Andreas Hammerschmidt Zweierlei bitt ich von dir

Andreas Hammerschmidt grew up in a Protestant family in Bohemia, but fled with his family to Freiberg in Electoral Saxony in 1626 due to religious persecution during the Counter-Reformation. No detailed information about his musical education has been handed down. In 1635, Hammerschmidt became organist at St. Peter's Church in Freiberg, until he took up the position of organist at St. John's Church in Zittau four years later. He held this position until his death, while Zittau developed into his musical centre of activity.

Hammerschmidt composed over 400 works, mainly church cantatas, motets and sacred madrigals. Stylistically, his music follows in the footsteps of Heinrich Schütz, but he is considered an important pioneer of the German church cantata, which later flourished under Johann Sebastian Bach.