Johann Sebastiani was a German baroque composer.

Sebastiani was born in Weimar

Weimar

Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...

. He became Kantor at Königsberg cathedral in 1661, and court Kapellmeister 1663-1679. He died in Königsberg

Königsberg

Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...

. His works include sacred and occasional pieces and songs; the most famous is his
St Matthew Passion (before 1663, performed again 1672) in a development from the style of Heinrich Schütz

Heinrich Schütz

Heinrich Schütz was a German composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and often considered to be one of the most important composers of the 17th century along with Claudio Monteverdi...

 which includes recitatives and arias but avoids a dramatic operatic idiom, and marks an intermediate position between Schütz and Bach such as those of Johann Theile

Johann Theile

Johann Theile was a German composer of the Baroque era, famous for the opera Adam und Eva, Der erschaffene, gefallene und aufgerichtete Mensch, first performed in Hamburg on January 2, 1678.- Life :...

 and Johann Valentin Meder

Johann Valentin Meder

Johann Valentin Meder was a German composer, organist, and singer. Meder was born in Wasungen, Thuringia to a musical family with his father and four brothers all being...

. Two violins accompany Christ's words, and four viols accompany other soloists.

Recordings

• Matthäus Passion 1672. Soprano Greta de Reyghere, countertenor Vincent Grégoire, tenors Stephan Van Dyck, Hervé Lamy, bass Max van Egmond
  Max van Egmond
  Max van Egmond is a Dutch bass and baritone singer. He has focused on oratorio and Lied and is known for singing works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :...
  
  , Ricercar Consort
  Ricercar Consort
  The Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
  
  , dir. Philippe Pierlot. Ricercar Deutsche Barock Kantaten Vol.XI 1996