Erdmann Neumeister

Erdmann Neumeister (12 May 1671 – 18 August 1756) was a German Lutheran pastor and hymnologist.

He was a pioneer of the use of a format using recitative and aria, which was new in religious music, but established in secular cantatas and baroque opera.

This gave scope to carry over techniques from the world of secular music, and the texts were set by Johann Philipp Krieger, the kapellmeister at Weissenfels, and other composers, notably Bach.

Neumeister's first cycle of cantata texts was Geistliche Cantaten staff einer Kirchen-Music, completed in 1700 and published four years later.

Later, while working at Köthen, he applied for a job as organist at Neumeister's church in Hamburg.