Johann Jakob Froberger

German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist (baptized 19 May 1616 – 7 May 1667).

He was among the most famous composers of the Baroque era. Froberger was the earliest important German composer for the harpsichord. His style represents an integration of French, Italian, and other styles with the more austere style of German keyboard music. He was the first German master of the keyboard suite. He is also remembered for his highly idiomatic and personal descriptive harpsichord pieces, which are among the earliest known examples of program music. Though little of his music was published in his lifetime, Froberger was very influential through posthumous prints and manuscript copies. His powerful and imaginative organ toccatas and fantasias show the influence of Girolamo Frescobaldi and were highly regarded by Johann Sebastian Bach. Froberger's music influenced more or less every composer of the century, and his music was known and performed well into the eighteenth century. Louis Couperin, Georg Böhm, Dieterich Buxtehude, and Johann Pachelbel are among the composers who were influenced by Froberger.