Artist

Jan Dismas Zelenka

Personb. 1679 · Benešov, Czechia, Czechia

choralearly musicbaroque

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Bio

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679–1745) was a Bohemian composer of the late Baroque era, known for his distinctive harmonic language and expressive choral writing. Born near Prague, he spent most of his career at the Dresden court, where he served as a double-bass player and later as a composer of sacred music. His surviving works—primarily masses, psalms, and oratorios—combine strict contrapuntal technique with bold chromaticism and rhythmic vitality. Although largely forgotten after his death, Zelenka’s music has been rediscovered in recent decades and is now regarded as among the most original of the late Baroque period.