Hans Leo Hassler (bapt.26 October 1564 – 8 June 1612) was an important German composer and organist.
[For last year's items on Domenico Scarlatti, Henry Smart, and Mahalia Jackson click here. For closely related sentiment regarding Heinrich Schütz go here.]
Both Sides Now
Due to the demands of the Catholic patrons, and his own Protestant beliefs, Hassler's compositions represented a skillful blend of both religions’ music styles that allowed his compositions to function in both contexts. Thus, many of Hassler's works could be used both in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran. -- adapted from Wikipedia
Hans Leo Hassler, (you’ve sung him in choir),
Went to the South, where he hoped to acquire
The latest and flashiest genres to write in,
For bishops and kings and the rest to delight in.
He made his return to the North a success
With finely tuned instincts for subtle finesse.
By careful adjustment he had it both ways,
And threaded a path through the doctrinal maze
That Europe endured in those volatile days —
Each side of the German sectarian quarrel
Embraced what he wrote in the style polychoral.
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