(b Amberg, 12 March 1515; d Nuremberg, 4 Feb 1553). German composer. While a student at Heidelberg University (1533-6) he belonged to the Hofkantorei; he may have been a composer at the Palatine court during the next decade, though he held posts in Heilsbronn and Ansbach. He was an important and versatile composer whose output, covering the main genres of vocal music except the mass, amounts to c 230 compositions. Most of his sacred pieces are clearly Lutheran, with their references to hymn tunes and settings of Lutheran biblical texts. His secular songs, which include 50 four- or five-part German songs and 16 four-part ones (published 1549 and c 1550), occupy a central position in his output. He used both cantus firmus tenor parts (frequently folktunes) and duo sections in the manner of Josquin and Senfl.
