Johann Heinrich Schmelzer
(b Scheibbs, c 1620-23; d Prague, 29 Feb-20 March 1680). Austrian composer and violinist. He was trained in Vienna and served in the court chapel from the mid- 1630s, becoming a member of the orchestra in 1649 and vice-Kapellmeister in 1671. In 1679 he was made Kapellmeister, the first of a series of native Austrians. The leading Austrian composer of instrumental music before Biber, he wrote 150 ballet suites for court dramatic productions and over 100 sonatas. The former each have between two and nine separate dances, sometimes thematically related; some include elements of folk music. Notable among the sonatas are the six Sonatae unarum fidium (1664), the earliest published set for solo violin and continuo. Schmelzer's prolific output also includes sepolcri and other dramatic pieces, nearly 200 sacred works and some secular vocal music. His son Andreas Anton (1653-1701) was a composer and violinist at the same court.
