 1668, Buxtehude suceeded him to become organist at St. Mary’s Church in Lübeck and married his predecessor’s younger daughter—a condition of his employment, which he was to extend to his successor. He remained in service at the church for nearly 40 years and in 1706, Johann Sebastian Bach made his famous journey on foot from Arnstadt to hear him play. Buxtehude left a considerable body of music, both vocal and instrumental, though a sizable number were lost. Of his 128 complete surviving vocal works, all but eight have sacred texts.