Georg Schmezer

Georg Schmezer (also spelled Schmetzer) was born in Augsburg in 1642 and died in the same city in July 1697. He was a German composer and author of theoretical works, associated with the Protestant circles of his native city.

He was educated at the Gymnasium and in the Saint Anne's school choir in Augsburg, where he shared a classroom with Jakob Scheiffelhut and Daniel Merck. After study travels that took him as far as Stockholm, in 1677 he became cantor and music director of St Anne's, the principal Protestant church in the city, a post he held until his death. In 1690, on the occasion of the coronation of Joseph I in Augsburg, he presented a composition to his father, the Emperor Leopold I.

A large part of his output arose from his teaching work: he composed music for school plays performed by the pupils of St Anne's and, no doubt with them in mind, wrote two elementary treatises. His Compendium musicae (1688) was intended to replace the homonymous book by Adam Gumpelzhaimer, which had been used at the school since its publication in 1591.